It is OK to forget! - Part 2

I know you have just been waiting on pins and needles for Part 2 of this post.  I was just trying to torture you by taking three months to post it.  Did it work?

Of course I am just kidding.  I have spent the last three months moving to Nashville, TN, and am sorry to say that I had to put my blog aside for a spell while I did that.  But now I am settled in and will hopefully be able to resume a more reasonable schedule for updating it.  So here goes my first blog post from Tennessee!

The first part of this post explained how being organized is merely a way to cope with the normal phenomenon that in the course of our busy lives, we often forget where we have put things.  This post will focus on finding and storing information rather than "stuff".  This includes appointments, names and phone numbers, things you need at the store, to-do lists, notes from meetings, brilliant ideas for your blog posts, etc. 


Of course there are many appointments and phone numbers that we often do remember independently.  But your brain cannot possibly store all of this information accurately.  Nor does it need to.  In fact, if you try to tax your brain with all of this information, you will find that you cannot focus on the things that are important to you, you will be stressed much of the time, and you will forget much of the information that you have spent so much energy trying to remember.  It is better for your health and sanity to relieve your brain of this responsibility.

The key to getting to the information you need when you need it is to have it with you at all times.  Fortunately in this technological age, it is very easy to carry with you all of the information you may need for any purpose.  In almost every current cell phone you can store every phone number and every appointment you may need. With smart phones, you can store thousands of other pieces of information as well, but that is just icing on the cake.  The only two vital components that you need to be organized are the to-do list and calendar (and these two can often be combined).  They can be the old-fashioned paper model or the new-fangled digital versions, according to your preference! 
 
Remember What
To-Do List - This is a way to remember and record your various errands, tasks, and goals for the day.  Having a to-do list will help you know what you need to take with you that day (receipts to return items at the store, notes to help you prepare that presentation you want to work on later, list of clients you need to call today).  So the To-Do List helps you remember "what" - what to do, what to bring, etc.

Ideally your to-do list is not very long each day.  If it is too long, you will never complete it and you will be discouraged and disappointed in yourself.  This doesn't bring peace - it brings stress.  So make sure your list is manageable.  If you have more things than you can possibly accomplish today, pull out your calendar and make appointments with yourself to complete certain tasks.  Then treat those appointments with the same sincerity that you would a work commitment.


Remember When
Calendar - This is, of course, where you capture all of your appointments.  I firmly believe that you need one calendar and one calendar only.  Having more than one will just add confusion, not relieve it.  Depending on your family structure, the ages of your kids, or the number of available drivers, it might make sense to have family members' schedules separated from each other on the same calendar (by color or column, for example).  But in many families, it makes the most sense to have all of the appointments recorded together on the same column, because often Mom or Dad is required to drive, prepare for, or attend the event anyway, so it is best to have the main calendar reflect all of the commitments in a way that shows any conflicts or overlap.

Regardless of the format of the calendar, it is important to have it available and visible all the time, and to have a way to update it when you are not at home.  I think it is best if you have a calendar that you can carry with you at all times.  There are many calendars that are designed with this purpose in mind, both in paper and digital versions.  The paper version can be set in a visible location when you are at home (add magnets to the back and hang it on the fridge when you walk in the door), or a digital calendar can be printed from the computer and placed in a visible spot.

A good calendar is usually multi-functional, and can actually capture all of your information, eliminating the need for a separate to-do list.  In addition to appointments, you can also schedule reminders, chores, to-do items and anything else that needs to be accomplished into your calendar.  This will ensure that you not only remember the items, but you have also planned an appropriate time and place to fulfill each task.  If you just have a basic paper calendar, you can even use post-it notes for your to-do items and place them in the calendar.  They make large, lined ones that would be perfect for this.

My notebook
I use my smart phone to capture all of these appointments, to-dos, phone numbers, directions, etc.  But I also like to take notes during meetings, to brainstorm about blog posts and ideas for workshops, to doodle while I think, and to make long, pretty to-do lists for big projects like parties.  Therefore, in addition to my smart phone, I like to keep a notebook handy for jotting down all of the random things that occur to me throughout the day.  If my jottings actually turn into tasks, appointments, or phone numbers, I transfer them into my phone.  Otherwise I leave them in my notebook.  You don't need to have a notebook like this, but I put it out there to give you an idea about how to handle things that don't fit cleanly into the vital categories of calendar or to-do.


To take this back to the original point, it is okay to forget.  In fact, you will feel better if you do.  Don't try to remember things - write them down so you don't have to!  Then carry your calendar and to-do list with you everywhere you go.  When you need to know something, you know where to look.  Each day when you make your plans for the day, you can refer to your list and to your calendar and know exactly what you have to do, when you need do it, and what you need to carry with you.

As a side note, I will admit that just the other day I neglected to show up for a commitment at my son's school.  I was upset about something my daughter was going through, and did not look at my calendar until noon.  When I did, I saw that I had committed to attend an event at 9:30 that morning.  I had to chuckle at myself because I was in the process of writing this article at the time, and found it ironic that this would happen to me then.  It just goes to show that no system is perfect, and no one is perfect.  Not only is it okay to use your calendar to "forget" your appointments, but we will all sometimes make the mistake of not looking at the calendar, and that is okay too.  It happens to everyone!

Have a beautiful day, and remember that it is okay to forget!  :-)

Nora