Am I Missing the "Open and Check Your Electronic Calendar" Gene?

I don't understand why you want to complicate things so much. Buy a calendar. Hang it on the wall. Write on it. The end. Why do you need a bunch of electronics to make something so simple into a big complicated production? Just because other people like to spend a whole lot of time messing around with their electronics? Just because there is technology available doesn't mean you have to use it or that it is better in any way.

Don't know cause I'm missing that gene too!
All I know is this: the superior technology is the O. that works for you.

All in O. place.

For me, that's a paper calendar.
If I make an appointment when I'm not near it (it stays in O. place, AT HOME), I throw a note or the appointment card in my bag and write it on THE calendar!

I still don't really get not at least THINKING about what you have to do that day. I mean, I am 47 years old, and for most of my life (MOST of which was non digital) I still woke up thinking, it's Monday, school, work, practice, anything else? So even when I young and wasn't using any kind of calendar at all I still had a brain that worked LOL!!!
So doesn't just thinking about your day at least remind you to check your calendar, be it paper or digital?
Also, how can you "forget" to read a book you are reading, whether it's on the counter or a kindle?
Do you "forget" to watch your favorite TV show unless you look at the TV directly?
You must have a very unique thought process...

I was just wondering the same thing! I've even been looking at my phone to see how to get "alerts" on my phone when something is coming up. All the notifications are on, but I never hear anything. Probably because my phone is on vibrate? I don't know what to do. I'll be watching your post for ideas! Lol.

ETA- Julie S, I've only had a smart phone for about 2 years, and only been using the calendar about a year. I wasn't aware that if you scroll all the way down when you create an event, the option to have an alert is there. It's not on the screen when you make the event, so I didn't realize it was down there. So thank you for pointing that out, once I looked I found what you were talking about. I think that will help a lot. See? Not stupid. :)

My 8 year old has better manners.

Take it from me ( and I'm in my fifties). No more computers. Borrow or buy the school agenda. Fill it out and look at it every morning. Tape things to the wall, that are vital to your life. Stop trying to be modern. Not everyone can.

So glad that I'm not alone! Paper calendar for me. Everything fits, and I can read my handwriting easier than generic fonts. Can't organize without it. It's like an actual book compared to electronic book for me ... easier to flip through paper pages and look ahead or back, without having to tap-scroll-tap-scroll-tap and squint to see my phone screen. Old fashioned, perhaps, but I too, am missing that gene. Totally resisting the pressure to change. I totally get why people do use their phones or tablets, super convenient. Just not my comfort level. And I don't have to charge a paper calendar. ;-)

I used to be like you and never remember to check the google calendar. I only liked my paper calendar and my husband kept bugging me to use the google calendar bc we both share it and so his stuff and my stuff are all on there. Anyway, I FINALLY trained myself to use it this year...after probably 7 years of him getting on my case! I just keep it open in a tab on my laptop. In the morning I get up before the kids, sit and drink my coffee, check email and check the daily calendar. I linked it to an app on my phone that will give me little alarms reminding me when something is coming up (on my calendar...not stuff my husband puts up unless I want it to). And if I am out doing things and a new appointment gets scheduled I can whip out my phone and add it to the app calendar right there. After defending my paper calendar for so long I have to say I love this. I rarely forget appointments or kid events when I used to regularly forget things. I just have my phone charger in the car and another in the kitchen and I leave my phone plugged in when driving or when at home so it is always charged up. I think you have to force yourself to change. It takes a good long time of doing something before it becomes a habit. I'm happy to say it is now just a seamless part of my life and it does make things easier.

I like the alerts but I just can't make myself be an exclusive e-calendar type of girl. I like physical planners and I always have mine with me in my purse. It's just easier for me to rifle through and get a birds eye view, schedule new appts without first going click-click-click, etc.

I use my iCal for everything - absolutely everything. I don't necessarily check it, but only because I set alarms for EVERY event on it. Most events have multiple alarms. For example, my older daughter has a ballet audition this afternoon. I set an alarm 1 week ago for it (so I could remember to ask if she needed a new pair of tights or shoes for it, and if so, we would have time to order them and not rush the shipping), and then my second alarm for it just went off a few minutes ago, indicating that we have 45 minutes until we have to leave the house for it.

