Arrow-Tip #65 Use Recurring Appointments to Make a Date with Your Kids
Ah, as the old Staples ad goes – it’s the most wonderful time of the year! Back to school time that is (see Staples video) and that means my kids are back in school and its time for me to ramp my work hours back up. I’ve made a commitment though to take off early on Friday afternoons so that I can pick my boys up from school and take them for ice cream or somewhere else special. And guess what – Outlook is going to help me keep that commitment – read on to find out how…
One thing we often forget to take into consideration on our calendar is standard appointments that we have every day or every week. Although you know that you have to pick up your dog from the groomer by 5 every Thursday, other people who use your calendar to coordinate meetings may not. So a calendar best practice (whether you use Outlook or not) is to always block off time for those items so that others who have access to your calendar do not schedule over them. Also, if we’re being honest, has Fido ever had to wait a little longer than usual because you got busy and accidentally booked an appointment with that prospect you’ve been stalking for 6 months over his pick up time?
Why book regular appointments on your calendar? Here are 3 good reasons:
- Communication – Whether you work for a multinational corporation or are self-employed, these days you are still likely to be on a mail server where other employees or your virtual assistant have access to your calendar. You can mark items private, but still reserve time on your calendar if you don’t want colleagues knowing which nail salon you frequent for personal grooming or which school you send your kids to.
- Commitment Reaffirmation – As stated earlier, I’ve made a commitment to my children to take off early on Friday afternoons and pick them up from school. Seeing that appointment on my calendar every week helps make that commitment tangible.
- You’re Only Human– We all get busy or suffer from occasional sleep deprivation induced forgetfulness. Keeping your commitments on your calendar helps prevent scheduling oopses.
Still to come this week is the excerpt from my interview with James Bond of Apptix regarding email spam filtering and the final installment in my Using SharePoint to Communicate KPI Dashboards – Internal Marketing to Support Your KPI Goals. Until then, happy hunting!
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