5 Calendar/Todo List Tricks That Make You A Better Musician

5 Calendar/Todo List Tricks That Make You A Better Musician

As I’ve grown increasingly more busy, I’ve discovered dozens of tiny tricks that help me be more thoughtful, keep my word, be better prepared, and generally run my life more effectively. Here are 5 of my favorite:

5. Schedule drive times. Map your drive time before you go, then create an event labeled “drive time” immediately before your event (make sure to add at least 5 minutes extra time for unexpected delays). Add in mileage and the address, and with the click of a button you have driving directions and mileage for tax write-offs.

4. Group your todos by kind, and then schedule them. Spending 5 minutes each morning grouping your todos for the day can save hours of time.

All of these are things I would group together, since they're in the same area (home).

3. Schedule people’s birthdays. I personally sync Facebook with my calendar, which automatically puts the birthday of every person in your friend’s list on your calendar. Call them instead of posting on their wall, or better yet, pre-stamp birthday cards and send them one on special days.

In Apple's Calendar app, birthdays appear just above the day view. 

2. Remind yourself. When you promise to call someone back, schedule a reminder so you don’t forget. Follow up is everything.

Setting a specific time to call helps me reach people when they're free.

1. Take notes about your shows in your calendar event. Instead of creating a separate note about each show, I write all of my notes in the actual calendar event. I include any details about the show, pay, the address, and I’ll even attach PDF copies of our contract.