Describe a Time when You Forgot/missed an Appointment

Describe a Time when You Forgot/missed an Appointment

• When and where did it happen?
• What was the appointment for?
• What happened when you missed it?
• And explain how you felt about the appointment.

I still feel awful about the one time I missed a dentist appointment. It was about a year ago. I’d booked it for a Saturday morning, 10 a.m., because a molar was bugging me. The problem was that I was up half the night finishing a massive college project.

Predictably, I completely slept through my alarm. I woke up around 10:30, saw the missed call from the clinic, and my stomach just dropped. I called back right away, so embarrassed, but the receptionist said the doctor had already moved on. I felt terrible for wasting his time.

I rescheduled, of course, and you better believe I set about five reminders on my phone. That whole thing was a real wake-up call. It was an awkward mistake, but it definitely forced me to get more organised. I’m obsessive about double-checking my schedule the night before anything important now.

It’s so easy to forget things like that, though. I think people have too much on their plates. We’re definitely busier than our parents were. Life feels faster now. Everyone’s trying to balance work, studies, a side hustle, and their social life. It’s just constant mental overload, so it’s no wonder an appointment slips through the cracks. It’s usually not carelessness, just pure burnout.

For me, getting organised was the only solution. It comes down to planning and prioritising. I live by my calendar app now, but even a simple to-do list helps. Technology is obviously a huge help here. My phone reminders have saved me more than once. It’s so much easier than the old-school diaries people used to rely on. You have to be disciplined enough, actually, to use the tools and not get sidetracked.

It’s a double-edged sword, though. These tools make us efficient, but they make us too dependent. I don’t know if I remember half my commitments without my phone buzzing. It’s about finding a balance, using it as an aid, not a crutch.

It’s not a generational thing, either. Young people are obviously great with tech, but they can also be the most distracted. Older folks might be more set in their ways and stick to a routine, which is its own kind of discipline.

In the long run, especially professionally, that thing really matters. If you keep missing meetings, people stop trusting you. It looks unprofessional and disrespectful, and it can absolutely cost you clients or even a job. Around here, people might be pretty relaxed if you’re a bit late to a social thing, but in a professional setting, being on time is taken very seriously. Punctuality shows you’re reliable.

💬 Follow-up Questions

1. Why do people sometimes forget their appointments or commitments?

Honestly, I think people usually forget things simply because they’re completely overwhelmed. It’s rarely intentional carelessness; it’s just mental overload. We’re all juggling so many different responsibilities these days, trying to keep track of everything in our heads instead of using reminders, and it’s just too much.

2. Do you think people are busier now than they used to be in the past?

Life just feels so much faster than it used to be. In the past, things seemed simpler, maybe people worked more fixed hours and had quiet evenings. Now, everyone is multitasking—balancing work, studies, maybe even a side hustle. Technology makes things convenient, sure, but it also means we’re “on” 24/7. We might be more productive, but we’re definitely more stressed.

3. How can people improve their time management skills?

The only way to cope is to get serious about planning. It really just comes down to prioritizing what’s important and actually sticking to a schedule, whether it’s on a calendar app or just a to-do list. You have to be consistent. Avoiding distractions, like constantly checking social media, is probably half the battle.

4. How has technology helped people remember important dates or meetings?

Technology has made a huge difference, of course. We used to rely on handwritten diaries or just our memory, but now our phones buzz for everything. It’s much easier to stay on top of things.

5. Do you think using reminders and calendars on phones actually makes people more responsible, or more dependent?

But that brings up an interesting point: are we more responsible, or just more dependent? I lean toward both. These tools make us efficient, but I swear my actual memory is worse. We can’t remember anything without our phones! It’s best to use them as an aid, not a crutch. Discipline still has to come from you.

6. Are young people better at managing their time than older people?

I don’t think it’s a generational thing, either. You’d think younger people are better at managing time because they’re so good with technology, but they also seem way more distracted. Older people, on the other hand, often have a much stronger sense of routine and discipline. They just stick to a schedule. I think both groups could probably learn a few things from each other.

7. What happens if someone keeps missing appointments in their professional life?

In a professional setting, though, you just can’t mess around. If you keep missing meetings, your reputation is going to tank. It makes you look unreliable and disrespectful of other people’s time. You could easily lose clients or even job opportunities. Trust is everything.

8. Do you think being late or missing meetings is taken seriously in your country?

Around here, it’s funny—if you’re meeting friends, being a little late is almost expected. But if it’s for work, an interview, or a doctor’s appointment, being late is a huge deal. It’s seen as completely unprofessional. People are definitely getting much stricter about timeliness, especially in professional spaces.