In my household there are three people with three jobs, one car, too many pets, and countless remote and in-person activities and obligations. We rely heavily on knowing who needs to do what, when. After our holiday decorations are put away every January, I turn to a task that takes less than an hour but pays off substantially over the following 12 months: adding reminders and important dates to my new planner, and to our household digital calendar.
Here are some entries to consider making in your calendar every year:
- All appointments scheduled for the new year, that were set up in the previous year
- Expiry dates for identification and documents such as passports, permits, and licenses. (Don’t forget to check estimated renewal times and required validity for travel!)
- Birthdays and anniversaries
- Bill payment dates
- Delivery and subscription dates
- Lease expiry dates
- Commuter pass expiry dates
- Auto registration and inspection expiry dates
- Health, vehicle, and home insurance policy change dates
- Home and host country tax related dates
- Company holidays
- Home and host country national and cultural holidays
- School holidays
- Academic calendar dates for all schools that influence your schedule
- Meeting dates and membership renewal dates for organizations to which you belong
- Reminders to check any of the above if their dates have yet to be determined!
A new addition to your calendar might be COVID-19 vaccination dates. I’ve found that noting them in our calendar makes it easier to keep track of eligibility, and to schedule subsequent vaccination appointments.
If you’re relocating this year, these calendar suggestions only scratch the surface! You should know that Living Abroad’s International Relocation Center offers the indispensable International Move Planner, which is designed to support you through the entire process. You can customize your tasks, select the number of tasks you want to see at one time, sort tasks by priority, and hide completed tasks…in other words, you’ll have the tools you need to master the process, and to create success.
Written by Erin Fitzgerald, GMS, Content Manager
