When I realized, nearly 30 years ago, that there was a whole world of calendars beyond those that were provided to me by my employer, bank, or local card shop, one of the first product lines I discovered was Quo Vadis. I was impressed by the quality of their planners as well as the extensive variety of sizes and layouts they offered.

Thanks to the networking expertise of Margarita Ibbott, Quo Vadis Canada generously donated a supply of their planners to be distributed at her presentation at this year’s POC Conference. I was pleased to receive a conservative-yet-unique burgundy one, but I noticed that the others ranged from classic black to a fashionable cactus green.

The cover is both pleasing to the touch and well-constructed, so you can continue using it and simply purchase a refill each year – a smart move both financially and ecologically.

The inside spread, as shown above, is in a weekly grid format, running from Monday to Sunday. Although this can be confusing at first for someone who is accustomed to the traditional Sunday-to-Saturday layout of most wall calendars, it is ideal for planning purposes as it keeps weekends together.

An eighth column includes small calendars for the previous, current, and following months, and identifies the current week and quarter of the year.

Each daily column includes a spot to record the day’s priority at the top, followed by a scheduling section.  For Monday through Saturday, the schedule runs from 8 AM to 9 PM, which should meet the needs of most people, and includes a Notes section at the bottom. Sunday’s schedule runs from  8 AM to 8 PM, without the half-hour marks in between that appear on the rest of the days.  This allows a wide section below Sunday’s schedule and the weekly details for five task-related sections: Phone, Fax – E-mail, See – Do, Write, and To pay – To receive.

This is not a format I would choose for myself, because most of my activities are not scheduled for specific times, so the time slots aren’t really that important to me, and I prefer to have most of the daily section blank to write my daily tasks, with a smaller section for scheduled appointments. However, for those who are more schedule-driven, it is well-designed.

The corner of each page is perforated, making it easy to find the current week without the need for a marker.

Other features include the current and following year at a glance (with space to write), mini calendars for the previous, current, and following years, and a removable address book. There are several pages of reference information such as maps, international holidays, and the like, that would probably only be of value to some users.

One thing I really like about this planner is the fact that you can start using it on December 5. By this time of the year, we are planning for the new year far more often than we’re referring back to earlier dates, so this eliminates the need to carry two calendars.

Although Quo Vadis were pioneers in the development of the weekly planner, they now offer daily and monthly planners as well, to meet the needs of an even wider audience. You can purchase Quo Vadis planners at Amazon.com and many other online and retailers.

Please visit Your Organizing Business to read and comment on Product Review: Quo Vadis Minister Prestige Weekly Planner.

It’s no secret that I’m a bit of a calendar junkie, and I’ve reviewed several of the unique planners I’ve come across here at Your Organizing Business. For those who prefer something more classic, this week we’ll take a look at a product from AT-A-GLANCE.

The first thing you’ll notice when you pick up the DayMinder Premiere is its black leather-like hard cover, which not only looks professional but is clearly designed to maintain its appearance throughout the year. Unlike some other hardcover planners, the inside pages are coil-bound, allowing it to remain open on the desktop.

The paper used for the pages isn’t as smooth or as thick as in some of the other planners I’ve seen, but it’s certainly adequate, and the fact that it contains 30% post-consumer waste makes up for it being a little less luxurious.

There is a handy built-in address book at the back with alphabetical tabs that match the calendar section. Another nice extra is a plastic sheet with two storage pockets to keep loose notes from falling out.

My husband has chosen the DayMinder Premiere Recycled Weekly Appointment Book as his personal planner for two years in a row.

The inside view displays one week per spread, as shown above. The pre-printed time slots run from 8 AM to 5 PM, making this most suitable for someone whose most important activities are scheduled during the daytime. On the other hand, the numbers are discreet enough for someone who is less appointment-driven to disregard.  Each spread includes small monthly calendars for the current, previous, and next two months, minimizing the need to flip to other pages, but leather-like tabs for each month make it easy to flip back or ahead as needed. A full calendar for the year appears inside the front cover, and one for the following year inside the back cover.

At 4 7/8″ x 8″, the appointment book is very portable and will fit easily in any briefcase and most purses.

The Premiere is also available as a Monthly Planner and as a Daily Appointment Book. It is an above average quality product which I would recommend to anyone who likes a traditional time management system.

Please visit Your Organizing Business to read and comment on Product Review: DayMinder Premiere.

