154 – Recurring Reminders: A Simple Way to Stay on Track

Struggling to keep up with studio tasks? In this episode, Amy shares how digital calendars and task management apps can help you automate recurring tasks—weekly, monthly, or annually—so nothing slips through the cracks. A practical tool that will help streamline your workflow for both studio and personal life!

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Transcript

Hello, friends! Amy Chaplin here! Today on the Piano Pantry podcast, we’re talking about how we can enlist our calendars or task management apps to help us manage things we do in our studios on any kind of a regular basis whether it’s weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually.

Sometimes tools and organization can come from things we’re already using. We don’t always have to use a dedicated app for that one thing. If you use any kind of a digital calendar then you’re all set to go. Let’s dive in.

Years ago, when I started using Google Calendar, I loved its Reminders feature. It was a little different from Google Tasks, which is what’s available now. At the time, BOTH features were available. I didn’t care for Google Tasks as much, but I did like the Reminders. Unfortunately, it’s been gone for a few years now. So, I started using the Todoist task management app.

Now, just because it wasn’t the right thing for me, it doesn’t mean Google Tasks won’t work for you. Try it out. You might love it. If you use the Apple iCloud calendar, I know it has a reminders feature. You can add reminders just like you add events. Just toggle between the two at the top of the screen when you go to add a new event.

With the continual evolution of technology, I think it’s always good to try things that are already available to us. If you’re not happy with the solution, then at that point, seek out another tool.

All digital task management systems can set up recurring items, just like the alarm on your phone can be set up as recurring daily or weekly. I have found this to be an invaluable tool in prompting things that need to happen on a regular basis, both personally and especially in my studio.

We all have way too much to remember and too many things going on in our brains to have to sit down every year and think through things like when to book my recital space or, oh, don’t forget to touch base with studio families who need longer lessons next year. I find that when I rely on my memory for these things, I always end up feeling behind because they only seem to come to the forefront of my mind when it’s a little too late.

I finally started adding these things as regularly recurring tasks or reminders. It feels so nice seeing them pop up every year and realizing, “Oh, that’s so nice. I didn’t have to use brainpower to remember that.”

Let’s get a little more specific here. Here are some things I include in my recurring reminders for my studio. The point isn’t to give you a list of things to add but to get you thinking about what items you might want to add to your own list.

  • I have a reminder for when some of my annual membership fees expire. Most places are good at sending reminders prior to renewal these days, but not always! Whether it’s Sproutbeat, Ultimate Guitar, Spotify, or anything that you renew annually. Heck, I even put my car insurance and property taxes on recurring reminder.
  • I have a recurring reminder set for the 3rd Monday of August to remember to take my students headshots for the new school year at their first lesson. This one got added when one year I forgot to do it 3 weeks in a row and I found out months later one of my teen girl students had a little sore spot about it because she had come all dolled up knowing we did them and the week I ended up doing it she was in a hoodie and no makeup. This was just one of several things that student that year, but I really felt bad because I understood. The conversation we had after the fact was about why she didn’t just ask if we were doing pictures – that would have prompted me. So now, a reminder is scheduled, and I also send texts to everyone with a heads-up.
  • As a follow-up to that, I have a recurring reminder set for two weeks later to process and print the photos. Sometimes, I don’t get everyone in the same week, and I found it way too easy to get wrapped up in the start of lessons. One year, I didn’t get the student photos printed until November. So, yep, there’s a reminder now for that one.
  • In late September, I have a reminder to set up Joy Morin’s Halloween Trick-or-Treat Rhythms game and the candy bag to go along with it. Along those same lines, I have a reminder to set up my candy jar contest in early February, which I always do during Valentine’s week.
  • On the first Saturday of November, I have a reminder to decorate my studio for Christmas. It took me a few years to realize it, but if I waited to decorate the studio when I decorated my home, then it would only be decorated for two weeks while students are there in December. I figured it made more sense to decorate the studio earlier—closer to when we start Christmas music. Decorating fo rChristmas is not on my mind in late October, early November so it’s a recurring reminder.
  • Every couple of years I like to have my students take a music aptitude test which I purchased through GIA Publications. It’s a well-known test in the Music Learning Theory Community. The return to lessons in January is always a good time to do it as students haven’t been working on rep. We do the Rhythm one the first week and the Tonal one the second. Again, I only do this every two years so it’s nice to have a reminder.
  • I have a reminder every January to start assigning recital music. I spent too many years waiting until it was too late and not giving students as much time as they needed. Along the same lines is a reminder to book a recital space.
  • In late January, I have a reminder to set up the March Minute Madness note-naming challenge as I have students work through a half dozen micro-progressions of note-idenitifcation on Note Rush before we start doing the full timings in late February.
  • The first of March has a reminder to contact parents whose student I feel may need a longer lesson next year and along those same lines, contacting all studio familes to ask them to start considering their intentions for the next school year and to let me know if they don’t plan to continue by April 1.

So, that’s probably almost a dozen studio-related reminders.

Here are a few personal reminders I use.

  • A weekly reminder to go over finances.
  • A monthly reminder to take clothes into my local consignment shop during the one week a month they acccept items.
  • An annual reminder to clean out the closet in our garage in March as we come into spring.
  • A monthly reminder to soak the terra-cotta discs in my brown sugar in water.
  • A monthly or bi-monthly reminder to clean full bedding, including blankets, mattress pad, and extra pillow covers.
  • An annual reminder to clear out expired items from the refrigerator and pantry
  • An annual reminder to clean out the freezer in February when I can set all the cold food outside while I clean it. Same with the fridge – but I do that 6 months later so the work is spread out.
  • And so on…

You get the idea!

Again, the point isn’t to give you a list of things to add but to get you thinking about what items you might want to add to your own list.

I hope you found this helpful.

If you are enjoying the podcast, I invite you to join my Patreon community where you’ll not only be supporting the work here but you’ll get access to some bonus content from me. I’m trying out something new too.

In April, we’ll have a teacher chat about exploring audiation-based instruction in everyday methods, starting with Faber’s Piano Adventures Level 1 lesson book. Even if you don’t use the same materials in your lessons, just talking about the process can give you tools to apply to any music. I’m really excited to do this with you. Visit PianoPantry.com/patreon to join today for just $7.

Also, the annual Piano Pantry digital organization retreat dates are now set for May 28-31. I’m taking interest submissions now. Visit PianoPantry.com/retreat for more details.

Thanks for being here, friends and I’ll see you back in two weeks for our first Teacher Talk of 2025. You’ll get to hear from one of my good teacher friends – Laura Harding – on what it’s like to pick up and move your studio to a new city. She has some great insights for you. We’ll see you then!