What Scheduling Method Do You Use?
April 29, 2010 by Marci
All of us have some sort of method of staying on top of appointments and events. We might use a wall calendar, a planner, an online calendar, a PDA or a phone. All those are great options, but which is the right for you? Today, we’ll look at various planning/scheduling tools and their pros and cons. Use this guide to find the best tools for you.
Wall Calendar
Pros:
- easy to use
- can see an entire month at a glance
- available in various sizes
Cons:
- squares can be too small to write all events
- not portable
Planner
Pros:
- portable
- can be flexible (daily, weekly, monthly)
- may have extra pages for notes or addresses
- refillable binder planners are customizable
Cons:
- may not be available for entire family
- because its so portable, it might not always be where you need it or may get lost
- bulky
Online Calendar
Pros:
- easy to use
- can be customizable
- can send reminder emails about appointments
- can merge/sync with other calendars
Cons:
- must have computer access
- if the computer crashes, you’ve lost your calendar (if stored on your computer)
PDAs/Phones
Pros:
- portable
- can sync with others devices and online calendars
- can store other info
- can be checked easily
- can send reminders
Cons:
- not always able to see a week or month at a glance
- if the phone gets lost or broken, your data can be lost
- price is more than other scheduling tools
What tools do you use? Are they working for you? Me? I’ve been a planner girl ever since college. I loved having everything with me. Now that I have kids and lots of stuff to lug around, I use the family calendar on the fridge to let everyone know what is going on and I use Google Calendar for blog stuff. To keep track of the notes and stuff I used to keep in my binder, I use my 3 ring binder that I keep all my basic household stuff in – grocery lists, meal plans, kids lesson info, etc. However, my calendar is running out of space and I am going to have to find a different calendar! I have discovered that no matter what you tools you have, ultimately, the best tools are the ones you will actually use.
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Comments (6)
I love to plan. It’s so silly, but I get a kick out of writing it down and seeing it.
I have a small calendar in my purse and a dry-erase calendar on my fridge (color-coded — shhh, don’t tell!).
I’m teaching my children to use planners for school . . . so they can be as organized and messed-up as their mom!
I use a monthly dry-erase magnetic calendar on the fridge so everybody can see at a glance what’s on the calendar, but I also use a paper planner in a monthly form to have multiple months at a time laid out.
I use Google calendar which I can access (and update) via my iPhone or my computer. Because the calendar is web-based, both devices get automatically updated, and there is a nice mobile version for the iphone.
I still use a paper form for my daily to-dos and planning….I fill it out each morning as I plan my day. I use the form from simplemom.net called “Daily Docket”.
This hybrid system works well for me!
I use Yahoo! Calendar. I print it out monthly and put it on the fridge. In the margin I write my dinner menu for each week next to Sunday, morning and evening routines on the right margin, and any other reminders (such as make dental appointments) at the bottom.
I used to be a hard core PDA addict. Now I keep a very lean Google calendar synced to my iPhone and a small notebook at my desk. That’s it. If I need to make a note or a reminder when I am away from my notebook, I just send myself an email from my phone.
I actually use a product that you featured in your blog not too long ago and I have to say I love it! Its a Crown Bindery binder. I posted about how I use it here http://theagans.blogspot.com/2010/04/i-love-this-planner.html