I used to be the type of person to miss meetings and deadlines like crazy. This happened to me primarily because I tried to keep everything in my head. I have tried a bunch of little techniques for reminders, and nothing really worked until I started using Backpack. Here are the things I tried.

• I tried writing things in a pocket-sized notebook, believing that writing things down increased my chances of remembering them. This didn’t work, either because I forgot to look at the notebook every day or, quite simply, I’d lose the notebook.

• I tried writing things on index cards, since I used index cards effectively as part of my software practices. This didn’t work because I wouldn’t carry the cards around with me enough nor look at them enough to recall appointments.

• I tried a PocketPC, but frankly that became little more than a way to keep myself entertained while waiting for the bus. My subconscious recognized how useless it was for me and helped me leave it “by accident” on a flight from Philadelphia to Toronto.

• I tried calendar software on my computer, but found it hard to get appointments onto the calendar, because I didn’t always have my computer handy. I tried a workflow that involved index cards that I later transcribed to computer… and it just didn’t work, so I abandoned it.

Now I use Backpack, a service from the nice folks at 37signals. Backpack reminders are flexible, simple and quick to use. I set up reminders for tasks that don’t have a definite due date, but as a “tickler” in the Getting Things Done sense of the term. I have reminders set five years into the future on Backpack as a testament to how much I believe I’ll be using the service in the years to come. While I tend to use Backpack mainly for reminders, I also use the Writeboard to share composition space with friends and family.

So if you’re looking to get re-organized, I recommend reading Getting Things Done, grabbing a copy of OmniFocus (you are a Mac user, aren’t you?) and subscribing to Backpack. You’ll be glad you did.