4 steps to remember your appointments
I’m paranoid about forgetting anything. I once forgot something very dear to my heart and immediately put in a system to make sure it never happened again.
I suppose you want to know what happened?
I do some volunteer work at the church so I’d made an appointment to see someone on a public holiday and train another person at the same time. So I’m at home, pottering around the house and I get a phone call. “Ps Marcia, are you on your way?”
I immediately realised what happened, apologised while pulling on jacket and gloves, and raced out of the house. I might even have broken a few speed limits getting to the church.
However, I hated the embarrassment. I arrived to find the two of them having some coffee and chit-chat, and we all had a lovely time the rest of the evening.
I then vowed to never let that happen to me ever again.
So here’s what I now do and how you can also remember ALL your appointments:
1. Write everything down in your daily planner.
Everything! Even if I set up the meeting in Outlook, I still make a note of it on paper. (I’m a paper gal and make no apologies for it). You never know when you’ll have a power outage and you can’t access your electronic diary. Or when there’s a public holiday and you don’t look at your email 
2. Make it a habit
If a meeting is recurring, I follow the exact same steps until it’s ingrained in me that it’s a habit. Like joining a new class at gym. Or scheduling a new coaching client. Or putting a new system into place, like a weekly back-up instead of monthly.
3. Set multiple reminders
If I need to leave at a specific time to get somewhere, I set reminders in Outlook and sync to my phone. Because sometimes you do get carried away, especially when you’re working hard and you’re “in the zone”. The phone’s my back-up if I’m not working in Outlook.
4. Work your system
A system will only work if you work the system.
That means checking your paper planner every day. Or reading and actioning your reminders on Outlook instead of just clicking “snooze” or even “dismiss” by accident.
I check my daily planner as part of my evening routine so that I can mentally prepare for the day ahead and of course, choose appropriate clothes 
Your action challenge
Decide on your back-up system – whether phone, Outlook or paper – and try it out for the next two weeks.
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Marcia Francois is a time management and business organising coach who helps small business owners break out of overwhelm, make the most of their time and get important projects done. Visit http://organiseyourbusiness.com for your free 7-part audio series, 7 tips for time-strapped business owners.