STYLE Savvy: Planning Tools

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The grocery store offers paper or plastic -- or, perhaps, reusable. When it comes to lists and planners, the choice is paper or electronic -- or, perhaps, both. This week, I'd like to explore three questions to help you figure out what planner option is best for you...and to keep my promise from last week about exploring electronic options.

Do you need to write things down in order to remember them? For many of us, the very act of writing something down helps us commit it to memory. If you worry (or if experience has shown) that once you type something into your phone, it's forgotten, you might be better off with a paper calendar.

Do you need 24-7 access? Both types of planners can accomplish this. Although many of us take our phones everywhere we go out of sheer habit, it's just as easy to develop the habit of taking a paper planner with us. The key here is making sure that your planner of choice has a consistent home as you travel from place to place. I know many women whose calendars live in their purses, which means these ladies are just as likely to have their paper planners as they are to have their phones when it comes time to make an appointment. And as for the gentlemen? Before he retired, my dad carried his pocket planner with him for as long as I can remember.

Photo: Ashley Schweitzer via Minimography

Do you need reminders and other bells and whistles? No matter how much you love that beautiful paper calendar you lovingly chose, it's not going to send you notifications. If you need reminders for all of the dates in your planner, you might want to go electronic. While medical practices routinely call to remind us of our appointments, they won't tell call to remind us of our lunch with Aunt Sue.

One final consideration: no planner is foolproof. Phones and electronic devices need charging and both electronic planners and paper planners can be lost. And, every planner is subject to human error. If we enter an appointment incorrectly (or not at all), having a planner is little help.

Next week, we'll wrap this up by tying planners to styles. Meanwhile, if you've found tips, tricks or a planner you love, please share in the comments below.