This is not an ad for Google Calendar, but if you’re like me, planning out your time can be an uphill battle between classes, clubs and trying to find balance with your social life. Personally, my calendar makes sure that I don’t miss the parts of my life I care most about, or class. Scheduling everything out allows me to be more mindful of my priorities and find time for the things and people that I care about.
It started as just planning out the events I had so I wouldn’t forget them, but since then, it’s escalated. My class schedule is on my calendar, so if I forget to check it, I simply won’t remember I have class. It’s gotten to the point where I am planning out when I’ll study, sleep and get ready. I had to stop putting my showers on my calendar so my friends wouldn’t make fun of me, but it’s always a relief to know my schedule is only a click away.
However, that’s not to say my friends aren’t on board. A great way to confirm plans with friends is by sending a calendar invitation. When my friends discuss plans, the conversation is always shortly followed by an invitation notification, almost to an annoying degree. I know I’m championing calendar use, but do we really need to update the event and RSVP again when we move the plans back 30 minutes? I appreciate the commitment, though. It makes me happy to see I’m not the only avid calendar user.
Reflecting on how reliant I am on my calendar, I do wonder if I should try to build my own memory by remembering my plans myself. I wonder if the part of my brain that is meant for remembering events is being depleted from lack of use. At what point does my calendar usage become overkill rather than useful? I’m not sure, but what I do know is that my calendar is too useful to leave behind.
Choosing between relying on my own flawed memory and my calendar is easy: my calendar will always win. In times of stress, I know it is there to guide me and show me where my time is best placed. If you struggle to organize your life without help, as I do, I highly recommend putting it on your calendar.