I outsourced my family calendar to ChatGPT and have zero regrets. This one simple prompt organised our schedule in seconds.
The back-to-school chaos is real
School is back, and so is the inbox anxiety. School photos, assemblies, parent-teacher nights, excursions, swimming carnivals. I’ve got multiple kids, multiple schools, and more event notifications than my brain (or inbox) can handle.
So, in a moment of pure desperation, I asked ChatGPT:
“Can you generate an .ics file so I can add multiple school events to my iPhone calendar at once?”
And guess what? It worked. Not only did it save me hours of boring data entry, it also cut through the procrastination of my suspected ADHD; and got the job done. Every event imported in seconds. No typos. No missed dates. Ever.
If school emails give you a headache, here’s a step by step guide on how you can do it too. No gatekeeping here, I’m all about sharing the good (and the free) stuff.
Step 1: Copy school event details straight from your email
Find that long overwhelming email from the school (or schools). It’s usually called important term dates and will list events like:
- school photos
- parent-teacher nights
- excursions and camps
- swimming carnivals and sports days
- early dismissals and pupil-free days.
Highlight everything with dates, times, and locations. You don’t need to clean it up. Just hit copy.
Step 2: Ask ChatGPT to turn events into an .ics file
Open ChatGPT and type something like:
“Can you create an .ics file with these school events so I can add them to my iPhone calendar?”
Then, paste in the text you copied from your email.
What if my version of ChatGPT can’t generate a .ics file?
No problem! Ask it this instead:
“Can you generate the .ics file code for these events?”
ChatGPT will provide you with a block of text in .ics format. To turn it into a file:
- Copy the code.
- Open Notepad (Windows) or TextEdit (Mac, in plain text mode).
- Paste the code and save it as events.ics (make sure it’s not .txt).
Step 3: Open the .ics file and add it to your calendar
How to open an .ics file on your iPhone
I opened the events.ics file on my phone, and it automatically launched the Calendar app. I was then given two options: import all events at once or review and edit each event individually before adding.
If you’re doing this from a desktop, the process is slightly different.
- On Google calendar (Android & shared calendars):
- go to Google Calendar on your computer
- click the gear icon > settings
- under import & export, select import
- upload your .ics calendar file
- done.
- On Apple calendar (Mac):
- open the Calendar app
- go to file > import
- select the .ics file and choose the calendar to add the events to
- click import.
Why you should use an .ics file to add school events to your iPhone or Google Calendar
If you’ve ever missed an upcoming event because it got lost amongst 813 unread emails, or you read it thinking, Yep, I’ll do that later! only for it to vanish into the inbox abyss forever, these simple steps will change your life.
Using an .ics file to import multiple events at once is the easiest way to stay on top of your kids’ school schedules. Whether you use an iPhone calendar, Google Calendar, or another Android-compatible calendar app, this method keeps everything organised in one place.
Here’s why it’s worth using your virtual assistant for your families event planning:
- saves time with bulk calendar actions
- no more “Wait, when is the school fete again?”
- works across iPhone, Android, and Google Calendar
- eliminates procrastination, just copy, paste, and done.
If you haven’t already, send a calendar invitation to the rest of your family, because if you think a casual mention at dinner is enough, prepare to hear “nobody told me!” shouted from the depths of forgetfulness when the event rolls around. And you may even be crowned the the King or Queen of organisation!
Please do try this ChatGPT hack at home. If this valuable scheduling tool shaves years off of your life admin, let me know! And if you’ve got other genius life hacks, I’m all ears.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to see if ChatGPT can make my kids’ lunchboxes. If it can create something Pinterest-worthy, I’ll start referring to my virtual assistant as my co-parent.
