Which diary will you be using next year?

Citygirl1

Now the 2012 diaries are already in the shops, do you know what you will be using next year? I usually use the free union diary at work, I used to always use a Filofax but it became rather bulky, even the mini sized one. I have started putting some appointments in my phone calendar but I still like to keep a paper diary as I like to scribble notes and numbers in it and its always nice to look back on.

chanie

I'm using a mini diary - one of those tiny ones which has a week every two pages. I also put things onto a wall calandar in the kitchen and my Outlook calandar at work. I am a busy full time working Mum, so I need information in as many places as possible.

Last year, I got a bigger diary, which was a page a day (I planned to use each day for budget planning and my diet diary). But I found it too bulky.

I love having a page a week diary so I can see what I need to do and when. My diary cost me 99p from Card Factory. I suppose, I could be even more MSE by using the diary on my phone, but I prefer paper.

EDIT: I also keep a tiny notepad in my bag as well and I tend to use that for shopping lists and other bits and pieces e.g. if I get inspired for a present idea or something to cook for dinner, I might jot it down in there.

pollyskettle

I have a large kitchen calendar for all the childrens bits to be kept in one place; I have a gardening diary kept in the kitchen to remind me what to do and when - based on the year before; I have a Cath Kidston diary in my handbag as I get bought one every year and it's handy to have something pretty on me to note things down in and I have a filofax in which I list everything in both a year to view planner (birthdays) and the page a week diary (everything else), but I don't carry it round with me - too big! I also use the calendar on Outlook and the one on my phone.

I'm still late for everything and forget things too, so I don't really know why I bother!

Citygirl1

chanie wrote: »

I'm using a mini diary - one of those tiny ones which has a week every two pages. I also put things onto a wall calandar in the kitchen and my Outlook calandar at work. I am a busy full time working Mum, so I need information in as many places as possible.

Last year, I got a bigger diary, which was a page a day (I planned to use each day for budget planning and my diet diary). But I found it too bulky.

I love having a page a week diary so I can see what I need to do and when. My diary cost me 99p from Card Factory. I suppose, I could be even more MSE by using the diary on my phone, but I prefer paper.

EDIT: I also keep a tiny notepad in my bag as well and I tend to use that for shopping lists and other bits and pieces e.g. if I get inspired for a present idea or something to cook for dinner, I might jot it down in there.

My sister in law has a mini diary from Card Factory, my union diary is a slimline one but longer than the mini and even then gets in the way sometimes in my bag but I feel the mini ones won't have much space in them for notes etc. I write everything in my diary like passwords, direct debit details etc.

Hope you all don't mind me asking but why do you need the same appointments/details in more than one place?

mum26

I always use one from "organised mum", they are my treat to myself and are so handy they are worth paying the bit extra for, I love the tear out lists lol!

nikki_angel

I imagine she needs them so that they are always to hand. I always forget what's on the calendar and that's not mobile. Having in just a diary is a faff if you need to search down your hand bag instead of just looking on the wall and having it on outlook is good so that the info is just a click away.

chanie

^ because I'll forget. OH and I both work full time and have a young son so I need to keep organised to manage both home and work life and so I like to have the information I need to hand, plus see whats coming up.

Kitchen calandar -gives me an over view of each month so I can glance at what I've got coming up for that month for example, our MOT's are due in October and its says 'MOT DUE' on the date. That gives me a couple of weeks to plan things. As its in my kitchen, I'm always walking past it and helps me to remember t odo things.

Diary - When we book our cars in for MOT's I'll probably write it in my personal diary so that I know times etc. If I only wrote it in my diary, I'd probably not look at that week until the actual week if that makes sense. I always have this with me and I tend to use it on the go to transfer things between my calandar and work outlook.

Outlook calandar - I might use this for GP appointments/annual leave, especially if I have to leave work early, so I can make sure I don't book meetings etc, plus my colleagues can see where I am if they need to. I also record friends birthdays here as I have a stash of cards and stamps at work so I can quickly write a card and send it.

It probably does sound like a lot of work, but it does actually work for me. I buy my calandars and diary cheaply and at the beginning of the year, I take the old one down and transfer the relevant information. I don't record everything in all three places.

Bronnie

I have an A5 week-to-view diary. I carry it in my everyday handbag which is big and slouchy! I need to keep all my info in one place, having said that there's noone else to organise and co-ordinate these days, but I do use it for business and personal use and write notes etc in the back too, which is why I like A5 size. (Clearer and easier to read too).

All my adult life, as a teacher and when my kids were at school, I used an academic year diary. It's only been in the last few years that my year has started in January!

I usually wait until a few weeks into the New Year and buy a reduced one. This year's was 99p from Wilkos or similar and came with a cat calendar too!

Saturnalia

I've got an A6 sized day-to-a-page diary I keep in my bag. As well as writing down appointments, work days etc I can make shopping lists, I use it as a notebook, and keep all sorts of other jottings in there too.

I also use the calendar on my phone and have the alarms at the right time to wake up to get places. (Plus the phone calendar is very basic what+where format. in the paper diary I can write down things I need to take with me, addresses, directions, who I report to, etc.)

And I have a calendar on the wall (a lovely John Duffin one) as it helps to be able to view things month-by-month and I can colour-in days I am in work, days I'm away, so it helps to tell at-a-glance thing that I'm able to take a booking (or do anything else).

I also have a week-to-two pages diary where I write down if I have worked that day, where, what agency and how many hours then I staple the payslip in when it arrives, or if I've been signing on I write that in.

fluffpot

I'm a big fan of the Paperchase Noto small page per day diary - see here

http://www.paperchase.co.uk/diaries/noto-teal-small-day-to-view-2012-diary/invt/00488270

As I'm self employed and might have 2 or 3 appointments a day it's got enough space to write the details in without being over large. Plus the band that wraps around it is useful if you need to shove odd bits of paper/receipts into it for safe keeping until the end of the day. It's robust, perfect size and comes in a different colour each year so I can vary it - looks like it's teal for 2012!

It's not particularly cheap though - might have to look out for some Paperchase codes or vouchers soon!

At home we use a month to view calender so we know who's out on what nights - although the other half often forgets to put them in of course!

Citygirl1

fluffpot wrote: »

I'm a big fan of the Paperchase Noto small page per day diary - see here

http://www.paperchase.co.uk/diaries/noto-teal-small-day-to-view-2012-diary/invt/00488270

As I'm self employed and might have 2 or 3 appointments a day it's got enough space to write the details in without being over large. Plus the band that wraps around it is useful if you need to shove odd bits of paper/receipts into it for safe keeping until the end of the day. It's robust, perfect size and comes in a different colour each year so I can vary it - looks like it's teal for 2012!

It's not particularly cheap though - might have to look out for some Paperchase codes or vouchers soon!

At home we use a month to view calender so we know who's out on what nights - although the other half often forgets to put them in of course!

The Paperchase diary looks good, it is quite expensive for a diary but as its only a once a year purchase it doesn't work out too much really at the end of the day.

I could do with something smaller than I use now but not too small so as I can't write much in it so I guess you could write alsorts in this one.