Did I ever tell you my embarrassing story about the calendar I bought? It is embarrassing because as a professional organizer I expect to always know where everything is. (Doesn’t happen sorry to say). Two years ago I bought a calendar early because this particular one sells out quickly. It is a Rebecca Barker calendar.
Then the New Year came and I could not find the calendar. I looked everywhere—except where it was of course. Does that sound familiar? I did finally find it when there were two months left in the year. I still have it up this year, I enjoy the pictures, I just don’t use if to find a date. It is in an out of the way place that no one but me sees it.
This week I got a beautiful calendar from the Nature Conservancy and I am bound and determined to know where it is January 1st. Ta da, I am a happy camper as the saying goes; because I have the Freedom Filer filing system. I made a tab under the resource section (purple) that says ‘calendar’. Now I will know exactly where to go to get my calendars for 2009. I just had to share that with you in case you have had the same problem as I used to have.
What do you do with calendars for the New Year when you get them early?
Whenever I buy anything (or am advising a client who has made a purchase) that will not be needed until some time later, I just put it “away” and make a notation on my calendar when it’s time to get it out and where to retrieve it. For the new calendar, I usually make the note on 12/26, which is a good (quiet) day for adding perennial dates (birthdays, conferences, etc.) and carrying over notes.
I had a client for whom we collected multiple boxes of materials that would only be used much later in the year (and in subsequent years) for an annual trade show. On the print calendar (and, as backup, in the digital one), we noted, 10 days in advance of the trade show, “Prep for trade show–bring 3 boxes from left wall of loft down to studio”.
Most planners have “planning calendars” that take you through the next year, at least, so you can make notations for the next year. Tickler files work the same, as do digital calendars. For pictorial one-month-at-a-time calendars, I usually clip a post-it to December, and throughout the year, I add “next year’s” items to it. By the time we hit December, I’ve already got the new calendar, and can easily make the switch. Easy peasy.
Oh yeah! I put things away and forget them all the time… hopefully I am working on this… by decluttering and finding a place for everything!
Julie, That is a great idea! I wish I would have thought of it a couple of years ago. I will certainly use it now. I haven’t bought my new calender yet but I did start looking last week.
Marcia, I love to hear comments like yours that you are finding a place for everything–it truly makes life easier. But then there still seems to be some strays sometimes that I can’t find. I’m working on that too–I think Julie’s idea will help me.