Manage Monday: Scheduling Reminders

Source: Danilo Rizzuti, freedigitalphotos.net

I do not understand why I put things off sometimes, as organized as I try to be there are times when I let procrastination get the best of me. Last night I awoke from my sleep and recalled something on my to-do list that I forgot to accomplish last week. For some weird reason I waited until the last minute to pay a bill. The crazy part is, this is a recurring bill that I only get once a year. I have no idea why I didn’t pay it in advance. But no matter what parenting excuse I try to come up with, I cannot justify a lack of organization. In light of me losing sleep and feeling disgusted about it, here are some tips to help me and you remember to get your bills paid on time.

1. Schedule a reminder on your phone or computer. Post-its do not work for me and I find the little square papers annoying to find around the house.
2. Don’t wait until the due date. Know when due dates will occur and pay in advance.
3. Set aside one or two bill paying days to get your payments accomplished. I reviewing your accounts every 15 to 20 days to make sure that none of your bills will lapse so that you will not have any late charges.
4. Be accountable. You may need to email yourself a personal reminder to make sure that you have not ignored your scheduled phone or computer reminders.
5. Lastly, if you are a day or two late call the company and explain the situation. Ask for a waiver if any fees are involved and pay in full. Sometimes you may need to speak to the manager but be polite and persistent so that no extra costs will occur.

Don’t forget to check out my other “Manage Monday” post.