Tick tock, clocks are ticking

I find it hard enough to remember appointments which are scheduled from one year to the next, without trying to fit in other short-notice events around these long-standing commitments. It must be that having abided by a set schedule for some years, I have become unaccustomed to making all my own arrangements.
Recently, I have managed to double-book myself for several events , only realising this when it has been too late to rearrange one of them, even though it would often prove impossible to do so anyway.
In these cases, it always seems to be the boring one you would rather not attend which claims priority and the potentially interesting conference or lecture which has to be missed.
Nevertheless. I have to keep better records and short of employing a secretary, I will have to correct this problem myself- -and soon. It is really irritating that I am at present going to a series of lectures on Project Management and although I disagree on the level of planning, and most of all, on the level of updating required in order to keep the charts on risk management, stakeholder analysis and project feasibility on track, I am obviously in need of some of the organisational skills emphasised in the course.