Electronic calendars are beautiful things. While they do not resemble Portsmouth, New Hampshire or Yosemite National Park (two of the greatest places on Earth), these calendars have their own special charm and they delight me to no end. They greatly contribute to my version of organizational bliss, enabling me to keep tabs on a wealth of information, including dates, names, activities, deadlines…the list goes on and on. Electronic calendars help me with the following things – and so much more.
1. Appointment reminders. This may seem obvious – but in addition to reminding me of when I’ll next get my hairs cut, my electronic calendar has a fabulous space under each appointment for writing all kinds of information. In the case of my haircut, I usually have the salon phone number, the address (just for my first-time appointment), the name of the salon receptionist so I can refer to her by name when I greet her, etc.
2. Milestone reminders. Again, this may seem obvious – but it helps me be thoughtful about recognizing the special occasions in loved ones’ lives.
3. Travel activity logs. In addition to providing me with details about my travel plans, electronic calendar entries come in handy down the road when I’m planning another trip and I want to recall what travel dates worked well in the past and what activities occurred during the last trip.
4. Due date reminders for work projects. This is the perfect place for me to keep tabs on due dates, and I especially like to use the reminder feature in my calendar that sends regular “electronic nudges” until I “dismiss” them.
5. Pre-meeting organizational bliss. My trusty electronic calendar reminders help me to send pre-meeting emails to other committee members as needed, and plan meeting agendas in advance.
6. Making quarterly premium payments, etc. on time. I don’t put every bill due date on the calendar – just those that are “off-schedule” from all of the standard bills.
7. Replacing make-up items as appropriate. Mascara and other make-up items generally have a shelf life, and this information is easily accessible online. Rather than attempting to remember when I last purchased these products, I simply note the expiration date on my electronic calendar on the day of purchase.
8. Keeping track of routine chores and chore-type appointments. This includes reminders for everything from getting an oil change to turning my mattress to returning library books to ensuring that my drivers’ license and car registration renewals are timely.
9. Scheduling committee meetings with shared calendars. This can save plenty of back-and-forth email/telephone time when trying to schedule a committee meeting for several very busy people.
10. Keeping track of our family schedule. The hubster and I regularly use a shared calendar to stay abreast of our family’s activities and obligations. We never, ever, ever make plans without first checking our lovely family electronic calendar. This lends a wonderful expression of harmony to our lives, and it’s one that I highly recommend to anyone living with family members, a house mate, or friends.
The reminders and activities on my electronic calendar help me keep abreast of life’s details. They provide a structure that works well for me, freeing up thought so I’m not constantly trying to remember if this is the day the dry cleaning is ready for pick-up.
Enthusiastic about electronic calendars? Tell us how your electronic calendar works well in your life. Your ideas are sure to help others and they could appear in a future blog post.
