The Best Time Management Tool I Have Found to Date

I have been into time management and planning for years now and throughout that time have struggled to find a tool that worked just right for me… until now. I was introduced to the FranklinCovey method of planning over ten years ago and have used many of their different planner types, sizes and styles, but none has ever really ‘stuck’ (heck, I even worked there for five years). I am sold on the planning principles taught by FranklinCovey and finally found one of their tools that works just right for me. It is the Flex-Dated Month, 2 Pages Per Day. I prefer the classic size, but it comes in Monarch size as well. What is nice about this particular day planner is that it is thin (and wirebound) so I am not carrying around something too big or heavy, it still allows me space for a big task list, also a spot to track things I want to track on a daily basis, an appointment schedule (use this for time tracking as well), and then a big notes page for each day (which I use at work often). It also comes with a month at a glance page (2 page spread), and then some note pages in the back as well. Because it is flex-dated, I do have to fill in some information (day, month, year), but that is no biggie. Also, one thing that is nice is that you can get a page finder (clear plastic bookmark looking thing you can slide paper into) for it. This is where I have customized things a bit to work for me. As a project manager / web developer / internet marketer at my day job and then basically the same for my side business at night, I have a lot of daily, weekly and bi-weekly recurring tasks. So I created a word document where I list these, my goals, and some cool quotes, print it off, cut it down to size and slip it in.

Anyways, you cannot find this particular time management tool online anymore (unless you order from the FranklinCovey Canada website), so if you need one, let me know. I have a couple stashed here at home and can always go into a local store and pick some more up.

[update – 11/23/2010] I did just find this product on Franklin Covey’s website tonight. You can view it here: Metropolitan Wire-bound Daily Planner. It looks like you have to get this particular one in packs of 12 (so an entire year’s worth), but it would be cheaper that way anyway.