A Case for Having a Season of Appointments

As I entered mid-life, I found myself accumulating doctors and routine check-ups like a child collecting Pokémon cards. Eye check-ups, dermatology appointments, mammograms... I had to catch them all.

Fortunately, these annual check-ups were fairly benign and limited to just a handful of visits.

Yet, as the days grew longer and the years shorter, I realized I was losing track of when I last had certain examinations. My glasses didn't seem to work as well, and then it hit me—it had been 2.5 years since my last eye check-up. I decided to drop everything and make an appointment with the Optometrist right away.

This was my life until I took a moment to figure out a way to streamline it. What if I set a specific time frame for these appointments so I could remember when they were due?

My birthday falls in early August, and school starts back later in the month. When I turned 40, I scheduled my first mammogram appointment. During this process, I noticed that we hardly travel between mid-August and the end of September. Another observation was that our school is closed for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, even though we don't observe these holidays. This provided a natural deadline for me to prioritize my medical appointments.

This is the third season I've tried this approach, and it's working well for me. I now schedule all my routine check-ups between the first day of school and Rosh Hashanah, which can vary in date each year. However, this natural time frame lasts about 5-7 weeks every year, allowing me to complete all my appointments.

Taking it a step further, I set a reminder in July to start making these appointments. By calling well in advance, I can almost always secure a time and date that suits me.

What I've noticed is that many of my doctors also don't typically travel during this period. Whether they are parents or not, it seems to be a time when people aren't taking vacations, there aren't major holidays yet, and everyone is simply working.

Now, whenever I find myself wondering, 'When was the last time I visited the (insert one of many doctors)?' I can usually narrow it down to a specific time frame.