Full disclosure – fall is my favorite time of year.  Cool mornings and warm days.  Apple picking and harvest festivals.  Football and tailgates.  And of course, sweatah weathah.  And with back-to-school and many activities kicking off, keeping a calendar becomes even more important.  Read on about how to choose the best one for you…

Why you really do need a calendar system

What’s your biggest organizing challenge?  If you’re like most people, it’s managing not only your physical space but your time as well.  To organize and manage your time optimally, invest in an effective calendar system.  No, I’m not recommending that you go out and purchase a DayTimer or similar system.  But I am recommending that you commit to using a calendar system that works best for you.  It is virtually impossible to effectively manage your time – and your productivity – if you don’t have a handle on your schedule.  A calendar system, when used effectively, can help you better manage your time so you are not wasting time and money.  Time is a precious commodity; don’t waste it.

Which calendar system is better?  Paper or electronic?

Today there are SO many options for calendar systems.  I prefer a paper calendar system that I carry with me.  It has a monthly and weekly view for 18 months. This type of planning gives me flexibility to book appointments, events, and commitments with both long-term and hourly precision.  The downfall?  If I lose my calendar – which I refer to as “The Bible” – this information will be truly lost.  13 years and counting so fingers crossed!  Electronic calendars are a great option for people who prefer to store this information on their phone, desktop, or in the cloud.  One of the advantages of this is that this information can be easily shared with others to coordinate schedules.  While this does come with some ease of use and flexibility, there are downsides as well.  Firstly, if the technology is unavailable – no internet or the server is down – you are unable to access the information when you need it.  Also, when information is online and in the cloud, there is always the possibility of it being hacked.

Regardless of which option you choose, decide and pick the system that works best for you and your work and family situation.  Relying on our memories for important information like this is a sure way to lose time and money and add more stress.