Double Booked

As you all know, I would be lost without my calendar. I sync my work calendar to it, keep track of birthdays and special events, and every dinner, drinks, museum, or other type of social interaction that I've been invited to and accepted. The goal is to avoid double booking: agreeing to go somewhere and then realizing you already had something else going on. Sadly, it can't always be avoided.

If you take a look at my schedule for this Saturday, you'll see a birthday party, sorority meeting, friend coming into town, friend coming over to visit my new place, and laundry list of errands I haven't found time to get done (something tells me that's not happening this weekend). It's also Target First Saturday at Brooklyn Museum, which I've been looking forward to all summer but was out of town for. My day is essentially made up of things I really want to do and things I agreed to and feel I can't back out of.

The other day when I was hanging out with a friend, I explained how I had to squeeze him in and went through this week's schedule with him. When I was done, he merely said "But why can't you just cancel with people?" It's not the first time somebody has said that to me, but it was the first time it really resonated with me. He was right: most of my friends know how hectic things are for me and will appreciate any time I have to give them, but understand if I have to cancel so I can rest at home instead. The ones who don't get it or who complain that it's "just" an hour or two might not be worth it anyway.

So I'm turning over a new leaf, starting by clearing up some of my Saturday.

Do you feel bad about canceling plans? How do you manage to not double book?