Really.

I’ve come to a conclusion that calendars aren’t meant to be a do-all tool. They are used for time-blocking, appointments, task lists, reminders of dates and times, etc. Layer on top of that having multiple calendars and you end up with confusion. No wonder people feel overwhelmed.

Here is my secret (dont’ tell anyone): Calendars are for determining the day and date.

That’s it!

But what about all the other stuff?

Let’s tackle the big stuff first. Calendars aren’t meant to remind you of appointments, holidays, etc. The key word is “remind”. That’s an active process. Don’t use a calendar. Use a Reminders app to remind you of birthday, holidays, appointments, etc. Reminders are something that need to interrrupt your daily schedule. Calendars have been kludged to do that. Separate your interrupts out of. your calendars and put them in Reminders. Then forget about them. You’ll be REMINDED when you need to be.

Daily schedule? Why do you even have one? If you have a daily schedule that never varies, you either need a habit-tracking, app or just do it. All you really need to worry about are the interrupts, and you have Reminders for that.

What about apointments and meetings? They belong in Reminders. They are interrupts (even if they are on a regular schedule.

What about holidays and birthdays? Again, if you don’t remember when they occur, put them in Reminders.

“But what if I need to know on what day my Uncle Alice’s birthday falls?” Ok, I’ll give you that one. But how often is that really a problem?

“But what if I need to find an empty block of time?” First, if that’s a problem, you have too many meetings, etc. You need a schedule, not a calendar.

“I like calendars. I’m a visual person.” Fine. Keep using it. Personally, I’ve seen other people’s calendars and they are a color-coded mess of blocks. You’re not being productive if you fill your calendar with color (or anything else).

“I like having one tool for everything.” I can understand that. But the calendar isn’t the right tool. You’re using a calendar and everything is a nail. (You get the idea.)

Calendars have their uses, but they are few to the point that I’ve stopped using them as a catch-all.

So what should you use?

• Reminders for interrupts (when you need to be reminded to do something that interrupts your flow.)
• Todo/task lists for the things you need to do which are not interrupts.
• Habit trackers unless you need to be reminded.
• Grocery lists (which really are reminders).
• Calendars for determining the day/date.

I think breaking out of a calendar frees you from “time pressure” and simplifies your tracking flow. Give it a try.