Why Apple Calendar Isn’t Enough — And What I Use Instead

Photo by Rohan on Unsplash

“If I don’t write it down, I forget it. And if I do write it down, I lose the paper.” — Leslie Knope, Parks and Recreation

Leslie Knope might run on waffles and binders, but I used to run on Apple Calendar.

It was neat. Minimal. Synced perfectly across all my Apple devices. It felt like the obvious choice for managing time as a solopreneur: a simple tool to keep my week organised and my meetings in check.

But once I shifted to a 4-hour workday - working 8:00–10:00 and 14:00–16:00, with the rest of my day dedicated to rest, rehab, or writing - it quickly became obvious that Apple Calendar couldn’t keep up.

It’s great for booking appointments. But it doesn’t help you manage your time.

And when your hours are limited and your energy even more so, you need more than a digital diary. You need a system that thinks with you.

Here’s why I outgrew Apple Calendar - and what I now use to plan, prioritise, and protect every minute of my workday.

Why Apple Calendar Fell Short

To be clear: Apple Calendar isn’t broken. If you need to see where you’re supposed to be and when, it’s solid. Clean interface. Seamless iCloud sync. Built into the ecosystem.