Want to keep your life organized without juggling five different apps? Tana is the magical brain that captures your thoughts and tasks. But wait! You use Outlook Calendar too? No worries — let’s make them best friends. In this guide, we’ll show you how to add your Outlook Calendar to Tana so everything’s in one place. 🎉
TL;DR
Syncing your Outlook Calendar with Tana is possible, but it isn’t plug-and-play.
You’ll need an external tool like Make.com or Zapier to bridge the gap.
Once set up, your Outlook events will appear directly in Tana, keeping your schedule and tasks aligned.
It takes a little setup, but it’s worth it!
Why Add Outlook Calendar to Tana?
Let’s be real: life is chaotic. You’ve got meetings, deadlines, dinner plans, and maybe a gym class (or two).
Outlook Calendar keeps the time, but Tana helps you make sense of it all. Putting your calendar into Tana means:
- Centralized scheduling – Everything’s in one spot
- Better planning – Add notes & tasks next to calendar items
- Less stress – No need to flip between apps
Ready to give your productivity a power-up? Let’s do this.
What You’ll Need
Before making the magic happen, let’s gather your tools. You’ll need:
- An Outlook Calendar (obviously)
- A Tana account
- An account with Make.com (formerly Integromat) or Zapier
Basically, Outlook and Tana need a translator — that’s where Make or Zapier comes in.
Option 1: Using Make.com to Connect Outlook to Tana
Step 1: Sign in to Make.com
Go to make.com. If you don’t have an account, it’s free to start.
Step 2: Create a New Scenario
Click on “Create a new scenario”. This is where you build your automation.
Step 3: Add Outlook as the Trigger
Search for Microsoft Outlook and choose a trigger like “Watch Calendar Events”.
This means the scenario checks for new or updated calendar events.
Step 4: Add Tana as the Action
Now we tell the scenario what to do with the Outlook event. Choose “Make an HTTP request”.
Why? Because Tana doesn’t have official integration yet, but it does have an API. Woohoo!
Step 5: Format Your Data
You’ll need to send the event data (like start time, description, title) to Tana using their API format. Copy the structure used in Tana’s documentation…
Here’s a basic example:
POST https://api.tana.inc/import
Headers:
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TANA_API_KEY
Body:
{
"name": "{{event.title}}",
"children": [
{"name": "📅 Date: {{event.startTime}}"},
{"name": "📝 Details: {{event.description}}"}
]
}
Make sure to replace the placeholders with actual data fields from the Outlook module in Make.
Step 6: Test Your Scenario
Run it once. Add a new event in Outlook. Did it appear in Tana? 🎉 If yes — you nailed it!
If not, check the logs in Make and tweak your data mapping.
Option 2: Using Zapier
Don’t like Make.com? No problem. Zapier is a friendly alternative.
Step 1: Create a New Zap
Go to zapier.com and click “Create Zap”.
Step 2: Choose Outlook as the Trigger
Select Outlook, then pick “New Calendar Event”.
Step 3: Connect Tana via Webhooks
Choose “Webhooks by Zapier” as the action. Select “POST”.
In the setup:
- URL = Tana API endpoint
- Headers: Include your Tana API key
- Body: Your event data
Same deal as with Make: format it like Tana wants it.
Step 4: Turn on the Zap
Once tested, flip the switch. New events in Outlook will now auto-magic their way into Tana.
Troubleshooting Tips
Not everything works right the first time. That’s okay!
- “Error 400”? That’s usually bad formatting. Double-check your JSON.
- No data showing up? Make sure your Outlook trigger is set to the correct calendar.
- Still stumped? Both Zapier and Make have awesome communities and support docs.
Bonus: How to Make Your Calendar Events Look Pretty on Tana
You can customize how things show up in Tana! You’re not stuck with plain text. Here are a few ideas:
- Use emojis for quick context: 🧑💼 = Meeting, 📞 = Call, 🚀 = Deadline
- Add nodes like “@calendar-event” to tag and filter inside Tana
- Create templates so meetings always follow the same format
With a little creativity, events can become dynamic pieces of your daily plan.
Still Waiting for Native Integration?
If this feels like too much tech wizardry, you’re not alone. Many Tana users have requested built-in calendar sync. It’s on their radar, but no official ETA just yet.
Until then, using Make or Zapier gives you power-user status 🦸.
Quick Recap
- Outlook + Tana = Productivity dream team
- You’ll need Zapier or Make.com to link them
- Use webhooks with Tana’s API to send event data
- Customize how events look in Tana
Final Thoughts
Adding Outlook Calendar to Tana isn’t as hard as it sounds. With a little setup, you’ll have events flowing straight into your information hub. Combine your time schedule with your task notes, plans, and reflections — all in Tana!
Even if you’re not a “techy,” give it a shot. Future you (and your brain) will thank you.
Happy organizing! 🗓✨
