So what does all this mean? I’m talking about Time Management (a widely used corporate term). In layman’s terms, getting everything done that needs to be done, when it needs to be done (with the hope that there will be time left over to enjoy). I’m also talking about the “day planner.” The business world is familiar with Franklin Planner, Day-Timer, Day Runner, and other take-off lines of organizers. For the average person who readily uses a variety of daily, weekly, or monthly calendars - from pocket-sized to desk mat covers and giant erasable wall-coverings, or a combination of them - I describe the day planner phenomenon as “getting your entire life in one little book.” And I do mean EVERYTHING! If you find yourself searching multiple calendars, several address books, scraps of paper in your wallet, and scribbling to-do lists on anything handy (and seldom getting everything done), just to keep track of your daily life, using a single day planner the correct way could help you get better control of your life.

Now, I’m giving you fair warning of several things. First, simply owning a daily planner will not make you organized. My employer provided my first planner over a year ago. It was a very impressive-looking item, and since we all had them, we looked very impressive attending meetings. The truth is, I wasn’t any more organized by simply carrying that thing around. I used it just like I did any other calendar I’d ever owned. Some days, it was never even opened! Just like using any of my calendars - out of sight, out of mind. I continued to forget to do things, go places, call people, and lose phone numbers, birthday lists, meeting notes…. You get the picture.

Then one day, my supervisor arranged for a co-worker and me to view the Franklin Quest video series. “Great!” I thought. “After a year, I’m finally going to find out what the fuss is all about.” I had known many people who used the Franklin Planner who had actually taken a class to learn to use it, I could tell who they were because they wrote in pencil and wrote notes in the tiny lines of the pages. It seemed a little strange that you actually needed to be trained how to use it, but it obviously wasn’t doing much good the way I was doing it. I was skeptical about how this little book that I’d been carrying for a year would suddenly change into something magical that would make my life better, but I knew people swore by them, so I was anxious to learn the secret.

Now, the second warning is that once you learn to use the planner and buy into the total theory of its use, you become a member of the Day Runner/Day Timer/Franklin Planner-using community, which bears close resemblance to a cult. Those in the planner cult have been trained to carry their planners everywhere and almost everything in daily life is documented (except maybe trips to the restroom). Those outside the cult have mixed reactions to the cultists. They are often more amused than impressed by the rigid scheduling and ability to keep track of such specific details.

Getting on the planner bandwagon takes real dedication and immense will power. Only those who are really serious about making the most of their time will be successful, but as I’ve found, following the plan is well worth the commitment. They say it takes 30 days to form a new habit, so if you have the patience to last through that time, you’re in. The key is to train yourself well in that first 30 days, so that it becomes second nature. After that, your planner becomes a part of you - like an extra appendage - and a very difficult item to operate without.

The Three big players in day planners, Day-Timer, Day Runner, and Franklin, all offer support seminars and/or materials to help their clients learn to make good use of their planner and better use of their time.

Day-Timer offers services by their Center for Productivity Training. These seminars are based on 4-Dimensional Time Management: focus, plan, act and team-up. They offer public, in-house, and trainer seminars, as well as audio and video programs that will enhance both personal and team growth.

Day Runner also offers a business time management course called PROductivity Training, which is designed to help companies solve business problems and increase individual effectiveness. According to Karen Muller, Marketing Manager for Day Runner, the planner itself “is based on the premise that individuals want to organize their own way. In a recent survey, Day Runner users rated the ability to customize their organizers as the most important attribute of their organizers.” The training seminars teach about time management and the use of a day planner, but Muller suggests that people are better served to put together their own organizer to suit their unique needs and tastes.

Franklin offers seminars which can be brought on-site to interested organizations and groups, as well as public seminars. They also offer certification in presenting the course, so it’s very likely that the larger businesses in the area have someone on staff who is available to provide the class. As I said before, I received my training by video, which still allows you to become a participant, hear the examples, and work along with the group on tape. If those are unavailable to you, Hyrum Smith, founder of Franklin Quest and creator of the Franklin Day Planner has published a book titled, The 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management - Proven Strategies for Increased Productivity and Inner Peace. This book covers the theory behind the planner as well as examples, so it is extremely effective.

The beauty of the use of these tools is that they focus, not just on time management for business and productivity reasons, but also help you to manage your life in a way that allows you to have time to enjoy what means most to you. You will find out what all those little boxes are for, as well as the intended use of all those extra pages. I’ll share just a few examples of how this works:

The Franklin system includes a block of time at the beginning of the day, which is dedicated to planning the day and prioritizing your tasks.

• You learn how to manage interruptions effectively, so that priority tasks are not delayed, but the added tasks are not forgotten.

• You learn how to keep from losing all those phone numbers and notes that accumulate on little scraps of paper.

• You learn to manage a “to do list” that includes the satisfaction of checking things off, as well as rescheduling unfinished tasks so that they are not forgotten.

• There is a system of filing used pages so that, as needed, you may reference valuable information in just minutes - even if it was months ago!

Imagine using a planner so well that you can schedule to call someone 6 months from now at 3 p.m., actually follow through, and be able to tell the other party the exact date and time that you scheduled to make that call! Don’t laugh - it’s true! Besides that, all the phone numbers and important dates are in one book, you can keep meeting notes available for quick reference, and even if you choose to push back tasks like cleaning the garage, the task stays visible so that you are constantly reminded that it’s something you need to do. Each task of each day is handled - either by completing it, rescheduling it, or canceling it if it becomes obsolete.

The theory behind day planners is that if you control your time, you are more in control of your life - which is a huge reducer of stress. they also focus on your “governing values,” which helps you to manage your life based on what you value most. Prioritizing the events in your life based on your values helps to keep you from wasting time on the wrong events.

If you are serious this year about self-improvement, try starting with a day planner. Now, I’m no pocket-protector geek, and I know that I could use my planner even more effectively, but I know that I’m much better organized and get more done because of it. On those rare occasions when I choose to leave my planner in the car, I inevitably go back and get it, because there seems to always be a need to use it. We are all given the same number of hours in a day, it’s how we manage those hours that makes the difference. Remember, only 30 days to form a new habit. Isn’t it worth learning to manage your life to gain peace of mind?

For more information about Franklin Quest seminars and products, call 1-800-654-1776, or write to P.O. Box 25127, Salt Lake City, Utah 84125-0127.

For more information about Day-Timer seminars and products, call 1-800-670-7070, or write to One Willow Lane, East Texas, PA 18046.