Tech Blog

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Happy Canada Day! (Or, to my sovereigntist friends in Québec, Fête du déménagement.)

With a day off, one might presume the day planner can stay securely at home. Not so fast! You may not have to go to work today, (Unless you're living the glamourous life of a freelancer, ahem.) but that doesn't mean there aren't things to stay on top of.

The biggest lesson I could ever hope to impart to my past self is simple: get an organizer and use it for everything. Numbers, tasks, appointments--everything. But that's me. I certainly realize the system I use today isn't for everyone--but writing everything down is something I do recommend.

If that's a series of index cards and a rubber band, great. A fancy crocodile-hide leather planner? Super. (Also? The RCMP would like to talk to you.)

For me, it's my iPhone: I like to keep my data and schedule synchronized and backed up, I rely on alarms and appointment alarms, and let's face it: I have pretty terrible penmanship. When casually jotting down a meeting time, I don't quite TRUST my handwriting's accuracy.

But all that's just technology. What matters is what we do with it.

Taking a cue from the Catherine of three paragraphs ago, I write EVERYTHING down, keeping both my personal and professional obligations in side-by-side. I categorize things, sure, but I don't really have a distinction between work days and not. (I realize that for some people, this might sound horrible. I know I've had jobs in the past where I wanted nothing more than to totally unplug the minute I arrived home!)

Even on a day without meetings, I have other things to do. But which barbeque to attend? The modern urban blogger gets invited to literally two, even three events on occasion! Really!

Enter Google Calendar.

I use Google Calendar simply because it works on any networked computer, as well as my iPhone. It's also easy to share and invite others to events, no matter if they're on Google or not. Your choice of calendar software is up to you.

I have a total of eleven colour-coded calendars for the different parts of my life: work, social plans, shopping, etc. I use a Google Calendar named "Private Events" to hold any actual parties I've been invited to, making sure to jot down whether or not I promised anyone I'd be there.

I keep a separate Google Calendar named "Possible Events" containing any upcoming events, openings and shows I might like to attend. I haven't committed to going to any of them, but it's nice to be able to say, "you know, I'd really like to do something today" and quickly see a list of options at any given time.

This is particularly handy for all those things we get invited to on Facebook; I ignore most, but if one sounds entertaining, I RSVP "Maybe" and click "Export", saving the event details to my computer as an .ICS file I can open in iCal on my Mac--which synchronizes with my Google account--or in Mozilla Sunbird on Windows or Linux. (Google and Apple disagree somewhat on how calendars ought to work, so getting all your Google Calendars to sync with iCal can be a little tricky. I followed these directions.)

Right now, I can see at a glance two house parties ("Private Events") and three outdoor events in my "Possible Events" calendar. I also have a note from several months ago, reminding me to tell a friend when the "new iPhone" will come out. I'll get right on that.

So, what's on my agenda for today--aside from posting this? I'll put in an appearance at one event, have coffee with a friend this afternoon, then this evening, attend a "drinks with nerds" get-together in Gastown. And if I want to leave any of them early? Well, at least I know which movies, shows and parties are going on nearby.