I don't know about you, but I'm near my PDA or a pad of "sticky notes" much more often than I am a Web browser. For me, an important part of keeping goals (and the necessary resulting to-dos) useful is 1) being able to jot something down when I find out I have to do it; and 2) looking at the list at odd moments to find out if there are things I can do in that free time.

OTOH, if it's more fun to keep stuff on-line, that may mean it gets done. And isn't that the point? :-)

GOOD POINT. I've narrowed myself to ONE AND ONLY ONE calendar (a small spiral academic planner for 2005-6) that I keep with me always. I often put sticky notes in there for temporary to-do things.

Sometimes, when the routines get dull, it's nice to find something to spice up the organization process.

I think the stickey notes is a very good idea .Ijust might try that .Seeif it works.My first follow up comment. I might get to liking this to.

Ilm,

WELCOME!! You'll LOVE commenting and we'll love hearing from you.

Here's how I do the sticky notes:

My planner for Wednesday says STOP AT DRUG STORE on the left hand side of the page. I put a sticky note on the right hand side of the page with my shopping list.

Wednesday only has 8 lines available and sometimes it's filled with other to-do things so there is no room for a long shopping list on the actual planner page.

I honestly don't know what I'd do without sticky notes. They are my life saver! Especially at work. I have sticky notes all over my classroom!!! (Okay, exaggerating here.)

As for home, lately I have been using a spiral notebook. I keep it on my kitchen counter and I write EVERYTHING in it. I have 3 children at 3 different schools and lately they've had many events. I keep telling them "write it in the spiral notebook". This has SAVED me. I have been referring to it for everything. I even had the kids make their Christmas lists in it.

Sheryl

for a long time I did that spiral-notebook thing on my desk at work. It worked, too!

Then, i think I got tired of it. I need to start it up again.

I read an idea in a book called "How to Organized Everything" (A big ol' thick book available at Costco.) Anyway, the idea was to have an expandable folder and have one for each day of the current month and behind that the other 11 months. So if I find out my kids have a recital on Dec. 14th, I would simply drop this into the 14th slot. If I have a Dr. appt. on the 18th, I would simply drop this info. into the 18th slot. If I have a bill I need to pay on payday, I would put it in the slot that payday comes. Then anything that is beyond the current month, goes in one of the remaining 11 month folders. When that month becomes the "Current" month, you simply remove whatever is in there and put it in the correct day for your 1-31 front slots. Hope this makes sense! You could track anything from bills to business to appointments to birthdays this way. You simply have to check the current day's slot each morning. If I ever get organized enough to be organized . . . LOL!) I am going to try this.

Brenda

Brenda, I have tried these 31 day, 12 month organizers at work. Only problem I see with them is that it can easily hide what needs to be done tomorrow and sometimes I'd pull that day out and saw things I should have been planning for along the way. This used to happen at the end of the month most when I'd pull the new month(day)out and kick myself because there was something I could have shopped for or made calls for and now I was in a panic. You can make your own of these with a 31-day organizer, and 12 folders in a portable hanging file box or drawer. I found a spiral notebook (there are even some with pockets for holding associated papers) for jotting down all notes in date order and a 30 day calender book with enough space each day on it to write down events. I could see the whole month and coming months quickly. "month at a glance" I think is the name. This works well also as now that I no longer officially work I keep a small version of this in my purse with notes in front. And, yes, I also love the sticky notes. They can be easily moved around to where you will see them easily. These days, I'm finding that it's better if I note down my thoughts when I get them as so many of my good ideas are fleeting to say the least, LOL. Good luck on whatever works for you.
Terra

I also have that follow-up system at work. It's great for the office, not suitable for my everyday life. I would still have to have a planner to make sure I don't plan something else for recital day on the 14th, etc.