Have you ever showed up at your child’s school and found out your child was responsible for bringing (insert forgotten item here) for the classroom that day but you thought this was supposed to be the next day? Or you have a birthday party to attend in 2 days and there’s not enough time to order the gift online, so now you’ll have to find time to go to shopping?

We’ve all been there. Even if you consider yourself to be organized and on top of commitments, this can still happen if you don’t follow a few simple steps every time something new shows up on your calendar.

We live in a time where it’s easier than ever to be reminded of all the things we have to do. Yes, this can be overwhelming at times, but as long as we learn to put technology to work for us instead of being a slave to it, there’s no reason to avoid it or be intimidated by it.

Technology and social media has now allowed us to create events quickly and easily. Whether it is your child’s birthday party or a dinner party with friends, it’s never been easier to put something together and announce to your friends immediately. You can also receive RSVPs immediately as well, so you can start planning immediately.

Since I love stationary, I have to say I adore real life, in the mail invitations. However, I also have utilized online services to send invitations for parties and get-togethers that I’ve hosted.

I have used Facebook many times, mostly because it was free and I could invite all my friends without having to reach out to them individually to obtain their email addresses. I have also used Paperless Post since it allows me to send a more formal invitation without actually utilizing paper or stamps.

The ease in sending online invites has also made it a common practice these days where people don’t RSVP promptly, or don’t RSVP at all.

I’ve hosted many events in the past, and I’ve had people change their RSVP from going to not going an hour before it started. Yes, an hour. I find that unless there’s a real life emergency, you should never cancel the day of, or even the day before an event, as your host/hostess has made plans to have you there and will now need to make last minute arrangements accordingly.

Also, if you have selected “Interested” on an event, be sure to change your RSVP as soon as possible so the host/hostess can have a final count.

I would always advise on the side of courtesy, and say that RSVPing as soon as possible is not only good manners, but also respectable of the host/hostess’ time and yours.

Why yours? Because you have now made a decision of whether you will attend or not, and you can add this to your calendar and move on with your day!

So here are my top 5 tips so you never miss an appointment or commitment again:

1. Don’t Delay

Handle appointments and commitments as soon as you receive them. This is the best way to make sure you will not overlook them or worse, risk over-committing yourself.

Never feel bad about saying no to an invite that doesn’t light you up. Always be vigilant of your time; it’s precious and should be treated as such.

2. Break Down Tasks Associated with Commitment

If your child got invited for a birthday party for example, you will not only need to make a note of the date and time, but also when you will shop for a gift. Or if you got invited to a potluck dinner, you will need to shop and cook ahead of the party.

Break down the timeline to accomplish the tasks prior to the commitment, so you are not stressed last minute.

For example: let’s say the dinner party is for next Saturday, a week from today. You do your grocery shopping on Sundays, so add to your grocery list all ingredients you need to purchase for the dish you’re making (unless they won’t last that long; in that case plan a special trip to the store a few days before the party and note that on your calendar).

Then, add to your calendar when you will prepare the dish (perhaps the day before if it’s a dessert, or the morning of the party). If the dish is served hot, you might be able to prepare it ahead of time, then just place it in the oven prior to the party to finish cooking.

Planning ahead will save you time and you won’t feel rushed prior to leaving your home.

3. Use Phone alerts

You may choose to add these to your daily planner, but I would encourage you to add any
appointments that are time sensitive to your phone and set up an alert for when they need to be completed. This applies even if you think you will remember; you just never know!

You can set up reminders for a week in advance or as close to as the time of the event. Think of
when you would like to be reminded of the event and set up the reminders accordingly.

4. Prep What You’ll Need

Anything you can handle ahead of time for your appointment or commitment should be done as soon as possible, to avoid last minute rushing, or worse, forgetting to bring something.

 If you are going to a birthday party and will bring a gift, wrap the gift as soon as you have it,
and place it in your car or a spot where you can find it easily on the day of the party.

 If you are going to a meeting and need to fill out paperwork ahead of time, or simply bring
certain documents with you, have them ready at your earliest convenience so you can just
grab them on the day of your meeting.

 If you are bringing a dish for a potluck, have the dish you will use and serving utensils ready
to go ahead of time so it’s one less think you have to think about as you head out the door.

5. Get Everyone on Board

You might have one person who is in charge of the family calendar in your home, or this might be a shared effort. Either way, make sure everyone understands their role when a new commitment shows up that involves one or all members of your family.

For example, you might want to use a master calendar in your home where all family commitments are written down for easy access. Everyone can review the calendar in the mornings and see what’s coming up that day/week/month.

When using phone calendar alerts that involve others in your home, be sure to set up a shared calendar so you can all receive the same alerts at the same time.

I have an IPhone, and I was able to create a calendar that my husband and I share called Home. Anytime I add something to the Home calendar, he receives an alert and it is automatically added to his calendar.

The calendar alert feature on your phone can also be used for birthday reminders and other important dates, travel planning (block the entire time you are going to be away so nothing gets scheduled then), school closings and holidays, and even personal time!

Just to give you an idea, here are some of the things I have on my calendar alerts:

 When to put the trash and recycle out (it’s set up indefinitely)
 The days I receive organic produce delivery (so I remember to put the produce bag outside)
 When a favorite radio show is on online
 When to change the air conditioning filter in my home
 When to give my dog his monthly flea prevention
 Reminder to take my vitamins
 Date nights
 Bedtime routine start time
 Personal time
And so much more!

It makes it so much easier when you can see what is coming ahead so you don’t find yourself
bombarded with to-dos, or forget to add things that you love to do to your calendar.

I hope this was helpful and it inspires you to see your phone’s calendar feature in a whole new light!

How do you keep track of your commitments? Let us know in the comments!

Much love,

Angélica Renée

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