I came up with a good calendaring system. As you know, the big service providers (Google and Microsoft) offer a free calendar program. What to do with it? Well, both Gcal and Windows Live Calendar allow you to create multiple calendars (each with its own name, color, …).
I needed to make a combination that suits me (hey, isn’t that life?). My idea about calendars is that they should show the viewer what he might be dealing with, and also should let him review what he hath done. We are offered many options regarding events but do not NEED to do them all… nor do we have time for all. The modern way is to be flexible. But a man has obligations…
My system is to have 3 calendars: 1. Could Should 2. Must 3. Did Done
In this way, I’m aware of what I must do (the Red ‘Musts’); I’m mindful of what I could do (often overlapping, blue entries describe both what I could do and should do). When something becomes true and has happened, then it has been done. And ya see here, I use these Calendaring programs Edit function which includes changing the Calendar. If I did something, I change it to ‘Did Done’ and write about what actually happened.
I think it important to have a record of what really went down. This is like diary / journal keeping. And it is distinct from a list of what MAY have happened. When you are your own historian (or think that some historian may someday research your docs) you want to make it clear that what was planned, or what SHOULD have been, is not the same as what happened in your life.
I recommend you keep multiple calendars, and that you use the Edit feature if you want a historical record. A lot of invites have the enticing, mysterious “???” end time. When you write your history, you can mark exactly when the party stopped.
Both GCal and Windows Live are great programs. I use Windows because, as I’ve mentioned, I like to create / edit on the PC and then sync when the PC is online. Gcal, unfortunately, does not allow you to Write in ‘offline mode.’ It’s read-only, and is in the browser. I like to open my dedicated calendar program on the PC and do as I please. And that’s that!
