Probably is a valid calendar state, arguably the most important one.
I'm not talking about the thing where someone sends an event invite and everyone else accepts or rejects it. Externally defined events with unmovable constraints are easy. Put it in, if there's overlaps pick which event to attend or split the difference.
This is about the casual scheduling we do every day. "Dinner after work next week?" or "How's your weekend looking?" will have an impact on what you can schedule, but aren't so specific that you can just dump them in a calendar.
Calendars exist for one purpose, to offload the memory of where you need to be and what you need to be doing when. Empty and confirmed make strong guarantees about that. It might be messy or impossible if you've double booked something, but you know for sure that it's the case.
In contrast, probably is the difference between a free day and back to back activities, or having a functional schedule and triple booking. If you don't have a representation for probably on your calendar, anything could happen.
Even worse, if you enter a probably as definitely or empty, you'll show up to an event which never got scheduled or skip something entirely.
It has to be represented differently.
Thankfully, it's not hard. Whenever you think you might do something at a specific time in the future, add it to the calendar. The old version of this is "penciling it in", marking down something which could be moved with erasable pencil instead of permanent pen.
These days with digital calendars there's many functional options. You can put it on a secondary calendar overlay, put a question mark in the name, mark it pending, or change the event color. Whatever doesn't break your normal workflow and ensures you see it before you schedule in anything else.
Even if it's a two hour event on a five day timerange, throw in a possible date and note that it's flexible. Most people don't have enough on the calendar to need a constraint solver, a reminder to adjust things is enough.
It's functions as reminder to update other people as your availability changes too. If things get tight, you can lock in a more specific time with anyone else involved. People are usually accommodating of whoever has the tighter schedule as long as you narrow a proposed timeframe instead of shifting it around.
This works for solo activities as well. If you know you need to run a batch of errands on the weekend at some point, block it in and move it when other things come up. The point is to preserve a sufficient amount of time somewhere, not to pick the time now.
I recently blocked out two full days for personal time. No socialization, no obligations. It doesn't really matter which days, or even that they're fully empty, but I want to have it. Blocking them, even knowing they may need to get filled, makes them the last resort. I give future self the ability to preemptively move things around to try to make it work. That alone vastly increases the chances of a free day.
You can block in anything you want as a probably, as long as you can't mix it up for definitely. Why not block in the things you know you want?
- Rew
Nightly Notes
I don't even have the tightest calendar of people I know personally, I just juggle too many commitments. Better to have too many options than too few, though I could certainly stand to gain from trimming down a bit. That's a conversation for another day.
Speaking of which, time to run. Places to be, things to do. I'm finally winding down for the season, but the finale is always chaotic.
I keep saying I want more time to edit, but editing this one actually gave me a headache. This is pulling time from everything, as I knew it would, and I can't find the focus to pull out a coherent through-line. I suppose it's good that I can pick up on that much in this state even if I don't know how to fix it.
Back for another attempt tomorrow as always,
- Rew