I used to be absolutely horrible at remembering birthdays. I always seemed to remember either 2 months too early or 7 weeks too late. I had tried many different methods of organization out there, yet very few were effective for me. So I figured, why not create my own simple method. Here now, is the method that I now use with great results so far:

1. Get Up-Do-Date Information: I use Plaxo so that I always have everyone’s up-to-date information. For more information on this tremendous service, please read: Update your Address Books Automatically. Also, if you use MySpace and other social networking sites out there, they will make you aware of upcoming birthdays. For more information about using MySpace to promote yourself and/or your business, please read: 9 Ways MySpace & Facebook Can Work For You
2. Organize The Birthdays: I then created a spreadsheet that lists everyone’s birthday on 1 page and made it very easy to read at a quick glance. This spreadsheet is organized by month, so you can quickly look at November for example, and see that on the 16th, is my birthday. After you have added all of the birthdays per month, sort the names by birthday. Also, you may want to add November 16th to your list (my birthday)~Download my spreadsheet with sample information~
3. Create Cards: At the beginning of the month, I set some time aside to look at the list of birthday’s, and write out all of my birthday cards.
4. Send Out Cards: Since the cards are all made up, all I have to do it mail it out a few days before their birthday.

This method has been very easy for me to follow because I only need to look at it 12 times a year. Simple enough for anyone to use. Now don’t forget to add November 16th to your spreadsheet 