There is nothing like sitting at the back of a lecture while peeking at the screens of your peers. Notes, online shopping, internship applications, more notes, and of course, the flooding GCals. Seriously, what could a person be scheduling to the point where every minute of their day is accounted for? Are these people even happy? Why is everyone telling me I need to use GCal? (but actually…is this hazing?) Like any experienced lecture stalker, I took it upon myself to step inside the mind of a GCal warrior.

Thinking back to when I got a GCal invite a few weeks before fall move-in, I targeted Jessie Zheng ’29. She has been using GCal way before setting foot on campus, and her calendar seems more packed than Berryline on a hot day. Here is a glimpse inside of her GCal-infested mind…

JLU: What information do you put in your GCal?

JZ: Mostly my class time, and my working hours, if I have rehearsals, and…organizing time… I will also schedule dinners… I just put in the things that I forgot.

JLU: So, do you actually stick to your plans?

JZ: I do because I’m not restraining myself [by saying] I have to sleep during this time or I have to do this specific work during this time… A lot of the [plans] depend on other people. If I have a meeting, I have to show up.

So we don’t all decide to “do our readings” and end up doomscrolling instead? Okay, right…

JLU: Would you ever GCal a date?

JZ: Yes, I have!... Maybe I’m more of a GCal warrior than I thought.

Just “maybe?”

JZ: [My boyfriend and I] were thinking about going to Puerto Rico next year, and we put into our GCal a time when we could plan the trip.

You see, I guess this is why I’m always stuck flying Spirit at the last minute…

JLU: Would you actually recommend GCal to other people?

JZ: Yes, I would recommend a system that helps you…remember the things you have to do…I do have friends who don’t use GCal, and they just live their lives off their memory. I applaud that, but I can’t do that…I like to send my invites to others because Google Calendar is the most widely used platform right now.

Oh, I know how much you love to send those invites #letmethirdwheelPuertoRico

JLU: If you were to recommend GCal to any animal, what animal do you think would benefit the most from it?

JZ: A bird, because then they can schedule…when their baby birds are supposed to leave their nest, they can schedule like, oh, this is when I’m supposed to go out to find worms for my children, or this is when they’re going to be hatching…They would really benefit from having GCal.

Luckily, birds can fly away from their GCal responsibilities (Let me join! Please!!!)

JLU: Do you color-code your GCal based on vibes?

JZ: Of course! I’m like, oh, this class feels like it should be red, or like this class feels like it should be yellow…I used to have it so that it was all under one color palette…but whenever I opened up my GCal, other people said that my GCal looked really depressing, so instead I changed it to be like normal colors.

Maybe it’s time to change my calendar color scheme to better reflect this depressing finals season…

JLU: Do you think GCal actually improves your life? Does it make you happier?

JZ: Sometimes I open up my GCal and I’m really bummed out because I can visually see how packed my week is… but it does help me zoom out a little bit. Like, if I’m like, oh, this week is really busy, but like next week I’m going home, that helps me visualize the breaks I have built in.

So what I’m hearing is I should book that Amtrak home for Reading Period!

Well, I can’t say this exactly inspired me to become a GCal warrior anytime soon. But after hearing Jessie talk about zooming out, getting all her scheduled work done, and not forgetting meals (a skill I clearly lack), I can admit GCal might not be the enemy. Who knows… maybe one day I’ll even send a GCal invite of my own. (Don’t hold your breath.) Until then, I’ll be in lecture, still peeking at everyone’s calendars and thanking my lucky stars that I don’t have to schedule “shower + dinner” into my daily nighttime routine!