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+---
+title: 'How Penn Labs Apps Save You an Hour a Week'
+slug: how_penn_labs_apps_save_you_an_hour_a_week
+authors: ['idelgado']
+publishedAt: 2025-10-05
+coverPhoto: ../images/blog/how-penn-labs-apps-save-you-an-hour-a-week-cover.png
+---
+
+# How Penn Labs Apps Save You an Hour a Week
+*(With Features You Probably Haven’t Tried Yet)*
+
+If you’re anything like me, you live by your calendar. Every class, every club meeting, every lunch with a friend is color-coded and neatly slotted into Google Calendar. My Notion homework tracker is never more than a tab away. I thrive on efficiency. Why do something manually if I can automate it and never think about it again?
+
+The truth is, Penn is busy. Between classes, clubs, dining halls, jobs, and trying to squeeze in a social life (and maybe some sleep), there just aren’t enough hours in the day. But what if I told you Penn Labs already built tools that give you some of those hours back?
+
+I’m not talking about the famous stuff like Penn Course Alert. I mean the hidden, underutilized features — the ones most students don’t even know exist. And if you stack them together, you can easily reclaim an hour a week. Here’s how.
+
+## 1. Auto-Sync Your Schedule *(Penn Course Plan)*
+
+![Auto-Sync placeholder](../images/blog/pcp-download-schedule.jpeg)
+
+One of my least favorite tasks at the start of each semester is manually typing my classes into Google Calendar. It takes forever, and I’d always mistype a room number or forget to add recitations. Now, with **Penn Course Plan’s calendar sync**, I can turn my finalized schedule into a living calendar in seconds.
+
+Once you’ve finished adding your classes to your cart, simply click **Download Schedule** in the top-right corner to download an `.ics` file that you can upload to your preferred calendar (Google, Apple, or Outlook). One click, one upload, and boom — your entire semester is in your calendar. Recitations included. Color-coding optional (but highly recommended).
+
+[Learn how to upload an .ics file →](https://support.google.com/calendar/answer/37118?sjid=16812697295393986554-NA&visit_id=638928653078159420-327839679&rd=1)
+
+---
+
+## 2. Customize Your Penn Mobile Tab Bar
+
+![Penn Mobile Tab Bar placeholder](../images/blog/mobile-features-tab.jpeg)
+
+Penn Mobile isn’t just for dining menus — you can actually **edit the tab bar** to only show what you care about most. Think of it like building your own “student command center.”
+
+Here are a couple of underrated gems worth adding:
+
+- **Events:** A feed of upcoming events across Penn, from Venture Lab sessions to club GBMs. Instead of digging through listservs or flyers, you can see what’s happening all in one place.
+- **News:** Not just the *Daily Pennsylvanian*! You can also toggle in *Under the Button* and *34th Street Mag*. Suddenly, Penn Mobile becomes your mini newsstand.
+
+It’s small, but shaving off those tiny decision-making moments adds up. No more digging three clicks deep to find what you use every day.
+
+---
+
+## 3. Registration Metrics *(Penn Course Review)*
+
+![Registration Metrics placeholder](../images/blog/pcr-registration-metrics.jpeg)
+
+Everyone knows **Penn Course Review** for reviews and ratings. Fewer know about the **Registration Metrics** tab.
+
+This feature gives you insight into:
+- Average number of course openings  
+- Average final enrollment  
+- Percentage of sections filled during advance registration  
+- Graphs of how quickly classes fill up over time  
+
+Translation: you don’t have to guess whether that niche writing seminar will be impossible to get into. The data tells you.
+
+When I plan my semester, these metrics save me from wasting time gambling on classes I’ll never get into. That’s peace of mind — and less last-minute scrambling when registration closes.
+
+---
+
+## 4. Laundry Timers *(Penn Mobile)*
+
+![Laundry Timers placeholder](../images/blog/mobile-laundry-timer.png)
+![Laundry Notification placeholder](../images/blog/mobile-laundry-notif.png)
+
+Penn Mobile has **real-time laundry tracking** with timers and notifications. You can check machine availability before leaving your room and get a ping when your cycle’s done.
+
+That’s easily 15 minutes per load saved. No wasted trips, no awkward hovering, no forgotten socks sitting damp for hours.
+
+---
+
+## The Labs Philosophy
+
+Individually, these features might only save 10–20 minutes. But stack them together:
+
+| Feature | Time Saved |
+|----------|-------------|
+| Auto-sync your schedule | 20 min |
+| Custom Penn Mobile setup | 10 min/week |
+| Registration metrics clarity | 15 min |
+| Laundry timers | 15 min |
+
+That’s an **hour a week**, easy. And in Penn time, an hour is huge — it’s one more nap, a couple more coffee chats, or one more load of laundry.
+
+So if you, like me, get a thrill out of saving 5 minutes here and 10 minutes there, go explore these features. They’re already in the apps you use. You just have to flip the switch.
+
+And if you’re the kind of person who gets excited about solving everyday problems in uncommon ways, maybe next semester, you’ll be **building with us** instead of just using our apps.
+
+---