cb_outlook
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At work I have to use Outlook agenda. Two issues started bugging me increasingly over time and I am addressing with this small "cb_outlook" tool.
Block agenda (focus time)
My job requires frequent meetings with colleagues around the globe. All of them use Outlook to find available slots to book those meetings. Consequently it happens often no time is left to focus decently on some other work to be done.
The classic approach is to block timeslots to focus and that become unavailable for scheduling meetings. There's even some Microsoft support for it using viva insights.
The drawback of that approach is however that it is in essence based on reserving fixed timeslots, taking away the flexibility to use those slots for meetings. Working around the globe makes this pretty bad as you are always blocking "the wrong" time for some timezone.
"cb_outlook" takes a different approach. It scans the agenda to find out how many slots are already occupied and ensures a predefined number of 30' slots is available to focus. As soon too many meetings appear on the agenda, it fills the remaining slots to focus. (if meetings would have disappeared it also removes the slots to focus so they become available again to schedule meetings)
Doing so, a minimum number of 30'slots stays available to focus while maintaining maximum flexibility to schedule meetings.
Empty agenda
When taking time-off, I usually decline individually all meetings during that period and cancel my own meetings. Of course with some message about the why.
"cb_outlook" automates this task by declining/cancelling all meetings between two dates.
Installation
Head to the latest release and download the "cb_outlook.zip" file. You can unzip it to any location and run "cb_outlook.exe" from there. No installation needed (which circumvents issues with signing of installers etc.)
Usage: Block agenda
| Entry | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Start of day | Start of your working day |
| End of day | End of your working day |
| Requested free slots of 30' | cb_outlook tries to ensure that each day this many slots of 30' (not necessarily contiguous!) are blocked on your agenda. |
| Nr of days lookahead | cb_outlook scans your agenda from today up to N days further where N is as defined in this field. |
| Focus string | The title that is used for the slots cb_outlook inserts in your agenda to create focus time. I would recommend to define this once and not change any fruther. |
| Run each hour | When checked, cb_outlook will scan your agenda and do its magic each hour as long as cb_outlook is active (open). |
| Run now | When clicked, cb_outlook will scan your agenda an do its magic. |
The last field (textarea) is showing progress and information while cb_outlook is running.
Usage: Empty agenda
| Entry | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Start date | First day to empty (decline/cancel) the agenda. |
| End date | Last day to empty (decline/cancel) the agenda. |
| Message | The reason to include in the decline/cancel message. |
| Empty now | Decline/cancel all meetings in the requested range. Attn: do carefully check correctness before clicking. There's no safety dialog, cb_outlook just starts emptying! |
The last field (textarea) is showing progress and information while cb_outlook is running.
License
(C) 2022 by Camiel Bouchier (camiel@bouchier.be)
This file is part of cb_outlook. All rights reserved. You are granted a non-exclusive and non-transferable license to use this software for personal or internal business purposes.
THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL Camiel Bouchier BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
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