By now you probably have your calendar for 2016 and have already put in some January commitments. Now is the best time to take the opportunity to really set up your 2016 calendar so that it can be a huge resource for you in the coming year.
I do this every year as an end of year ritual. I sit comfortably with some nice pens, my old calendar, a hot drink, and some pleasant music in the background. I take my time to reflect on the past year and plan for the upcoming one.
I go through my old calendar month by month. I note birthdays, anniversaries, and standard meeting times (networking groups, goals group, weight watchers, my zone plan teleclass, etc.).
I transfer these events onto the new calendar in red. This is pretty easy to do since they were in red on my old calendar. I use red because I want these dates to stand out from all the other appointments and meetings that will crowd my calendar throughout the year.
At the top of each month, I note what zone in my home I am planning on working (see former blogs about my zone plan). January will have “office” zone marked. February will have “guest bedroom” zone and so on throughout the year. On the notes side of my calendar I will write in other actions that I regularly do in that month. March will have “write newsletter” for example.
Also on the notes side I keep track of when I pay yearly obligations (deposit box), renewals of subscriptions (so I don’t renew a magazine 6 months before it runs out), scheduled donations, and memberships. When I start getting mail asking me for a donation or to renew a subscription, I can look at that note section to see when I plan to take that action.
Finally, I write in any known scheduled events for the upcoming months such as doctor appointments, client appointments, presentations, and upcoming adventures ( a Road Scholar trip in January).
As I perform this end of year ritual, I get to review the past year. I see when I got together with friends or when I held or went to a party or went on a trip. And then I also know that I will not have to worry about missing a birthday or anniversary or doctor’s appointment set months in advance. I am ready for anything the new year is going to bring.
Jonda S. Beattie Professional Organizer
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