(I created a blog post and video about this and I wanted to share this here in the hopes that it helps others.)

Are you struggling to balance productivity with privacy concerns?

You’re not alone.

Here's how I tackled a common productivity challenge while maintaining my commitment to digital privacy. My solution might inspire you to think creatively about your own tech dilemmas.

The Challenge: Using a Privacy-Focused Calendar with Scheduling Software

As part of my efforts to “de-Google” my life, I’ve switched to using Proton Calendar, a privacy-focused alternative to Google Calendar. However, this presented a problem: how could I continue using my favorite scheduling software, which only integrates with Google Calendar, Outlook, and iCal?

The Solution: A Creative Workaround

After some out-of-the-box thinking, I developed a system that allows me to use both Proton Calendar and my scheduling software. Here’s how it works:

For Appointments Others Book with Me:
1. When someone books a time slot, it appears on my Google Calendar.
2. I manually add this event to my Proton Calendar.
3. I remove all alerts from the Google Calendar event.

For Appointments I Book with Others:
1. I schedule the appointment using my Proton Calendar.
2. I add a “BLOCKED” event to my Google Calendar for the same time slot.
3. I ensure no alerts are set for this Google Calendar event.

This method ensures that my scheduling software can still function properly while I maintain my primary calendar in Proton.