Here’s How to Never Forget a Special Occasion Again

This 15-minute ritual will make you seem like the most thoughtful person in the universe

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

I used to really suck at remembering people’s birthdays. I don’t dislike my friends and family. I just have other things on my mind.

Instead of remembering special occasions a week ahead of time, creating a thoughtful card, and sending it snail mail to their homes, I used to be jarred out of my ignorance by “Happy Birthday” Facebook messages on the big day and ended up spending a ridiculous amount on same-day delivery of a completely uncreative bouquet of flowers.

This is no longer a problem for me. Why? Because it’s automated.

No, I don’t Tim Ferriss-style pay some virtual assistant in Sri Lanka to choose and write a birthday card and gift for my mom. I do, though, now always remember to quickly do it myself in an efficient manner so I continue to be highly productive in my day-to-day life while letting my friends and family know I love them.

I am obsessed with productivity and life hacking, but the relationships in my life are also important. So, I have created a system to keep my family and buddies happy and to keep me from fretting that I’ve forgotten someone special.

My special occasion 15-minute ritual

Every Sunday night, I have a (fairly recent) ritual. I write old-school birthday, anniversary, graduation, and new baby/house/job cards to all of my close buddies. I do all of this without leaving my bed. It takes 15 minutes and it makes me feel like a million bucks.

For those of you who don’t do snail mail, this can work for you as well. I just sometimes like a little old-school touch.

Every Sunday night, I have an alarm set for 9:30 p.m. to remind me to create cards for the following week’s birthdays and special occasions. It goes off (usually) when I’m in bed (I know — I’m super exciting on Sunday nights), but being in bed is ideal. Because that’s where my tools for success live (more on that later).

I then spend from 9:30–9:45 p.m. writing and addressing cards to those I love and then I leave them on my nightstand to put in the…