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