Do you still use a paper diary?
Yes? No?
I use both electronic – Outlook at work and my iPhone Calendar for personal – and a paper diary.
Before each work day, I write a list of my meetings and the top 3 things I want to get done (sometimes the whole day is meetings).
Work is not the point of this blog post though.
For my personal use, I still use a paper diary, but a weekly one.
This year I used a daily one until the end of July and then I switched back to weekly from August, and it has been the best thing because my mind thinks in weeks.
Many of us are visual people and we need to see something in front of us to be most effective.
Here’s a post I wrote a few years ago that help you discover what you need in a diary/ planner.
If you have consistently bought a diary and tried to use it and have stopped after a month or so, it may be that you don’t have a consistent habit.
Is your diary visible daily? Do you have a weekly and daily routine to look at it? (set a reminder in your phone) You could try now to just write a daily and weekly list of things to do/ meetings/ appointments, etc. and if you build the habit, then buy one for the new year. If you don’t create the habit though, you’re going to again waste lots of money.
I should technically be using the rest of my diary I started in Aug (and it works perfectly for me – I even like the monthly goals and review section) but I am 98% sure I’m going to start afresh with a new diary, just as I want my life to be fresh in the new year.
What are your thoughts about diaries for next year?
I don’t use a paper diary. When I visit clients, I have their programs written out in a book where I can make notes as well, throughout the session but when it comes to appointments and reminders, I like to use digital. Mainly because it’s at hand everywhere I go and if I do carry a diary in my work bag as well, my bag would be heavier to carry, loading that onto my shoulders and back. Which I am not willing to compromise.