From routine car maintenance, to haircuts, to everything in between, most of us have at least one routine appointment in our life. Usually these appointments can be scheduled in advance with a little planning. And so today we’re going to briefly look at three ways to stay on top of scheduling these appointments with ease, so you can free up your time for life’s more blissful and joyful adventures.
- Whenever possible, try to schedule your next routine appointment before you leave your hairdresser, mechanic, etc, and add it to your electronic calendar pronto. Doing so helps ensure that you won’t forget to take the car in for regular maintenance. It also allows you – and your hairdresser – to plan ahead and it gives you some freedom to choose when would be most convenient for you, instead of getting squeezed in to your hairdresser’s already full schedule six weeks from now. The beauty of scheduling on the early side of things: your spot is reserved at a convenient time for you and you still have the freedom to change the appointment if necessary. After all, how many of us know today exactly what we’re doing at 5:45pm six weeks from Tuesday?
- What works for scheduling personal care appointments also works for scheduling annual appointments – like the oil heater cleaning visit from your local oil company, or the annual tree care visit from your landscaper. Whenever possible, ask the service provider if they will contact you to schedule your next appointment. If not, make a note on your electronic calendar to call them six months before your desired appointment so that you can get on their calendar with ease.
- Contact your service provider as far in advance as possible if you need to postpone or cancel your appointment. In addition to expressing courtesy, doing this will also free up time on the service provider’s schedule so they can assist another customer. Some service providers assess a cancellation fee if an appointment is cancelled less than 24 or 48 hours in advance. Know your service provider’s cancellation policy, and honor it.
* Photo by Asif Akbar
I *hate* to sit in waiting rooms because other people have been running late. It is even trickier with an impatient small child along, so during my second pregnancy scheduled most of my appointments for either the first of the day or the first appointment after lunch. With no one running late before me (and I was usually on time) it meant that I was able to be seen almost immediately when I arrived. I also try & schedule for the first of the day with my dentist’s office for bi-yearly teeth cleaning. So far, his has worked out nicely & offices appreciate it when you run on time.