Planner Styles

A page a day keeps the PDA away.

Electronic and handheld organizers may be the way of the future, but sometimes there's something to be said for tradition too. Like books, paper-based day planners are efficient, convenient, and easy to use, and feature a design that has endured for centuries. There are a number of companies online that offer a variety of day planner styles. We've listed a few of them here for you with some general tips on what to look for as you shop for day planners.

Franklin Covey

The Franklin Planner from the Franklin Covey Company (www.franklincovey.com) remains one of the very best daily organizers available. Drawing from the inspirational sources of Benjamin Franklin's unique private planner and Stephen Covey's bestseller The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, the name Franklin Planner has come to stand not only for a product but also for an entire way of life.

A Franklin Planner undated deluxe starter set might be a good place for you to begin if you're purchasing a new day planner. The starter set includes:

binder with zipper closure

one year of two-page undated monthly calendar tabs

one month of undated daily pages

address and phone tabs

Other starter set accessories focus on Franklin Covey's famed time management strategies through use of such devices as a trademarked Effectiveness Checkup CD with interactive self-assessment.

The Franklin Planner ring binder design allows you to refill pages as necessary. Franklin Covey also offers software for using their planner on personal computers and handheld devices.

Time/Design

Time/Design (www.timedesign.com) offers a variety of attractive leather binders for use with their planning system. Time/Design boasts a unique Focus Management system that allows users to spend less time on to do lists and focus instead on both time and attention management.

Like other day planners, the Time/Design planning system requires annual refills. Their planning system includes such items as:

activities checklists

project overviews

yearly, monthly, and perpetual calendars

daily, weekly, and monthly plan pages

Day-Timer

Day-Timers, Inc. (www.daytimer.com) has been providing time management tools for over fifty years. Begin by choosing between loose-leaf and wire-bound day planners, and then select from four sizes ranging from 2 3/4 inches by 5 inches as the smallest to 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches as the largest. Cover styles for your day Day-Timer day planner include zippered, snap, slip-tab, and open, in materials of leather, vinyl, and fabric.

Day-Timer refill pages come in a variety of colors and background images, as well as health-conscious choices such as Healthy Lifestyle and Diabetes Management.

More information on planners