To start off 2010, I’d like to give you some guidance on choosing a calendar.

Given how busy most of us are these days, choosing a calendar to help organize all of our meetings, appointments and commitments can be very intimidating. There are literally thousands of different sizes and styles to choose from. To help narrow down your choices and find a calendar system that will work for you, you need to ask yourself some important questions.

Here are some things to consider:

Work Habits and Daily Routine

• Do you make a lot of appointments?
• Do you need to track a lot of deadlines?
• Do you need to view each day in great detail or is a page per week or a page per month sufficient?
• Do you come into work and sit at your desk all day or are you on the go most of the time?
• How mobile does your calendar need to be?

Storage and Frequency of Use

• Where will you store your calendar? Will it reside on your computer, hang from the wall, sit on your desk or do you need it to fit into your purse, briefcase or laptop bag?
• How often do you need to make updates? How often do you refer to it? Is it tough enough to withstand frequent use?

Personality and Learning Style

• Do you like to plan everything or are you more spontaneous?
• Are you a “hands-on” learner? If so, your calendar will need to actually feel good in your hands. You are also more likely to remember things when you physically write them down.

Technology

• Do you enjoy learning new technology?
• Does it seem intuitive to you?
• Do you have frequent access to the internet?
• Would it be catastrophic if you lost your calendar? If so, technology is a great way to go because it allows you to back up your data.

Technology has its advantages, but it's not always the right solution. If you've tried an online calendar system or a PDA and it hasn’t worked well for you, you are not alone. There are many electronic options to try, or you might discover that an electronic solution is not a good fit for you. Some of the advantages of using technology include data backup, data sharing, small size, and the ability to easily create recurring appointments or move existing appointments. If you are attracted to some of these features, but you still prefer paper, you should check out Google, Yahoo, or Outlook electronic calendars which allow you to enter, edit and delete information electronically with an option to print the calendar at any time.

Popular Calendar Options

Here are a few great calendar options that I recommend:

• Google Calendar - This is a great no-cost tool from Google. Google Calendar can be accessed from any location with an internet connection. There is also no need to synch your desktop, laptop or PDA.
• Microsoft Outlook - Many companies have Outlook as their calendar tool. Using this desktop solution, you can print out your calendar with Outlook’s flexible printing options.
• Planner Pads - This paper-based planner is a simple, inexpensive, effective solution . It displays one week over two pages and includes room for notes and tasks.

There are many other effective calendar systems out there. Most importantly, your calendar needs to be the one place you go to enter, edit and view your appointments. No matter how nice it looks or how many other people are using it, if it doesn’t work with your style, you won’t use it. Whichever calendar you choose, the most important thing is that you use it consistently!