The Organizer Delima

This is the time of year I begin to obsess about getting a new planner. I confess I've tried most of the well known ones - Franklin Covey (it used to just be the Franklin Planner), Day Timer, Day Runner, Filofax . I'm using a Filofax pocket right now, but am feeling the itch to get a new system.

I'm like a Pavlovian dog, my trigger being the new year rather than a food item. I blindly stagger to the planner store, pay through the nose and walk away with my new goodie. Even if it's the same system (which it rarely is) I'm excited by the crisp paper and the possibility of what will fill the pages. A whole blank year I can leaf through and create at my will.

But this year feels different, I want consolidated simplicity, not, as it has been in the past, bells and whistles = leather binders, plastic sleeves or fancy paper.

My challenge is I'm getting busier and need more room for appointments. I also need to write stuff down quickly before it slips away, so easy access to plain paper is important. I could just continue doing what I'm doing and make some modifications to the system, but what's the fun in that? I do like a challenge and rewriting my address book every year is getting to be a challenge, but it sure does keep things current. My aunt, who just passed away had so many scratch outs and re-writes in her address book it was illegible.

Research for this post was a lot of fun, comforting and enlightening - I'm not alone in my planner obsession - actually it seems I'm like a #4 out of a 10. There are some folks who are way off the deep planner end, and who spend a lot of time playing, fussing and writing about their unique system. It is interesting to read about and I've included some links to planner blogs which will lead you to lots of peoples planner photos - really!

I'm concentrating on paper planners because after a frustrating several years with a Palm I realised I like to hold and feel paper. Scratching on a plastic or glass screen didn't cut it for me and I buried my PDA along with my 10 pound Radio Shack car phone.

So here you go...this is just the tip of the organizer iceberg, but if you're into it, you'll have a good time following the links.

Organizer Systems

• Woman's Planner, if I were a working mother with school age kids, I'd really look at.
• The Planner Pad which says you can be more organized and work smarter, faster and better - ha!
• I've wanted to see the Moleskine Planner in person, but haven't yet. Online there is a red special edition 3X5 planner and notebook that looks very inviting.
  
• The Uncalender - check it out - looks too complicated for me.
• If you really want to have control of how your planner is laid out, make your own over at D*I*Y Planner. Templates are free and downloadable.
• The Five Minute Organizer you also print yourself on business card templates, for itty bitty organizing.
• The Hipster PDA is made on 3X5 cards. This site leads you to a world of stuff about the Hipster
  
• And then there is Pocket Mod, a disposable little planner you make out of an 8X10 piece of paper and fold it in such a way that it fits in your pocket. There is a pretty substantial following for these little guys, and the Mod idea can be incorporated into all sorts of printable information which you can read about here.

Blogs and Ideas

• Rohdesign shows you how to take a ruled Moleskine and make it into a planner. The post was written in 2006, and Moleskine has taken this guys suggestion and made a proper planner based on his design.
  
• Moleskine's are big, and here is another way to customize yours.
• Philofaxy is an entire blog devoted to this guy's love of his Filofax.
• If you currently use an electronic calender this post will make you think about returning to paper. Actually there is a movement called From Digital to Analogue.

Miscellaneous sites where you can get planner stuff and other very cool paper products.

• Levenger
• The Daily Planner

I want to go on and on researching, but I've been doing this for two days and really need to let it go....