Pencil Me In…….

Calendars….continued.

As early in business life as possible, create a schedule for important recurring activities such as paying bills, taxes, filing applications, vehicle registration renewal, client appointments, whatever will make your life easier. I can honestly recommend this practice as I am trying to get myself back there as we speak!

Microsoft Outlook is a great tool for this (and is available on nearly all IBM compatible machines with some version of a Windows operating system). You can also buy some form of calendar book or create your own custom calendar pages. Pdfcalendar.com is a website that lets you customize calendar pages and print them out. Amongst other features, they offer twelve weeks on one calendar page, which can help you to plan quarterly. While it is generally expected that you will log (and keep) your most important appointments and deadlines, I find it especially useful to note recurring obligations like credit card payments and application deadlines. At first when you have a small pile of paperwork to deal with, it is much easier to pat yourself on the back for an organizational job well done. When the pile gets thick and muddy, your well-honed scheduling chops will prove to be invaluable.

Once you have to dig out your mud boots to take on paperwork, you may find yourself paying late fees or having missed out on important opportunities to participate in workshops or events. Another advantage to maintaining a log of commitments is that you know what is coming at a glance. Is there a particular month when all of your insurance renewals come due or membership dues pop up?

Now……..assuming you do manage to keep it all together, the REAL reason you are doing this is that when you least expect it, forgotten expenses or commitments suddenly emerge. By being aware of and planning for both recurrent and one-time activities, the sudden arrival of important looking mail won’t be as likely to raise your blood pressure.

ps. A shredder won’t actually get rid of your parking tickets.

JB

Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Calendars

Years ago I worked for a very organized restaurant that had an oversize calendar journal which never strayed from the front desk. Reservations were marked in the book, but also notes regarding the weather, whether it was a busy shift or not, if there were any special events, new offerings or special projects that were underway.

The net result of this simple daily record-keeping was that on the same day of the following year, it was possible to reference the previous date to get an indication of what kind of business to expect. If business was significantly up or down at end of month, it was easy enough to scan preceding weeks for information that might be useful in determining the source of the change. Perhaps there was a new menu that came out that was well received or the building was under construction for a few days, keeping customers away.

Use of the calendar journal can be particularly valuable to startups or young businesses. In the beginning there are lots of new names, projects, agreements, and landmarks that will be valuable to have at your fingertips several months or years down the road. A few scratched lines before wrapping up your day could help you out when that all important detail finally does slip your mind.

JB