Upcoming Year Calendar

By now you probably have your new working calendar for the next year, or you will soon have it (because you are tired of sticky notes or notes in the margins of your old calendar for upcoming commitments). Sometime between now and the new year take time to sit down with a lovely cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate and put some helpful information into this new calendar. I start with birthdays and anniversaries. I take my old calendar and transfer all these important dates into the new calendar. I use a red pen for these dates so they will stand out when the calendar really starts to fill up. If the birthday or anniversary calls for some type of action like send a card or present, I go back 2 weeks in the calendar and write in “send card” or “send gift.” While I am transferring these dates from my old calendar to the new one, I have a chance to review my year and see what events I had down for each month last year. Next I go through the calendar and put in all standing meeting times like NAPO meetings on the 2nd Tuesday of every month. Last I put in any scheduled appointments like presentations, doctor appointments, or client appointments. Now, I feel prepared and confident that nothing will “fall between the cracks.” In the margin or notes section, I keep track of when I pay yearly obligations or renewals of subscriptions, donations, or memberships. That way when I start getting letters to “renew” something 4 months in advance, I can easily flip through my calendar and see when they are really due. At the top of each month I write the zone in my home I am going to organize during that month (see my zone plan). As the month comes up I will write in more details for that zone. Thinking of calendars, one year, my niece Jamie, gave all of the extended family a wonderful present. She bought each of us a picture wall calendar that reflected our interests. For months leading up to Christmas she had tracked down the birthdays and anniversaries of every member of our extended family – all nieces and nephews, cousins, in-laws and out-laws – everyone! Then she had written these dates on everyone’s calendar. What a labor of love! I hope you have a calendar you love. To help organize your time, it should become one of your best friends.

Jonda S. Beattie Professional Organizer