Organization - Calendar / Scheduling

I'm pretty pleased with how I've got my scheduling and calendar system set up so I thought I'd share. I'd love to hear what other people do as well! I'm always curious to hear how other people do things, it's the best way to learn!!

Anyway, I started by setting up three different Google accounts so that I could have three calendars, which I then shared with each other. Once that was set up, I only need to log into one of them and I can schedule or edit events for any one of them.
Since first posting I have changed this - I just set up one Google account and created three calendars within it - much easier than three accounts!!

The reason I have three is that one is for personal events (family birthdays, etc.), one is for booked events, and one is for events that I am interested in. On my calendar, each comes up in a different colour so it is very easy to differentiate. Google calendars lets you put all kinds of information in, so I can put in the link to a website or a contact email address. And you can log into it from anywhere so it is very handy. Also, I can share it with my daughter so she will know what events are coming up - not only for the business but birthdays which she is always prone to forget!! LOL

Thanks to this system, I now know that Bodyssey - which I believe is in Toronto next year and I had thought I would go - conflicts with an event that I really wanted to do. So I have some time to decide! When I decide which one, I will just switch which user is attending, and it will change to the colour for booked events.

I'm interested to see what systems other people use to keep themselves on track!

Thanks for sharing. I use my Yahoo calendar that's linked to my business email and it has all the same features.

I was nervous to link my business stuff to my Google account because I've read on other forums that Google sometimes hijacks your address book and sends out unwanted mails to everyone.

Have you heard about this and do you think it's just user-error that causes this sort of thing to happen?

I'm normally a pretty tech oriented person, but since I don't use the internet on my phone (and couldn't while I was using it anyway) and don't have another portable device for such things, I've been resorting to paper ACK! I have a big enough purse to keep a small binder in there... one week per page with each day's space divided in to morning, afternoon, evening and notes. In the same binder, I keep my booking forms. So when someone calls me, first thing I ask is when... if I'm already booked, I flip to my phone numbers for other performers page. Otherwise, I turn to a booking sheet, fill it out, pencil in their time on the calendar until I receive the deposit.

Everything goes in the same book, family stuff always comes first, unless I can get someone else to do something like driving the kids to dance class.

I am totally paper based... I don't trust technology.

I've used a daytimer for centuries and continue to do so. Nothing is on the computer at all as far as my schedule goes.

CreateFaces, that's interesting, I hadn't heard that. My daughter uses Gmail exclusively and has for as long as it has been available and has never had any issues. But, I set up the accounts using current POP email addresses I already had, not Gmail, so Google doesn't have access to those - I'm not a fan of web-based email anyway. So I'm not too concerned about it. But I will bear that in mind, thanks!

Perry, that's a good point about not being able to use the calendar on your phone while talking on your phone! I haven't had to deal with many calls or bookings yet so it hasn't come up for me. And, currently I am just using my home phone for my business line so if I answer or return the call, my computer is right there too. Down the road I may switch my cell phone to be my business phone and then I will have to think this through some more, because I will be taking calls "on the fly" so to speak. Thanks for bringing up a good point!

I have always used a paper-based calendar system before - I'm a big fan of hard copies, believe me! But now that my kids are growing up and moving out, it's awfully handy to be able to have something like this that they can all check into. Not just for business but for family life too.

I get laughed at for using a paper agenda...haha

I do my invoice/booking forms on the computer, so when I'm getting info I scribble it all on a piece of paper (using another form as reference), which, even after I've printed the official form, still goes into my agenda in the week of the event, and in order, if there are other pieces of paper.

(This means my agenda is about 3X the size as when I bought it, haha.)

I also pencil in the time/event/if I have a twister coming with me in my agenda itself, then add the info to my Facebook page AND my events page on my website. I used to also use a white board, but I've been slacking on that - but at any given time, each event has been noted in 3 different places.

I've used the google calendar system for a few years now and it's awesome and syncs with my iphone so I can check my schedule from anywhere. I love, love, love it. I don't worry about google "hijacks,", it's proven over time to be a remarkably secure system and I've never had any of my accounts send out unwanted emails to anyone.

I've not tried any online calendars. I use a day-minder for business/family. I also punch everything into the calendar on my phone.

This is a big problem for me - I am the least organised person I know, and its just in my chemical make-up that I will do only what I have to..... motivation is rarely in my vocab.
I have a diary - everything gets scribbled in there... so sad no forms, no organisation just a big mess that only I can understand.
I often forget to write things in there and have to go trauling my emails to check times and confirmations.... I'm eternaly hopeless.
My man is constantly chastising me for my hopelessness.
I'm honestly amazed I get away with it.
Next year will be different as I will need to show all my earnings... so I better start book keeping!
Don't know if I'll go with the google thingy... already a bit freaked that I rely on the internet so much to do my business... if my puter crashed.... oh I don't want to even think about it!
If I can't even be bothered writing it down for myself I can't see myself making multiple copies for convenience.
If only running a business had nothing to do with Paper Work!!
Yeah yeah - if wishes were horses.

