New Google Calendar tool to break down how much time you've spent in meetings

The new feature, called Time Insights, will be introduced gradually on select Google Workspace accounts

Google Calendar will introduce a new feature called Time Insights to help break down a person's work day. AFP

It’s a question that’s asked more than answered, but could that meeting really have been an email? Well, now a new tool by Google could help to determine the answer. As part of Google Calendar, a new feature called Time Insights will be gradually introduced in October on select Google accounts.

It works by providing insights on how a person spends their work day, including how much of that time is spent in meetings. The idea is to gain a better understanding of how much time is taken up, so adjustments can be made to your working day if needed.

How Google Workspace's Time Insights will work. Photo: Google

“With the changes to our working environments in the past year, some people have more meetings and may feel less control over how their work time is spent. Time Insights can show you this data, and help you plan your time better,” said Google in a blog post.

The feature will highlight the days and times a person is in meetings the most, while also showing a time breakdown and details of the people who are in those meetings (as well as any other meetings they may also be in).

Time Insights will only be visible on computers and not mobile devices. Like with Google Calendar settings, no one else will be able to see the insights unless the “sharing access” permission has been enabled. Workspace admins will also be able to turn off the feature, but other users won’t have that option.

However, the new feature will only be available to certain Google Workspace accounts, including Business Standard, Business plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus and Nonprofits.