Before this course: Microsoft Outlook & Email Basics (course 13.4). You already know the parts of an email, folders, a simple rule, Schedule send and how to add a basic calendar event. Now you will run your whole week from Outlook.
Calendar events and meetings that work
Your calendar is a map of your time. When you invite someone, Outlook can peek at their map and help you pick a time when you are both free.
- Menus differ between new Outlook for Windows, classic Outlook, Outlook on the web and Outlook for Mac. The steps below are for new Outlook for Windows; check your version if they do not match.
- Open the calendar and select New Event. Enter a title, then select Invite attendees and type names or email addresses.
- With a work or school account, the Scheduling Assistant tab shows each person's free and busy times. Use Add required attendee or Add optional attendee.
- Choose a suggested time slot, or enter a date and start and end times, or turn on All day. Enter a location and turn the Teams meeting toggle on or off.
- To repeat an event, select Recurring, choose an interval and select Save. Select Send to deliver the invitation.
- The Scheduling Assistant generally needs a Microsoft 365 or Exchange account (a work or school account).
- Press Ctrl+2 (Cmd+2 on Mac) to open the calendar.
- Click New Event and type a clear title, such as "Group project meeting".
- Click Invite attendees and add the people.
- Open the Scheduling Assistant tab (work or school account) and look for a time when everyone is free. Mark anyone who is not essential as optional.
- Set the date and time, add a location, and switch the Teams meeting toggle on if it is online.
- For a weekly meeting, click Recurring, choose the interval and click Save.
- Click Send.
- Check: the invitation is in your calendar and the attendees appear in the event.
Videos by other creators on YouTube, for reference. They are not made by or affiliated with The Future Market.
Read the video script
[Host] "Five emails to find one meeting time? There is a faster way."
[Screen: Calendar > New Event > Invite attendees] "New Event. Give it a clear title and invite your people."
[Screen: Scheduling Assistant with colored busy blocks] "Open the Scheduling Assistant. It shows who is free and who is busy."
[Screen: Recurring > weekly > Save > Send] "Same time every week? Click Recurring, then Send."
Create a new event for a study session or team meeting next week. Invite one person (or use a second email address of your own), set it to repeat weekly, and send it.
ClaudeStuck? Copy a ready-made prompt for Claude
Copy this, open Claude, paste it, and Claude will walk you through the lesson step by step.
For a grown-up: Claude is for adults (18+). Copy this, paste it into Claude, and use the answer to explain the lesson to your child.
I'm learning "Outlook Productivity: calendar, rules and tasks" on The Future Market. Lesson 1: "Calendar events and meetings that work". What the lesson teaches: - Menus differ between new Outlook for Windows, classic Outlook, Outlook on the web and Outlook for Mac. The steps below are for new Outlook for Windows; check your version if they do not match. - Open the calendar and select New Event. Enter a title, then select Invite attendees and type names or email addresses. - With a work or school account, the Scheduling Assistant tab shows each person's free and busy times. Use Add required attendee or Add optional attendee. - Choose a suggested time slot, or enter a date and start and end times, or turn on All day. Enter a location and turn the Teams meeting toggle on or off. - To repeat an event, select Recurring, choose an interval and select Save. Select Send to deliver the invitation. - The Scheduling Assistant generally needs a Microsoft 365 or Exchange account (a work or school account). The exercise I'm working on: Create a new event for a study session or team meeting next week. Invite one person (or use a second email address of your own), set it to repeat weekly, and send it. I'm stuck. Please: 1. Explain the main idea in plain, simple words with one everyday example. 2. Walk me through the exercise one small step at a time. Ask me what I've done so far before giving the next step. 3. Don't just give me the final answer. Help me do it myself, and check my work when I share it.
I'm a parent helping my child (about 8 years old) with a lesson called "Calendar events and meetings that work" from the course "Outlook Productivity: calendar, rules and tasks". Here's what the lesson says: Your calendar is a map of your time. When you invite someone, Outlook can peek at their map and help you pick a time when you are both free. The activity: Create a new event for a study session or team meeting next week. Invite one person (or use a second email address of your own), set it to repeat weekly, and send it. Please explain this so an 8-year-old understands: short sentences, a fun everyday example, and no hard words. Then give me 3 simple questions I can ask my child to check they understood, and a way to do the activity together, one tiny step at a time.
Sources
- Microsoft Support, Schedule a meeting or event in Outlook: support.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/calendar/schedule-a-meeting-or-eve
- Microsoft Support, Schedule with Outlook on the web: support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/schedule-with-outlook-on-the-web-68
- Microsoft Support, Event scheduling, room finder, and RSVP in Outlook for Mac: support.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/event-scheduling-room-finder-and-r
Colour categories
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Rules with conditions, actions and exceptions
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Flags and follow-up
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Tasks, To Do and My Day
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Quick Steps
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Automatic replies and a weekly system
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Final project
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Quiz
Which tab of the new event shows people's free and busy times?
The Scheduling Assistant (work or school account).
Can you categorize a single occurrence of a recurring event?
No, only the whole series.
Which email accounts do not support categories?
IMAP accounts.
What three things does every rule need?
A name, a condition and an action (exceptions are optional).
What does "Stop processing more rules" do?
Stops later rules from running after this one.
Do new rules on Outlook.com run on old messages?
No, only on messages received after the rule is created.
Mark Complete or Clear Flag: which keeps a record?
Mark Complete.
Where do flagged messages appear?
The To-Do Bar, Tasks and the Calendar Daily Task List.
What does My Day contain?
Tasks due that day and not completed, plus tasks you add; unfinished ones are suggested again tomorrow.
Shortcut range for a Quick Step in new Outlook?
Ctrl+Shift+5 through Ctrl+Shift+9.
Can you undo a Quick Step with Ctrl+Z?
No.
Which automatic reply option does Microsoft recommend instead of replying outside your organization?
Send replies only to contacts.
Final exam
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Certificate
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