Keep track of due dates

#Middlebury #Seniors

At some point we need to start making notes. Maybe you’re not there yet. But that day might sneak up on you when you discover that you’ve forgotten to mail the check for your property taxes. Or worse, when a police officer stops you and says your license tags expired – three months ago.

Forgetting the car tag might be excusable if your town no longer sends out notices. Or if you had the same vehicle for eight years and tags were always due the same month each year, and now you have a new vehicle with a different due date. But when you’ve lived in the same home for 30 years and you forget to pay the property taxes … that’s when you know you need to start making notes.

A good way to do this is with an annual calendar. When you flip the page, there in bright letters are your tasks for the month. If one of the tasks happens to fall in the first week of the next month, make a note in the last week of the previous month. Use the previous year’s calendar, flip through all the pages, make your notes and you’ll be all set, unless those tiny squares just won’t do the trick. That’s possible if you’re still working or have a long list of tasks to accomplish on a weekly basis.

For many years I’ve used an 8-by-11 notebook. Each page is a week, divided with lines into six boxes, dated. The weekend, when theoretically there are no urgent tasks, gets Saturday and Sunday in one box.

It might seem silly to start keeping such a detailed calendar of things you need to do. After all, haven’t you always remembered when the car tags are due? Until you don’t, and are reminded by a police officer.

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