All week I have been plagued with the thought that I am forgetting something.
And forget things, I have.
See, despite having my smart phone on my person at almost all times and being on a computer for hours every day, I still hold fiercely to the archaic written planner. Picking a new one every year is an event because it needs to be resilient enough to handle constant use, classic enough to be used every where and have large enough margins and tabs for my personal preferences. I currently have a black, dog-eared day planner with colourful sticky notes and multicoloured highlighter strokes on every page surrounded by frenzied lists and abandoned notes.
I move it daily from my purse, brief case and gym bag, knowing it would be less of a hassle to use my digital calendar but stubbornly clinging to my planner. I am an ardent list maker as I find an unusual amount of satisfaction in stroking accomplished tasks off and boldly tackling the next one.
This past weekend, or sometime on Friday (to be exact), my planner went missing and my life has been complete guesswork from that moment on. For instance, I realized today in a moment of cold terror that this post was to be up this morning. I think it may be a sign to start putting my daily activities and future plans in a more safe, digital place but until then, I am frantically searching for that well worn, deeply loved planner.
How do you keep your daily lives organized? Digital calendar? iCal? Or do you, like me, cling fiercely to the written planner?
Hook & Eye 
To-do lists go on paper, and I think they always will, although I have seriously tried Remember The Milk. Done lists go on iDoneThis (which everyone should know about–it's great). But EVERYTHING schedule-related gets recorded in Google calendar. Knowing that I can access it from anywhere and that both my computer (any computer) and my phone will remind me if there's something important going on is a life-saver. I used to be a die-hard planner user, but getting smartphone definitely changed the way I keep track of my schedule.
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Up until very recently, I have always been a hard-core hard-copy daytimer woman. Then, this September, I started a *real* job (Writing Centre Coordinator). Well, then I had two daytimers: the personal one (for recording dog hikes and dental appointments and so forth), and the professional one (for student appointments and class presentations and other such stuff).
Naturally (you can see where this is going), I couldn't sustain such a divided existence, and I dropped the ball. Or two. Can't remember, but it was chaotic.
And so two weeks ago (and with regret and deep sighs), I opened my Google calendar and started being online schedule woman. Yeah. Now I have two paper daytimers and an online calendar. Clearly, the transition isn't going to be easy. Or pretty. Not sure how it will pan out.
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I have stubbornly tried to have just one planner between my job and personal life with sticky notes piled high. I have yet to miss anything, but like you, I am beginning to think there must be a better way. It is a shame that there is not an easy transition…
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Every time I have tried to use my smartphone has been a failure of the highest sort, right up there with budgeting and meal planning. I am definitely checking out iDoneThis. Thank you for the introduction – it looks fabulous!
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My partner's iPhone-based dismay notwithstanding, I delight in the annual Decemberish ritual of buying the new year's daytimer (shall it be themed to art? Travel photos? Flowers? Shoes? [That last was a favourite.]) It ends up scribbled on and in, in myriad colourful inks depending on which pen I have decided to use that week, with post-its and additional to-do lists and I-had-this-thought-about-that-thing-I'm-writing-while-walking-somewhere notes tucked into the pages, and it goes everywhere with me. Long live the daytimer 🙂
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Hear, hear.
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