We are in the most hectic time of the year. Send parcels back before 6 p.m., plan New Year’s Eve, it’s someone’s birthday, the ID has to be applied for again and any letters have to be sent by some deadline. In addition, there would be – in normal years – the company Christmas party and the child’s choir concert. How quickly a wedding day slips through.
The human brain is a wonderful tool for memories. Unfortunately, it is a bit flawed at times.
For almost two decades of my adult life, I was able to rely largely on the capacities of my head. In Uganda it was also due to the fact that the flood of appointments was much less raging than in this country. Shortly after my 18th birthday, I tried to draw up a written schedule. I took my diary and made a note of appointments. It was not so easy, however, to find a free space on the paper between my scribbles and the handwriting, which for many people was probably illegible, where a date and time seemed useful. After a few weeks, while flipping through the pages, I noticed that I had missed one of the appointments I had noted. I rejected the concept and went back to the old system, my memory.
The escape changed a lot. And the longer I lived in Germany, the more I became aware of the weaknesses of my once proven system. Appointments with the authorities in the asylum procedure, my daughter’s doctor’s appointment, the re-registration after moving, the application for a license plate. I’ve mastered a lot of such appointments. However, I can no longer say how many I missed in my early years in Bavaria. Just this much: there were enough reasons to change the system.
I started with an analog hand-held calendar, where I entered the times and topics of an appointment in the table drawn up for this in typical German style. I don’t have to leaf through it anymore. The calendar found its way into my smartphone. As long as I have my cell phone with me, I can be sure that I won’t miss my next appointment with a job center or immigration office. Because my phone doesn’t stop ringing when a reminder is sent.
Noticeable about it, and not necessarily positive: Since I’ve been working with the calendar, I haven’t had an appointment in my head. If I am asked if I have time next Friday evening, I first have to check my calendar. Imagine what would happen if all the calendars in the world suddenly disappeared. We would be clueless and helpless at the same time. The only thing missing is that I will soon enter holidays such as Christmas or Easter.