Microsoft announced that it has added some features to Cortana, which should prove helpful to Windows users who wish to get things done on time.

Included are more ways to be reminded of things and improved calendar management.

“People often make promises to do things in email but may forget about them as the days go by and emails pile up,” says Cortana group program manager Marcus Ash. “Microsoft Research (MSR) was pursuing an intriguing and powerful idea around this challenge—automatically recognizing when people make commitments to one another in email messages and providing reminders. We collaborated very closely with MSR to bring this new ability to Cortana to help people better keep track of their commitments. Helping you to keep tabs on your commitments is just one of the ways Cortana will get more proactive about managing your schedule.”

“We also want to make it easier for you to manage your calendar. Cortana, like a true personal assistant, is intelligent enough to understand how you may uniquely like to work – including the hours you like to set meetings and those in which you are most productive,” says Ash. “So if you are a morning person like me, and you get a meeting request come through for 7pm, Cortana will alert you that you have a meeting outside of your regular times so that you can take action quickly to move it to a better time. The same for last minute meetings – say it’s 8pm and your boss has sent you an urgent meeting request for 7am the next day – Cortana will alert you that there’s a meeting that may need your attention, so you can adjust your alarm and morning routine accordingly and stay on top of your day.”

The features will first be available to those in the Windows Insider Program. Eventually, all Windows 10 users will be able to take advantage.

Image via Microsoft