Google Calendar's Latest Feature Shows How Much Time You Spend In Meetings

Time management is more important than ever with many people working from home, blurring the boundaries between one's career and home life. To help users keep track of their time and how much of it is spent in meetings with others, Google has introduced a new Calendar feature called Timer Insights that is rolling out now.

Time Insights is exactly what it sounds like: a tool that provides insights into where your time is going, at least when it comes to collaborating with others and going to meetings. The feature is, sadly, only available when accessing Google Calendar on a desktop browser; it's unclear whether the feature will be coming to mobile in the future.

When opened, users will see how much of their time was spent in one-on-one meetings with people, as well as how many guests participated in group meetings and how long those sessions lasted. The data is easily digestible with a circular graph format and time bars. The insights include which days you most commonly have meetings on and the average time spent in meetings daily.

Google specifically mentions the changes in how many people have been working during the pandemic, noting that Time Insights offers greater awareness of where one's working hours are going. This will, ideally, make it easier for users to adjust their schedules and manage their time if necessary, including, potentially, cutting down on how much time is spent on video calls.

Other features offered with Time Insights include the ability to pin key contacts to ensure you stay up to date with them, as well as highlighting specific individuals to see when your meetings with them are scheduled. The feature is rolling out over the next few weeks, but only for certain Workspace plans (G Suite basic customers won't get access, for example).