What type of diary/calendar do others use to organise their families?

Mics_chick

I know it's very near the end of Jan already but we haven't sorted this out yet
We normally get bought a diary and/or calendar by someone in the family but not this year.
So I wondered what type of thing other peeps buy and do they manage to keep it up-to-date throughout the whole year?
I always start off with good intentions but I've never been well-organised so it eventually peters out...
However I really want and need to get more organised now so any comments would be gratefully recieved

ChocClare

My most successful one was an A5 day to a page diary with no appointment times in it. So each day was a plain (well, lined) a5 page.

I wrote everything in this. Appointments at the top of each page, to do list underneath. Phone numbers. Addresses. There was plenty of room to write shopping lists etc.

One year I had a diary from Organised Mum which had tear-off shopping lists and all sorts of stickers but it didn't work for me - I was far better off with a reasonable size of thing to write on.

What I did invest in was a diary COVER from Organised Mum - this had pockets in it which meant that I could zip it shut, keep a pen in it, have somewhere to put receipts blah di blah di blah.

My usual page might say:

Jean-Luc's birthday
Sophia dentist 4.30

LIBRARY BOOKS DUE BACK

Toothpaste
Pine nuts
Bread flour
Chocolate buttons for Rainbows

Pick up paperwork from Ann's house
Go to Lidl - hat/gloves £3.49

Supper: Chicken pilaff

I also used it for writing in prices of things occasionally, so I could keep an eye on my spending. I would write in when Lidl's would have something in on special offer that I wanted, and always what we were having for supper.

My DH bought me a Filofax for Christmas. It's lovely, but (not so good - shhhh!!!!)...

Whatever system you choose IT WILL ONLY WORK IF YOU REFER TO IT EVERY DAY. I know it sounds obvious, but it really is true. If you look at your diary every evening and put notes in it for the next day(s)/week(s), then it will work. Flylady says that as part of your evening routine you should "check your calendar for appointments". Otherwise, you turn the page of your diary and realise that it's Rishad's birthday, which is a shame, as he lives in Bangalore which means his card is NOT going to get there in time :rotfl:

Linda32

Hi, We have a calender attached to the fridge with a big clip/magnet.

On the calender for this month is Mum's Birthday (all other birthdays transfered over from last years)
An important tip which we learnt last year was to make a note in July for OH's Nephews Birthday which falls on 1st August

Library books back today. - write this on when you get back
Hair cut on Friday - again, write on as soon as you get back home.

Places we want to go to at the weekend, events at museums etc. We get the free leaflets from the Tourist Information/Library in town and write down the ones we are interested in.

Keep a couple of pens as near to the calander as is possible, tie it down if necessary with string.

Allegra

One of these: http://www.organised-mum.co.uk/Family-Life-Book-Diary-p-42.html

Now, I am never one to recommend a more expensive product when something cheap, or preferably free, would do the job, but after 15+ years of pound shop diaries and calendars that were free with a magazine, I finally realised that I never really used any of them as they just weren't right for me - this one above, though, totally did the trick. And it's not just because of the stickers, I promise Although they do help.....

meritaten

calendar, but it must have enough space for me to write in appointments, birthdays etc.

amandada

I have a wall calendar with a column for each member of the family-I work different days each week so that's the 1st thing to get written on, then anything that anyone's doing gets written in their column
dh and the kids know that "if it's not on the calendar then it's not happening" and it does seem to work for us
I also have a small filofax for carrying about and that works for me

POPPYOSCAR

amandada wrote: »

I have a wall calendar with a column for each member of the family-I work different days each week so that's the 1st thing to get written on, then anything that anyone's doing gets written in their column
dh and the kids know that "if it's not on the calendar then it's not happening" and it does seem to work for us
I also have a small filofax for carrying about and that works for me

Yes I usually have this as well and find it very helpful. Can see at a glance what we are all doing on any given day.

I asked for one for christmas, even picked out the one I wanted (M&S)
but I didn't get it!!! Now I can't find one and missing it already - got my DD orthodontist and dentists appointments round the wrong way this week!!!!

Tigsteroonie

Calendar on the wall at home so that Marley knows what's coming up; all the information is duplicated in a pocket diary I carry in my handbag, so with me at all times.

(People might think we don't have much to write yet as Andrew is young, but he has so many appointments with various specialists, there's something happening every week.)

adelight

I like A5/A6 with lined pages so I can write in my own appointments. I used to use soft back ones as they were cheap and easy to throw in my bag but of course they get battered easily, now I have a M&S faux-filofax!

When I was younger my friend's Mum used to have a huge calendar on the fridge and would line the kids up in front of the fridge on weekday evenings and saturday mornings to give them their orders :rotfl: My family were never so rigid, just a little one inside a kitchen cupboard door with notes of dental appointments and school holidays.

athensgeorgia

Mines not very MSE but I suppose you could manage it just online and save money but I mainly use mine on my smartphone which costs us a fortune a month.

I have a gmail account and use the calendar on that. Its linked to my husband who also has a smartphone so he sees everything I put on it (and I mean everything cause hes not at all organised) and its also linked to my facebook so everyones birthday comes up on it. I've set it to send me emails the day before for important appointments which come through to me instantly cause its always online.

In fact I'm generally a disorganised person but this has really helped me become more organised I think the whole families feeling it and I feel like a 'real' mum after 11 years lol. I don't pay trip money on the last minute anymore and all my bills are more up to date than ever.

**skinnyminny**

i also have the organised mum family planner and it is fab, and worth every penny and i recieved my organised mum life diary today which i got for £5.00 as they are on sale, will never go back to cheap ones again now, so will be putting it in my xmas wish list each year to save me pennies:rotfl: