planners and calendars

Happy Sunday! Sunday mornings are truly awesome.

I have a friend who has about four different calendars. She usually can't remember which one is supposed to be used for what kind of appointments and often forgets to look at the right one at the right time. Sometimes, one of them is lost, and this totally does not bother her at all. What is really going on here is "planning avoidance" - a very desireable tactic that for her is still at the subconscious level. Basically, this person just loves calendars and planners and can't turn one down. This approach is MUCH better than others I have observed.

Someone else I know has a planner that is constantly and very publicly being written in and referred to. It is her badge of "busyness". Every square millimeter of her calendar dates are filled in with times and appointments. I never knew anyone could write so small. I swear to God she even plans her bathroom visits weeks in advance. (I still capitalize the "G" -recovering GUILTY Cathaholic.) With her, people need to make an appointment. She might pencil you in or she may pen you in. I swear to God I know what she OUGHT to do with that pen!

A colleague of mine keeps one bound planner that is totally stuffed with miscellaneous papers. When he loses his all important life-planner, which for some reason happens a lot, it is a major event. He becomes an emotional wreck. Life stops until he finds it. Also, he often "switches" planners. This requires hours of re-organizing and writing in the new planner but leads to much enthusiasm and re-energizing.

I have just begun to meet people who whip out their electronic planners. Now THEY are interesting, and possibly criminal. There is no stereotypical user here. I can never predict who has one.

I would prefer to have no planner at all. If I can't remember a date or appointment, it probably is not worth remembering.

-My actual choice? A small pocket ACADEMIC (obviously) monthly planner not to be kept in the pocket. With a pocket monthly, I do not have too much space to write things down. I figure that if I need a calendar bigger than that to keep track of dates and appointments, there is something seriously wrong with me.

However, I may have to switch planners. This may be the one for me and is the inspiration for this post:

Do It Later! A 2006 Planner (or Non-Planner) for the Creative Procrastinator

and here is the coolest calendar of all:

The 2006 ECOlogical Calendar

eddy out,
rich