Few things are more embarrassing than forgetting the birthday of an important person in your life. Here are five simple strategies to keep on top of birthdays. You don't have to have a great memory, you just have to have some great tools!
1. If you use a wall calendar, write in all the birthdays at the beginning of the year. (I transfer them from my old calendar.) Then, write in another reminder one or two weeks ahead of each birthday ("Jenny's birthday in 2 weeks!") to give yourself enough time to purchase and send a card or gift. Birthdays that fall on the first few days of a month will no longer sneak up on you.
2. A perpetual birthday calendar never needs to be replaced and can be updated easily. Download a
free copy of the calendar shown above from
Lemon Squeezy. Keep it posted in a spot you'll see often, like inside a cupboard door or on the wall next to your hanging calendar.
3. Since our lives are more and more managed on our cell phones, download an app like
Birthday Express and enter all the birthdays you want to remember, as well as how many days in advance you'd like a reminder. Like an alarm clock, you'll have a notification pop up right on your phone!
4. Facebook has a good birthday reminder, but if you're not in the habit of checking Facebook everyday (or every five minutes), sign up for
MyCaldendar Birthdays. You'll get early notifications, and you can write a birthday message in advance that will be delivered on the right day!
5. If email is your preferred mode of information, sign up for reminders from
Punchbowl. Not only can you get email reminders for birthdays, anniversaries, and important dates, you can easily share information with your friends and family, which makes it easier to coordinate that group gift for Aunt Lucy.
