Quick question: when did you last book something for yourself and actually keep it? Not a school form or a ride for Mom, but your own dentist visit, your own haircut, your own yearly checkup that you keep meaning to make. If the answer makes you wince, you are in good company. The first thing a sandwich-generation week tends to cancel is the thing that has no one else to call on its behalf, which is you.
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The early signs
Watch for a reminder you have moved three times, a card you meant to send that is still on the counter, and a plan you keep describing as 'after things settle.' Notice when you skip lunch at your desk, when the walk you promised yourself does not happen, and when the phrase 'I'm fine' comes out before anyone asks. None of these are emergencies. They are the small signals that your own calendar has lost its place in line.
Why your appointments go first
When the kids have a dentist appointment, it goes on the calendar with a reminder, a ride, and a name on it. When Mom has an appointment, the same thing happens because someone has to drive. Your own appointment has no such structure. It just floats, and floating things get pushed. Give yours the same weight as everyone else's, because it is not optional, it is part of keeping the whole week running.
Book one thing at the start of the cycle
Pick one appointment you have been putting off and book it before the week's other commitments fill the space. Choose a time that fits your row, not the leftovers after everyone else is covered. A single booked visit is a much better start than a vague plan to 'look into it sometime.'
Set a rule for rescheduling
Decide now that if you move your own appointment twice, it goes to the top of the next week's sort. That rule sounds small, and it is. It stops the quiet pattern where your needs get bumped every week until they quietly disappear. Put the rule in the same place as the kids' and Mom's rows, so it is visible to you and to anyone who helps.
Notice what you are telling yourself
Listen for the sentences that sound reasonable but keep you from acting: 'I'll do it when Mom is settled,' or 'the kids need me more right now.' Both may be true in the moment. Neither is a plan. If you can, write down one concrete step you can take in the next seven days and tell someone you trust what it is.
Looking after your own calendar does not take anything away from the people you care for. It is what keeps you able to keep showing up for them. If you are new to this site and want to see how the rest of the method fits together, Start Here: The Reading Order walks through it in sequence.