I use google calendar (and you don't necessarily need three different accounts to make three different colors for your organization... I have about 5, Day job, painting, school for kids, personal, and holidays). I sync it with my blackberry.

Ooooohhhhhh.... ok scrap that part about three different accounts!! Wow I feel really silly now, I completely overlooked the big button that says "create new calendar" in the settings section!! Thanks for pointing that out, JBax - I'm going to revamp it all in one now, I like that much better!! I can name each calendar, rather than remembering which email address stands for what calendar type. How embarrassing! But this makes me love it even more!

Tash, I've had computers crash on me more than once and I've lost a lot of important stuff (all our Disney trip pics ). Last time it happened, I bought an external hard drive, intending to back up everything to it. Hmm, yeah... it's an expensive paperweight, I am a terrible procrastinator. But that's the advantage to keeping something like a calendar online - you can access it from any computer or phone with internet. I would have to pry the laptop away from my daughter, but I would still be able to use it with no loss of data. I can't worry about relying on the internet too much, it's so integrated into everything I do already, I would go insane if I worried about it!!

Tash, you're my long lost sister! I'm the same way. I'm the worst with keeping track of those things, but I am really trying to get better. About 5 months ago, I completely lost the info for a two years old's birthday party. I felt horrible that one little boy would be so disappointed. Luckily the mom called to cancel the day before the party. I've never in my business actually been happy for someone to cancel the day before the event. Long story short, I'm awful, but trying to be better.

As far as keeping records, I'm pretty good. I'm compartmentalized organized This means... my face painting business is very organized, I'm very organized for my mother's needs & my kids & hubbies stuff, but the rest of my home is in shambles. My house is small & cluttered
Oh, well, some day when the kids are grown....

you ain't seen nothing until you've seen my house dear.... someone robbed our house the other day (everyone is fine) the police insulted the condition of my house while they were here. Thanks lady, I wasn't having a bad enough day already? I know my house is a disaster....

Perry! So sorry to hear about your house - what a violation! I'm glad everyone is okay. Best wishes it all gets sorted out.

Oh Perry, that is one of my greatest fears, that some type of authority would have to come in and see my mess - actually I think that if the police had to come in for any reason, they would assume that the place had been ransacked and start looking for a robber.

Sorry to hear that happened to you - glad to hear everyone is okay but wow, that's a terrible thing to go through.

Hazel, That actually happened to me back in my single days when I was sharing a house with 3 other girls. One of the girls got home from a date and thought she heard something upstairs (the rest of us were all out). She sent her 'cop' boyfriend up the stairs to check it out...he said no one was there but it looked like someone had ransacked one of the rooms (mine)...yeah, no...my roommate had a giggle anyway. I'm not like that anymore. Except in my office.

Without my computer and phone I'd be lost! I use Outlook to keep track of pretty much every minute of my day. It 'alarms' me when I'm supposed to be somewhere even. I've forgotten to pick up my kids from school too many times on Wednesdays (short day). It all syncs up to my phone so I always know where I'm 'supposed' to be. I even have a 'to do' list that I add and cross off items everyday and carry forward to the next day as I never get it all done the day I want to. I colour code the 'labels' for all the appointments. My invoices are electronic so I can email them. I print a copy for my accordian style folder divided by the month. At the end of the year, I can go to my electronic files and see all my invoices and check against my paper folder.

The words 'artist' and 'accounting' couldn't be more different even though they both start with an 'a'. It's a polar opposite personality that rules them both.

Perry, I am so sorry to hear that you were robbed. I want you to know that I feel awful about that for you and your family. You have such a cheerful, sweet disposition I am so glad about that. Hope all is back in order for you soon!

Perry, sorry to hear of your misfortune but glad to know that you and yours are well.

That's pretty funny Magna! Well I'm not usually quite THIS messy actually but in the last few months, two of my daughters had household changes and there was a death in the family, so between those events I have a lot of stuff piled up around here that doesn't even belong to me. As we work through it, it's slowly going away, so order is returning... very slowly.

So sorry to hear about the break in Perry. It's just awful when that happens. I had a purse stolen out of my car & was so upset to lose pics from my wallet.
I've figured out why my home is so chaotic looking... I used to clean weekends & now I work weekends. The people at home only mess up the house, soooo... I think they're all getting a new weekend job

Hi Perry,
I had a break-in like that once, the officers kept going from room to room saying things like "was this pile of stuff lying on the floor like this?", "was that like that?", "was everything all strewn about like that?" um, yes...and 13 years later I'm still trying to get better - ug!
One more thing about this forum that just makes me feel at home here!
As for organization I carry paper calendar and keep track of all of the details in a little hardbound notebook.
Danica

Linda, I've recently been letting my husband 'feel the pain' of when things aren't done and he's started to teach the girls Saturday is 'clean up ' day and he's even scrubbed toilets and washed floors!

hahaha - I'm going to make my hubby read this thread - so he doesn't think it's just me !! LMAO

Perry - you have lived my nightmare........... although cleaning up so the robbers can find everything doesn't make sense now does it?
;(