If you are a freelance professional in the 21st century then organisation really has to be your watchword. Accepting commissions from numerous different employers and working to a variety of deadlines it is no surprise that the disparate strands of your working life can sometimes get on top of you.

Keeping a diary is all very well but such objects are notoriously easy to misplace. In addition to this peril there are always illegible scrawls jotted down in a short-hand that made sense at the time but which now looks like complete gobbledegook.

Since the chances are that you will be spending a good chunk of your working life hunkered down at your computer doesn't it make more sense to organise yourself electronically? Fonts cannot be misread or misunderstood (unless you go for something really wacky!) and the interrelationship between different programs and functions means that there will always be something there to remind you of a crucial deadline or meeting.

The Calendar in Microsoft Outlook is frequently passed over in favour of jazzier features or the all-consuming obsession with email. Yet it is so much more than just a basic notation device.

For example, Microsoft Outlook's calendar can make the hassle of scheduling meetings with a variety of people infinitely simpler. By creating a meeting request on the Calendar Outlook can inform you of the soonest date that the invitees are all free. Then when they respond to your invitation email you can view whether there is a clash between your proposed date and theirs. Outlook Calendar keeps track of any rescheduling required thus avoiding any awkward double-booking scenarios.

The ability to edit shared group calendars really is a godsend. You can view colleagues' schedules alongside your own thus making it far more straightforward to propose and schedule meetings. This format extends to your own multiple calendars also; for instance you can create both personal and professional calendars, view them side by side and transfer appointments and events from one to the other making it a lot easier to maintain the crucial work-life balance.

The option to make your calendars more public is there as well. You can either email calendars or publish them on the Microsoft Office site, controlling who has access to and can change them. And with the ever-expanding potential of SharePoint you can also view the site's calendar within your own calendar, making changes to the list even when working offline.

Microsoft Outlook Calendar is also a useful tool for PAs and administrative assistants as your boss can designate you access to their calendar making it swift and easy to arrange appointments and meetings on their behalf.

Not bad going for a feature that most users take somewhat for granted. Microsoft Outlook is packed with similarly helpful features that many people tend to ignore in the pursuit of email. But taking the time to properly explore and learn about all the benefits of the program can really pay dividends when it comes to organising your professional life.