How to Effectively Use Your Google Workspace Calendar with Dubsado

Do you struggle with using the Dubsado Calendar with your Google Workspace Calendar? If you have been with me for a little while now, you know two facts. I love Dubsado and I love a color-coded Google Workspace calendar. I get asked a lot about how I manage the two of them.

Today I want to share with you how to pair the two of them together for effective calendar management. I also want to share tips on how to effectively manage the two of them together. 

Before I dive in though I know that it is not impulsive for most people to link their calendar to Dubsado. Most believe that by not linking them, they are maintaining control. 

I am here to tell you that by linking them you can maintain control but also gain freedom! 

We all want more time, right? The number of hours spent sending emails back and forth to schedule one meeting is enough to make your head spin – now multiple that per client per meeting. 

There is a reason most big businesses have an administrative assistant manage their calendar. Don’t hire someone, let’s outsource this to Dubsado! 

How to Link Google Workspace Calendar with Dubsado

Now that you have committed to biting the bullet and allowing Dubsado to do some work on your behalf follow the below steps to link the two. 

1. Select “calendar” from the left sidebar
2. Select “Calendar settings” from the top right-hand corner
3. Click “Sync Calendar” 
4. Select the Google Workspace from the tab that opens and follow the sign-in process 

You have now connected the two. Now let’s make sure that we are pulling the right information into Dubsado and adding the correct information to your Google Calendar. 

1. Wait for Dubsado to reload the calendar and then select “calendar settings” again from the top right-hand corner within the “Calendar” section. 

2. Select “Link Calendar” next to your main calendar and any sub-calendars that you want Dubsado to know about when looking for your availability. 

3. You want to select “Import” on all of the main calendar and any sub-calendars that you have created. This will allow Dubsado to check those calendars against your availability when looking to schedule any appointments. 

Export is the setting that tells Dubsado where on your Google calendar to put the appointments and projects that are booked within Dubsado. You only want to select one calendar for this setting. 

I recommend having a calendar for your company and loading all of your Dubsado exported events onto that calendar. 

⚠️ Dubsado cannot pull specific events and export them to different calendars on your Google calendar. For example, if you have a sub-calendar for all of your social media management clients and then another calendar for your social media makeovers. Dubado is not able to export those specific events into each of the calendars. It can only drop all exported information into one calendar. Selecting more than one will lead to multiple versions of the same event exporting onto your Google calendar. 

Dubsado Color Code Meanings

Dubsado also follows a color coding scheme for its calendar. Below is a breakdown of what each color means. And before you ask – No you cannot change these colors. 

• Appointments Booked through Dubsado will show up as green on the Dubsado Calendar
• Appointments imported from your Google calendar will show up as light orange on the Dubsado calendar

The additional colors relate to invoicing, project status, and tasks within Dubsado. I will list them here for reference. 

• Projects that are assigned to a “lead” status will appear as black until they are moved to a “job” status then the same items will turn blue. 
• Tasks with due dates assigned in Dubsado will show up as red in the Dubsado calendar 
• Invoices with dues dates will show up as dark orange in the Dubsado calendar.

⚠️Appointments and project dates are the only calendar events that will export from Dubsado

into your electronic calendar when you sync the two. If you assign a project date to a project regardless of status (lead or job) it will block your calendar. 

⚠️ Projects will block your calendar for the entire length of the project unless you toggle it to “available”. Additionally, they will create an event that runs the entire length of the project on your Google calendar. 

Tips to Avoid Double Booking 

1. Put everything on your calendar. Literally, if you are not free during that time and it falls within your “working hours” then you need to make sure that your calendar is blocked. 
2. When you need to block a time and keep Dubsado from showing that time as available make sure that you are using the setting “busy” when setting up the event on your Google Calendar.
3. Make sure that the calendar you are making the event in on Google is linked as an imported calendar in Dubsado. 

Why I use Google’s Calendar not Dubsado’s 

When you link your Google Calendar to Dubsado. Dubsado will automatically create a duplication of the calendars (main and sub) that you select to import into Dubsado.

Why do you want this duplication? So that Dubsado can properly read your availability and keep

you from being booked. 

Additionally, Dubsado will export Dubsado-created events (scheduled appointments, tasks with due dates, and projects) onto your Google calendar. 

The calendars are identical in regard to events except for invoices. When it comes to day-to-day management I prefer to use my Google calendar, not Dubsado’s calendar. 

1. I have more control. 

2. It is color coded to my liking and understanding. 

3. I am able to access it from my phone. 

I do review Dubsado’s calendar for when payments are due as this is not captured in my Google Calendar.