Without multiple reminders for every little thing, I'd be lost.

I have to say that I'm with you, except that my phone is always charged and I check it frequently. I keep everything on my electronic calendar, and DH and I send anything that affects work schedules, family, etc, to each other on the calendar. Almost everything is alarmed so that I get a 30 minute warning and I don't miss stuff. At work, I cannot survive without my calendar on my phone to keep me on schedule all day.

But, I still like to have a printout of the month on my refrigerator. I like to be able to take a general look at the week or two ahead in the morning while I'm getting breakfast together. It's a good reminder of who has sports practice tonight, and what's going on over the weekend. Plus, the kids can look at it and they have some idea of what we have going on without constantly asking me "When is my next baseball game?"

The printout is of my electronic calendar, and each person has their own color so the kids can easily find their own stuff, etc. Being a hybrid works for me!

I don't generally look at the Google Calendar unless I'm checking for something or adding something. I wait for the alarms that I set a day or two in advance, generally. I usually set it to email me and it is the email that I will see on my phone (which I tend to check when I'm waiting somewhere). I mentioned on the other thread that I also have a regular old paper calendar on the wall that says, "Vet apt. Fluffy 9AM" on the date of the appointment. That is something I am more likely to check on a day to day basis. Field trip forms get stuck with magnets to the back of our metal front door til the date has passed.

Like many things, if this is an issue for you, you need to find a way that works for you and make it a habit. I didn't used to use any sort of online calendar at all. My DH is the cross reference, super organized guy. I learned to use the tools as I needed to use them. Our kitchen calendar is a godsend because as the children get older and more in charge of their own lives, you forget or don't get told. Making that an early habit helps you all.

I never use my electronic calendar at all. I have one that hangs on the wall and if I want to get a reminder on something I set an alarm on my phone that goes off XX amount of time before the event (usually the amount of time it takes me to leave the house and drive to the event). It worked great when m;y kids were young and we had a ton of stuff to do. Now that they are grown it still is our go to way to plan things out.

Don't make it h*** o* yourself. Just pick what works for you and run with it.

my sistah!!
this is the first year ever i have elected NOT to back up my two paper calendars (one in the kitchen, one at my desk) with a little one in my purse. i find paper calendars so much easier to deal with, but of course in a busy purse they get shredded and befunked.
i have got in the habit of plugging my phone in as soon as i walk in the door, and that's been good. and while i find entering lots of events (say, my work schedule which is done a couple of months in advance) very tedious, i'm becoming more used to doing it, so now i can haul it out at doctor appointments or right after the farrier leaves and enter it right away.
i do miss some things. i still check the paper calendars in the mornings, because that starts my day off with a mental visual of what it's going to hold.
so i suggest a hybrid- keep your regular (and pretty!) calendars up in your house, but do keep using your phone more and more. at some point i'm sure we'll both become proficient. right? right?
:D khairete
S.

I'm the same way. Thankfully my nine year old has gotten addicted to checking my calendar and telling me what my schedule is!!

I guess we have to find a way to reprogram ourselves and set the habit to check it daily. There are so many things I need to do to make my life better...this is one of them. I never print anything because I'm chronically out of toner with a printer that always jams...but I do write some stuff on a paper calendar...and I also forget to check that.

Sigh.

I have my iphone synced to my Outlook on my laptop. My calendar, contacts and notes all sync. I open my laptop every morning and open Outlook to check my email. There is a toolbar down the side that displays everything up coming. I can also quickly click on the calendar to get a better idea of what's coming up. From there I have my phone that I always have with me that I can check. I do print out my calendar from Outlook every handful of months but it's after everything has happened. I keep it in a binder to act as a bit of a diary and back up in case of computer crash or the phone decides to over right something (yeah, my trust isn't totally there with technology because bad things can and do happen).
The best thing is to find a routine and stick to it. Have a charging station where everything gets plugged in at night before going to bed. Always open your laptop in the morning with your cup of coffee and run through your checklist of checking email, checking calendar, check the news or whatever. That's the best way.

