Google Calendar Integration

What you'll learn

• Connect your Google Calendar to RescueTime
• Using the Google Calendar Integration
• Access to Multiple Calendars
• Troubleshoot Common Issues with Calendar Integration
• Disconnect your Calendar from RescueTime

Connect your Google Calendar to RescueTime

Go to Account Settings > Calendar Integration

1. Select + add a new calendar integration

2. Select Add Google Calendar 

3. Select See Permissions

You will be asked to grant the following permissions:  See, edit, share, and permanently delete all the calendars you can access using Google Calendar

You will need to grant these permissions for RescueTime to create the dedicated RescueTime Calendar that shows your daily summaries. You will not be able to use the integration if these permissions are not granted.

4. Choose the account you want to connect and select  Allow 

5. A calendar named "RescueTime" will be created.

Your calendar will show summaries of your total time logged along with your meeting time. Your calendar will also be synced to your Assistant.

Google Calendar

The Assistant

Using the Google Calendar Integration

Meeting Forecast

Each morning, the Assistant will show a list of the day's meetings and their times in your morning forecast.

Shortly before a meeting, the Assistant will display an upcoming meeting pinned alert. If the event in your calendar has a Zoom or Google Meet link, click the Join Meeting button to join the meeting directly. 

Automatic Focus Sessions

You can schedule an automatic Focus Session from your calendar through calendar event hashtags or Focus Time for Google Calendar. 

Daily Summaries

RescueTime creates a new calendar containing daily summaries of your time showing your total logged time, meeting time, and Focus Work progress.

To view your daily summaries open your Google Calendar > Daily, Weekly or Monthly view

Note: you cannot view the summary for the present day until the next day. 

To see details of the summary, click on the timer or calendar icon.

Daily Summary Overview

• 🗓  Calendar Summary: Total meeting time on your primary calendar

• ⏱   RescueTime Summary: Total time RescueTime logged plus percentage of that time dedicated to Focus Work

• 🎯   Your Focus Work Goal: Exceeded or missed your Focus Work goal

Access Multiple Calendars

Connect multiple calendars for better scheduling

Google Calendar makes it easy to access multiple calendars from different accounts, so you can keep track of all your events in one place. Here’s how to share and add calendars.

By connecting all your calendars to RescueTime, we get a full view of your availability, making Focus Zones and Focus Sessions more accurate. We recommend adding calendars that cover every part of your day:

• Your work calendar (e.g., G Suite)
• Your personal calendar (e.g., Gmail—think kid’s piano lessons or personal appointments)
• Shared work calendars (e.g., your team calendar)

Need to add a calendar you don’t own?
The calendar owner needs to share the calendar with you (with full access), and you’ll be able to connect it to RescueTime.

To give you access to the calendar owned by them, the owner needs to do the following:

• On your computer, open Google Calendar.
• At the top, select the gear wheel and select Settings

• On the left, find Settings for my Calendars
• Select the calendar you want to share, click Access permissions
• Under Share with Specific people click Add people. Enter the email address of the person you want to share with.
• Under Permissions select Make changes AND manage sharing. This is necessary for RescueTime to connect with the calendar.

• Add people and click send.

Once connected, RescueTime will pull meeting information from all of your shared calendars.

Why share calendars?

• To let someone you're training see your main calendar
• To create a shared team calendar (e.g., a “Support” calendar everyone can view and edit)

Troubleshoot Common Issues with Calendar Integration

Regenerate Daily Summaries

If you don't see your daily summaries in your calendar, regenerate your daily summaries for the last 7 days.

• Account Settings > Calendar Integrations
• Gear icon > Settings
• Scroll down and choose "Regenerate daily summaries"

Other Common Issues

• Cannot regenerate your daily summaries
• #FocusTime on your calendar event did not start an automatic Focus Session
• RescueTime is not showing scheduled meetings on your Timesheet or in the Assistant

Disconnect and reconnect your Google Calendar to RescueTime. Be sure to accept the permission to " See, edit, share, and permanently delete all the calendars you can access using Google Calendar."

RescueTime will not add, edit or delete anything from your existing calendars.

Disconnect your Google Calendar from RescueTime

1. Account Settings > Calendar Integration
2. Gear icon > Settings
3. Select Remove Google Calendar

5. Ope your Google Calendar settings

6. Under Settings for my calendars click RescueTime

7. Choose Remove calendar

This will completely disconnect your Google Calendar from RescueTime.