A previous article focused on the Alerts/Alarms field of the Calendar app. This article addresses the Notes field. Whatever smart device you are currently using, there is almost certainly a Notes field available in many of the apps you use (e.g., Calendar, Contacts, etc.). When people first see the Notes field, they typically pass over it as an unnecessary or irrelevant field. Ah, to the contrary, the Notes field is a very powerful field in which to enter information regarding the specific calendar appointment or contact. Why do I say this?

When used properly, the Notes field is an essential field to help with memory compensation. Let’s look at a couple of scenarios to help illustrate its importance.

Movie scenario

How many times have you gone to a movie with friends or family and then, when asked about it a few days later, can’t remember the name of the movie, whether you liked it or not, or with whom you went to see the movie? The inability to remember these details is often embarrassing and can lead to turning down future invitations.

How can something like a silly calendar help in this situation? Think of your device’s Calendar app as a prime tool in your personal memory compensation bag of tricks. The first way in which memory compensation relates involves entering the movie in the calendar. I know, you’re probably wondering why you should have to enter that you went to a movie in your calendar. There are actually a couple of reasons for doing so:

• It provides a clear picture of what you did on a particular day. I have many students that tell me they don’t do anything after school is out, when in fact they are quite busy. The problem is they don’t enter the things they do in their calendar. As a result, they underestimate what they did and often can’t explain why they are fatigued.
• The Calendar is a permanent record of your daily activities.
• It is easy to find what you did when using the Search feature (we’ll talk about Search in the next newsletter).

Okay, so now you have an idea of why you might enter something like a movie into your Calendar, but why would you add information to the Notes field and what kind of information can be added?

Why add information to the Notes field?

• It could help you recall the movie plot.
• It could help you share your thoughts about the movie with others.
• It creates a permanent record that you can revisit when desired.

What kind of information could be added to the Notes field?

• Name of movie
• With whom you attended the movie
• A brief summary of the movie
• Your opinion of the movie
• Where you saw the movie

Doctor visit scenario

I probably don’t have to convince you that a doctor appointment is a typical event that you would enter into your Calendar. Although you might enter the event as a calendar appointment, would you also enter information into the Notes field? As referenced previously, the Notes field is often overlooked.

What kind of information could be added to the Notes field?

Previsit information

• List of symptoms
• List of questions
• Payment questions

Information from visit

• Answers to your questions
• Medication changes
• Instructions regarding medications
• Things to do before next visit

In conclusion

The Notes field is a very useful field in the Calendar app. It provides the ability to add specific information related to the event entered into the Calendar. The information entered into the Notes field serves as a permanent record of event details which can be easily found by conducting a keyword search.