According to Google, over 5 million businesses (including netlogx) use Google Apps. If you are new to Google Apps, fear not! There are many free online resources to help you familiarize yourself with the basics of Google. If you have already mastered the basics, consider enabling some of Google’s labs to maximize your productivity and boost your efficiency. Here are some of my favorite labs for Google Calendar and Gmail.

Gmail

  • Undo Send – If you only enable one lab, it should be Undo Send. Undo send will delay actually sending an email for a few seconds allowing you to click “Undo” if you send a message too soon, or notice a change immediately after clicking the send button. This lab is a lifesaver!
  • Right-side chat – This lab is simple but so useful. If you use your Gmail labels extensively, the left side of your screen may become a little cluttered. Enabling this lab will move the chat box to the right side of the inbox, making it easier to read and find what you need.
  • Canned Responses – This lab allows you to save common messages and then send these saved messages in the future. You can save template emails and then start from these when you need to send standard messages.

Google Calendar

  • Hide morning and night – This lab allows you to collapse a range of times in the morning or at night so you see only the title of events during those hours. By enabling this lab, you can hide ranges of times that are mostly empty so you won’t waste screen space
  • Automatically declining events – When this lab is enabled, you can set yourself as Busy (decline invitations) during events. Google Calendar will then decline any event invitations during this time. For example, if you are going to be on vacation for a week, create your week-long event as Busy (decline invitations) so even if you receive an invitation while you are away, the meeting creator will receive notification that you will not be attending.
  • Background image – This calendar lab is just for fun. When you enable this lab, you can add a background image to your calendar to customize your view.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with the labs to find what works for you. Good luck and have fun!