A planner, diary, calendar or whatever you wish to call it, should do more than simply tell you what day it is. Basically, a planner should display your annual goals so you never lose sight of where you're heading, supply enough space to actually schedule time to work on those goal-related activities, remind you of appointments, assignments due, meetings and special events such as birthdays, list the multitude of things that you have to do that day or that week so you won't forget them and provide space for scheduling evening and weekend activities so your work won't crowd out personal commitments.

There are other things that planners could do for you. But don't choose a planner with all the bells and whistles if you never use bells and whistles. The planner should fit your personal management style, not the reverse. Some of the more analytical people prefer a day-at-a-glance, perhaps because they like detailed records of everything. Others prefer a month-at-a-glance because they're more interested in the overall picture and long-term results and don't want to get locked into the daily nitty gritty. I prefer the week-at-a-glance, so I can concentrate on detail, yet have an idea of how the week is shaping up. It provides space to schedule activities without the constant flipping of pages necessary in the day-at-a-glance planners. A. Roger Merrill, in his book Connections: Quadrant II Time Management, suggests, "The week is a complete little patch out of the fabric of life. It has the weekend, it has the evening, and it has the workday." It's difficult to balance your life on a daily basis, but a weekly schedule puts things in perspective.

You should give careful thought to the selection of a planner, since it's within its pages that you organize your life. Select one you feel comfortable with. And don't be afraid to try different types and change part way through the year -- until you find one that is compatible with your lifestyle.

I recommend you use a larger planner than the pocket size and schedule all activities and events; record all birthdays, anniversaries, trips, vacations; include rough maps of how to get to places; list items to take to staff meetings and conferences, etc. Then your planning calendar will also serve as a record of where you have been and what you have done, complete with reusable information for the future.

Select one that has enough space for the entries yet is portable enough to toss into your briefcase or purse. It should have time segments from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. or later for recording personal commitments, evening courses and meetings. It should contain the total year so you can plan well ahead. Also, have space for those daily "things to do" that don't merit assignment to any particular time slot. Choose one that will work for you.

More important than the planner you select is the way you use it. Keep your goals highlighted there, as well as your "to do" list, important telephone numbers, assignments due, commitments made, important events to remember and scheduled blocks of time for yourself. Don't be afraid to record information in your planner, including evening and weekend plans. People who simply use it as a calendar - to tell whether a holiday falls on a Monday or a Tuesday - are making a mistake. The more you use it the more valuable it becomes and the more organized you will be. To view the planner that I designed, go to our online catalog at http://www.taylorintime.com/catalog/ and click on Planners.