Digital Calendars Are Making Work Miserable

The shared digital calendar, a tool meant to organize work, is now a major source of frustration. Employees report feeling controlled by overstuffed schedules filled with back-to-back meetings. The problem is called "calendar pollution." It includes unnecessary meetings, last-minute invites, and double-booked time slots. This chaos leaves workers with no time for focused work. Major technology firms see a business opportunity. Companies like Microsoft and Google are adding artificial intelligence (AI) to their calendar software. These AI tools aim to simplify scheduling. They can suggest meeting times, shorten appointments, and even write email summaries. However, critics warn this may not solve the core problem. They argue that no software can fix a culture of too many meetings. The real solution, they say, requires managers to set clearer priorities and protect employees' time. For now, the battle for control of the workday is being fought inside the calendar app.