💡 New script: calendar-focus-analyzer (meeting load & focus time analytics)

[github-actions[bot]]

Summary

A Google Apps Script that analyzes calendar utilization to calculate meeting-to-focus-time ratios, detect back-to-back meeting chains, identify optimal focus time windows, and track trends over weeks. Outputs a Sheets dashboard with weekly email alerts when meeting load exceeds configurable thresholds. A free, open-source alternative to paid tools like Clockwise ($6.75/user/month) and Reclaim.ai.

Market Signal

Clockwise (acquired by Atlassian), Reclaim.ai, and Google's own Time Insights (Business+ only) all validate demand for calendar analytics. Microsoft Viva Insights offers similar capabilities in the M365 ecosystem. All are paid or require premium tiers — no free, open-source GAS-based alternative exists. Meeting fatigue remains the #1 remote-work productivity complaint in 2026 industry surveys. Google Workspace Studio (GA at Cloud Next 2026, 3.5M monthly active users) can build custom flows but does not include a pre-built calendar analytics template.

User Signal

The suite already has calendar-to-sheets (data sync) and calendar-to-briefing-doc (narrative output), but lacks an analytics layer. Users deploying calendar scripts are already calendar-power-users who would benefit from workload insights. No existing idea discussion covers calendar analytics or focus time measurement. The calendar-to-briefing-doc conflict detection feature (⚠️ overlapping events) hints at latent demand for deeper scheduling intelligence.

Technical Opportunity

Calendar API is already well-exercised by two existing scripts. The analytics logic is pure computation on event data — no external API dependencies beyond Calendar. Output to Sheets follows the calendar-to-sheets pattern. The extraction-to-src/index.js architecture supports unit testing of complex time-calculation logic. Could optionally enhance calendar-to-briefing-doc with a "week load summary" section. All-day events, multi-calendar merging, and working-hours boundaries need careful handling — edge cases that the existing calendar scripts have already solved.

Assessment

Dimension	Score	Rationale
Feasibility	high	Calendar API already in use; analytics is pure computation; Sheets output is a proven pattern
Impact	high	Addresses universal meeting-fatigue pain point; free alternative to $6-12/month paid tools
Urgency	high	Competitors are consolidating (Clockwise → Atlassian); first open-source GAS analytics tool wins mindshare

Adversarial Review

Strongest objection: Google Calendar already shows you your schedule — do users really need analytics about something they can see?

Rebuttal: Seeing a busy calendar is not the same as knowing your focus-to-meeting ratio is 30:70, that your Wednesdays have zero focus blocks, or that your meeting load has increased 15% month-over-month. Quantified self-awareness drives behavior change. Clockwise validated this with $45M+ in funding before Atlassian acquired them. The insight layer is the product, not the raw data.

Suggested Next Step

Create src/calendar-focus-analyzer/ with TDD implementation. MVP scope: analyze 4 weeks of calendar data, compute daily/weekly meeting hours, focus hours (configurable working hours), back-to-back meeting chains, and output to a Sheets dashboard. Add configurable meeting-load threshold alerts via email (e.g., "Your meeting load this week was 78% — above your 60% threshold").