With the HourStack Google Calendar integration, you can track time against any event or meeting scheduled in your Google Calendar. Not only does this mean you avoid having to jump back and forth between time tracking and scheduling applications, but it also means that you can actually add those calendar events to the rest of your busy schedule.

Once you’ve connected your Google Calendar with HourStack, you’ll be able to drag-and-drop events from your Google calendar (or calendars, if you use multiple calendars in Google) right onto your HourStack schedule, and start tracking time against them, alongside all of the other tasks on your plate.

It’s easy to use and easy to set up. While this article will walk you through more than just the basics of getting that integration in place, you can view the more detailed setup guide in our Help Center Documentation.

In this summary, we’ll discuss:

  • How the HourStack Google Calendar time tracking integration works
  • How to connect your Google Calendar (or Calendars) and your HourStack account
  • How to request a new integration, or give feedback on this integration

How it works and what to expect

Once we’ve had a look at some of the key features within this integration, and given you the play-by-play guide to using it, we’ll walk through exactly how to get it all set up so that you can start scheduling and tracking time against your meetings or action items.

What you can do with the Google Calendar integration:

  • Filter through your Google Calendars and events to narrow down the list of events you can choose to drag onto your HourStack calendar.
  • Only the events that correspond to the date range on your HourStack calendar will be shown. To change this, change the date range on your HourStack calendar.
  • Search for specific events by name.

Creating entries with Google Calendar events in HourStack

To start working on your Google Calendar events in HourStack, simply open HourStack, click the “integrations” button on the left side of the screen (in Calendar view), select the calendar you want to choose events from, and then drag-and-drop the specific event you want onto your Calendar. It’s that simple.

You’ll notice that any meeting or event notes (like call-in numbers, etc) will be included in your HourStack entry notes. If you make changes to these notes in HourStack, they will not be reflected in Google, so just be aware of that. Drag your Google Calendar action items from the integration sidebar to start working on them in HourStack.

HourStack, Google Calendar, projects, and labels: How does it all work?

Although Google Calendar does not offer “projects” and “labels” in the same sense of the word that HourStack does, you can still file your Google Events into specific projects, and add labels to them as well. Do this before adding the event to your calendar, or do it after. Every entry in HourStack, regardless of whether it originated in HourStack, or a third-party tool, still has the same options.

Permissions you’ll need

If you are having trouble creating entries (either for yourself or other team members), projects, or labels, make sure to check with your team manager about the permission levels you’ve been assigned. If you are the owner of your HourStack account, you should automatically have full permissions.

You can learn more here about specific permissions you will need in order to create projects and labels.

How to connect the Trello integration to HourStack:

Connecting your Google Calendar account with HourStack is simple. Here’s how to get started scheduling and tracking time against your Google Calendar events:

  1. First login to your HourStack account.
  2. Click the profile icon in the top right corner.
  3. Click the “Integrations” link.
  4. Scroll through “Available integrations” and click the blue “Connect” button under Google Calendar.
  5. You will now see a prompt telling you to log in to your Google account and grant HourStack access.
  6. Once you’ve logged in, you’ll be redirected back to HourStack, where you’ll be able to “manage the integration.”

Should you ever need to disconnect the integration, you’ll use the “Manage” section on the Integrations page. Disconnecting Google Calendar from HourStack will also take just seconds.

Learn more about the HourStack Google Calendar time tracking integration.

Improve this integration or suggest another one:

If you think this integration could be better, or if your HourStack experience could benefit from an additional integration, let us know. To do this, scroll to the bottom of the integrations page and click the “Suggest an integration” button, or write to us at support@hourstack.com.

Updated September 21, 2022 in Tips & Tricks