How about setting a recuring alarm event to check your calendar either each morning (when you wake) or each night (so you know what morning brings)?

Do you have a smart phone? Like an iPhone?

I use my calendar on my phone all the time since I have it with me all the time. When I am making an appointment I put it in the calendar right then. I don't usually need the alarm setting, but it is a nice feature to have. I also plug my phone into my computer and it will update the calendar on my laptop.

I normally check my calendar all the time since I have a short term rental that I own and manage. I need to be there once someone checks out to clean so it's ready for the next guest.

I only use my phone calendar and one wall calendar, this is so my husband knows where I am and what's going on. I think if you have too many things to update it just gets confusing. I would suggest picking one calendar to use, either electronic or a pocket planner and keep it with you all the time.

PS: It takes about 21 days to create a new habit and/or break an old one. Just open it each day so you know whats going on that day.

Sounds to me like you just need to intentionally create new habits. Use sticky notes.

I'm missing that gene, too. My solution - a huge, old-school, paper desk calendar, placed where I have to move it to sit down at my desk.

I do both.
I keep a wall calendar in the kitchen (so it's handy for everyone) and I keep a monthly at-a-glance calendar on my desk (for me, to write things WAY in advance and scheduling purposes).

But I also use my iCalendar in my phone. I don't am not someone who schedules things daily, so it still works ok for me this way. About once a week I go through my ical/phone app and write things in my desk calendar. And by the week, I tend to write things on the wall calendar (b/c by the time *this* week rolls around, I pretty much already know everywhere I'm supposed to be and what's going on already, and I do it from memory).

My phone goes with me everywhere. So when I'm at the dentist I can schedule my next appt (and the kids' appts) right there. Same with oil changes. Or eye appts. Or dinner dates with friends. The rest tend to be more recurring items, like music lessons for my kids, or band practice, or book club, or volunteer events at church (food bank). So I program those in my ical on a repeating schedule (every week, annually, whatever). And then when I'm making that dentist appt, I can say, "sorry, no, she has band practice that afternoon, what about the following Tuesday?"

It isn't perfect. But, the more I do it, the more I am finding myself checking my phone's notifications (pull down menu, at a glance for the day) early each day, or late at night to see what tomorrow holds.

Car repairs for the son's car and pick up/drop offs for him to arrange it, deadlines for paying for/scheduling things (senior pictures, spirit wear orders, etc) are much easier to put into the electronic calendar for me. I can mark it for every day if I want, or only days when I think I might be able to do it, and then instantly delete it forever after once it's accomplished. So no cluttered up calendar with strike-outs all over it.

Or highlighted days at a time, when family is visiting the area.

Maybe one day I'll change over completely. But I don't expect it will happen any time soon.

Thought I would just let you know that you are not alone with dependency on electronics. I am not tied to my phone. When I am home, it is in my work bag or on the table several feet from me and usually still on vibrate because I didn't change it after work. I do use the calendar on my non-smart phone (no-syncing here) and do have the alarm but if I used it for everything, things would get missed.

When I get to work, I make a point of checking my calendar to see what is going on the week. Maybe you could do somehting like that. And yes it is possible to have a calendar as wallpaper with little icons for things going on. I don't have a clue how to do it but a former co-worker had her like that.

I don't need to look a week or a month ahead. My phone pops up a reminder of what I need to know/do. For example, for any of our doctor appointments, I put it in my phone and then set 2 reminders, one for the day before and one for 2 hours before. Also, every doctor and dentist I have does a reminder call too.

So in my opinion, you don't NEED to check your calendar. By the simple fact of having a SMART phone and using the calendar, it will tell you first thing when you pick up your phone what is going on the for the day.

If you can't find your phone or remember to charge it, then it appears to me your phone is not a big deal to you. So then use a paper calendar or miss appointments. Pretty simple. lol Good luck.