When I was a young man I was told in no specific terms and without my feelings being considered, “the worst pencil and paper is better than the best memory”. Tha got my attention then and I still believe in that principle now. Franklin Day Planners got their name from the famous Benjamin Franklin because he was an organized man who kept a small notebook where he used to list down all the things that he needs to accomplish. People who always have a lot of things to do should purchase one. However, buying a day planner does not mean you will turn from a completely disorganized mess into one systematic individual instantly. You still need to maximize the features of your planner. Here are some things that you need to know to effectively use a day planner.

·    Go for the size that will suit you the best. If you are the type of person who carries a huge bag in which you can bring just about anything, then a large planner would probably be best for you so that it will not be lost inside your big bag. If you only carry a small bag or if you just do not want it to be too bulky, then a small planner would be fine.

·    Use different colors to organize your planner. You can use categorize your activities into different topics such as “work,” “home,” health,” or “money.” It is up to you. And you can use a different color for each category.

·    Choose a day planner that has different views such as a daily view, weekly view, or monthly view. If you have a lot of things to do everyday, daily view is a must. Monthly view is a must. A planner without a monthly view is not effective.

·    Some planners have bookmarks to mark the page on the current date. But if your planner does not have a bookmark, you can make your own. Make sure that you attach it to your planner to keep it from falling.

·    It is very important to list down all the things that you need to do in one day and set a deadline for each. Stick to the deadline. When you look back on the previous days, you will observe how much (or how little) you have accomplished and it will boost your confidence in doing things or it will encourage you to be more efficient next time.

Seems like a smart idea right?  Well consider this, years ago, you may remember, you may not depending on your age but I remember the little jingle that Landmark Bank in Florida used to get us all hyped up about their latest technology to give us quick easy access to OUR money.  It was the ATM Machine and her name way Maryanne.   I remember being sold on “convenience” and not having to pay any fees.  Now, years later, there are ATM machines everywhere, all giving us quick electronic access to our money.  All we have to be is willing to pay a $1 or $2 or $3 dollar “convenience” fee to get “convenient” access to our own money from anywhere.

We were a generation sold on the fact that these machines would save the banks money by reducing the “manual” staffing to process such requests at the bank.  They would allow us twenty-four hour access to our money and it would save everyone money and time.  It’s essentially the same bill of goods we were sold with cable television.  Cable television was originally “marketed” as non-commercial television, providing uninterrupted programming and giving the public a much needed break from the advertising so prevalent on regular broadcast television.  Do you remember when you could watch the great Muhammad Ali box on television without having to “pay-per-view?”  For years we watched sporting events alone on any of the big three networks and didn’t pay to see the action.  We just simply turned on the television and watched the action.

Now, we pay generously for cable television and are even more inundated with the marketing and advertising cable sought to eliminate and WE PAY FOR IT.  But I digress…

It’s the same with all the convenience fees and additional charges we pay to “electronically” pay our bills, purchase services, and yes, access our own money.  We continue to pay recurring fees to deposit money in the bank. We continue to pay fees to withdrawal money “conveniently” from the bank. Are you listening PayPal?

I don’t know about you but I have grown weary of all the fees and charges we pay for convenience and advancements in technology for it only to be manipulated and twisted into the very thing we essentially wanted to avoid.