People who are loyal to a particular brand of calendar have probably already purchased their refill or planner for 2012, but others are still looking for one that will meet their needs. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be featuring several different products to help you guide your clients in their decision-making.

Last year, I was sent a review copy of the BusyBodyBook Personal & Family Grid Organizer (read my review here), and it worked so well for me that I didn’t think twice before ordering a new one for next year. It arrived quickly and in good condition, and I’m delighted to see that it’s the same high quality as this year’s edition. In fact, I like it a little better, because they’ve changed the color of the inside pages from bright green to a more muted brown shade, as shown below:

Along with my order, Joan Goldner, who developed the BusyBodyBook, was kind enough to send me a BusyBodyBook Wall Calendar as well as a 7-column BusyBodyBook Undated Weekly Grid Pad. The concept is essentially the same as the Personal & Family Grid Organizer, except that these two products have seven columns instead of five.

The Undated Weekly Grid Pad, shown below, includes an additional “notes” column for recording tasks or other items that don’t need to be scheduled for a particular day. Each pad includes 52 pages, enough for a full year, unless you decide to use it for multiple purposes. Possible uses include family activities, meal planning, team planning… you name it! There’s a magnetic strip on the back so it can be posted on the fridge or filing cabinet, and it is three-hole punched for those who prefer to place it in a binder.

The Wall Calendar combines the layout of the Undated Weekly Grid Pad with the construction of the Personal & Family Grid Organizer. Unlike traditional wall calendars, there is no artwork. Instead, you have the option of viewing two weeks at a time, or saving wall space by displaying just one week. On the Wall Calendar, the notes section is moved to the bottom of the page, where you can also view mini-calendars for last month, this month, and next month at a glance.

These are really outstanding calendars for a very reasonable price, and would be suitable for organizing families or other groups as well as students, entrepreneurs, and other individuals with multiple roles or activities to manage. All products are available online via the BusyBodyBook website.

Please visit Your Organizing Business to read and comment on Product Review: BusyBodyBook Organizers.

In my ongoing search for the perfect paper planner, I was very excited to learn last spring that Laura of I’m an Organizing Junkie had a wonderful Canadian product available to give away. Although I wasn’t the lucky winner, I was so impressed with Laura’s review that I contacted the designer/publisher, Corrie Bitner, and asked if I could have a copy to review for Your Organizing Business.

Although Corri wasn’t able to send me a planner right away, she agreed to send me a 2011 version when they were available, and I eagerly awaited its arrival.

My first impression was that this planner will appeal mainly to creative types, with its handwriting-style fonts and nature-inspired cover image. Unlike planners which focus on productivity, the overall theme of Chaos… simplified is harmony and beauty.

For each month, there is not just a page or two, but an entire section, which includes:

• Financial Outlook page for recording income, expenses, and comparing figures to budgeted amounts
• Monthly plan, including goals for self, family, household, and financials, as well as “what’s happening” this month and next, “things on my mind”, and important dates to remember
• Monthly calendar view, which lies open next to the weekly view, as shown above. This feature means you don’t have to flip back and forth between views, or copy events from your monthly calendar to your weekly schedule

Each monthly calendar includes a section for “scribbled thoughts n’ sketched dreams” and the weekly calendars have sections for “things to do” and “phone calls to make.”

There is also a divider with pockets to hold receipts, recipes, or other loose bits of paper. Instructions are provided to remove these dividers if you find your planner getting too bulky as the year progresses.

The rear cover includes a flap to tuck into the current page, so you can easily keep your place without a separate bookmark.

Additional sections allow you to record financial information, wish lists for books, movies, restaurants, and vacations, Christmas planning, important phone numbers, and other contacts.

I wouldn’t recommend this planner as a business tool, but it would be ideal for your clients who are busy home managers or stay-at-home moms.

To learn more about the Woman’s Day Planner as well as the Girls Day Planner for tweens and teens, visit the Chaos… simplified website.

Please visit Your Organizing Business to read and comment on Product Review: Chaos… simplified Woman’s Day Planner.

I love exploring different paper planners, so when I saw Deanna Koller demonstrating her new WeekDate calendar to her colleagues from Southwestern Ontario on the train ride to the POC Conference last month, I invited her to write a review for Your Organizing Business. Luckily for all of us, she said Yes! Read on to learn about this unique product.

Like Janet, I am also a lover of the paper planner. After years of loyalty to a specialty 3” x 6” insert that fit my leather bound planner, I had come to realize that it was more fashion than function and it was time to move on.

