Google Calendar has introduced a new feature that enhances its Tasks functionality, allowing users to reserve time for tasks and display their availability status all within the application. This upgrade has been much anticipated by Workspace users, providing tasks with a similar structure to meetings. Users can now designate specific time slots, activate a “do not disturb” mode, and automatically decline meeting invitations. Although you can set a deadline for tasks, it remains limited to the date without a specific time option.

For those who heavily rely on their calendars, this development might align perfectly with what you envisioned for Tasks. Since its debut as a standalone app in 2018, Tasks has continuously evolved, incorporating helpful updates like reminders from Google Keep and completion date features. This update is being rolled out to all Workspace customers, individual subscribers, and personal Gmail account users. The rollout began on November 6th for Rapid Release domains but may take until mid-December to fully implement in all accounts.

If you’re accustomed to using planners or similar features in Outlook, this enhanced feature can assist in managing your workload effectively while signaling others of your focused periods. Unlike the “Focus Time” feature, this updated Tasks option allows you to allocate time to specific tasks directly.

To explore this feature, open Google Calendar, and when selecting an empty slot, choose “Task” from the available options.