With the world of paper planners open to me, I dove in first to the Planner Pad.  It had over double the amount of space I previously had to write in, and all activities, to-do’s, and appointments were arranged to help me make the most effective use of my time.  Soon though, I was getting to the point where I needed to plan planning time so that I could fill out regular appointments week after week, month after month.  This became drudgery and the WeekDate planner claimed to solve my dilemma.

Its tagline, “Only Write it Once” was instantly appealing to me.  After watching their “How it Works” video, I knew it had to be mine.

The 9½” x 4” planner opens to 9½” x 13½” full size and is divided into three sections.  At the top of the planner is the colour coded section called Monthlies. Each colour represents a week in the month, from the first to the last. Here you write in items that occur on a monthly basis. My POC Chapter meets the third Wednesday of each month. I wrote it in once, and now I’m done for the year.

The bottom section is where the weekly items are listed. Any scheduled items that occur every week are placed here in the appropriate day. Here I placed my entire recurring weekly schedule, including children’s lessons, fitness classes, bill paying and shopping.  Once and it’s done.

The everyday items that are not regularly repeating are written in the middle section by date. The colour coding on the page refers to the monthlies section, so if the colour above the date is green, you look at the second week of the month to see if you have a monthly appointment.

Each page has a tear away tab that allows you to get to your current week easily. On the back page of the past week are lined columns for whatever notes you may take during the current week.

This planner has two integrated plastic pockets. In one is a phone card that you can remove and place into your next year’s WeekDate. In the other is a removable annuals card for birthdays and anniversaries that I can refer to regularly.  These pockets can also hold receipts and tickets.

I was initially concerned with the non-traditional layout that places Monday at the beginning of the week, but writing a weekend event with two days next to each other makes sense, so we will see how I adjust.

My concerns as I go through the year will be if I can manage my to-do lists and goal setting effectively with this system and if it will be sturdy enough to go through the rigorous use I intend to put it through.

Just how committed am I?  Not only have I made the switch, but so will my family, as this whole system is available as a wall calendar and I can’t wait to get the family in line!

You can view and order this planner and their complementary products at www.weekdate.com

Deanna Koller resides in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, and can be reached through Heart of the Matter Professional Organizing.

Please visit Your Organizing Business to read and comment on Product Review: WeekDate.

As the new year approaches, many of your clients will be asking you about choosing a paper planner or an electronic calendar, selecting the one that best meets their needs, or using their calendar more effectively. This month’s Professional Organizers Blog Carnival includes lots of tips from your colleagues to help you provide your clients with the guidance they need!

Let’s begin with Stephanie LH Calahan‘s post,  The Great Calendar Debate – Paper or Electronic – 21 Experts Weigh In. As Stephanie explains,

One item frequently purchased at this time of year is a calendar or planner for the upcoming year.

But, what is the right kind of planner to use?  Some say the traditional paper planner is the best, while others swear by their smart-phone or on line tool.  How do you decide what is best for you?

Learn what my colleagues and friends had to say about the “Great Calendar Debate.”   They provide tips to help you decide as well as some recommended tools.

Clare Kumar brings us Time Management Strategies – 3 Tools to Manage Your Time. Clare says,

As we approach 2011 with alarming speed it’s time to select a calendar. This requires some thought to the need for portability, number of users and the amount of information you need to capture there.  It’s quite possible that one is not enough.

In Your Calendar and You, Ellen Delap offers some tips on choosing a calendar and tells us which one she likes the best.

One organizer who supports the electronic version is Deb Lee, who tells us why in her post, Simple Tech: 6 Benefits of Using an Online Calendar.

Jeri Dansky doesn’t reveal her personal preference, but tells us that One Calendar That Deserves a Post All Its Own was one of the most popular ones she’s written recently.

Of course, to be a useful time management tool, even a carefully chosen calendar must be used effectively, and several experts had advice in this area:

In Unclog Your Calendar to Avoid Opportunity Overload, Lisa Montanaro shares an excerpt from the Time Management chapter of her new book, The Ultimate Life Organizer: An Interactive Guide to a Simpler, Less Stressful & More Organized Life, which will be published by Peter Pauper Press in February 2011.

In her blog post, Michelle Panzlaff offers several Tips to use your calendar effectively, adding the following tip for readers of the Professional Organizers Blog Carnival:

Manage your time. Create a schedule for yourself as you would for any project. When life gets busy or you get distracted it can be easy to let things slide so having a written schedule will help keep you on track.

Paul H. Burton reminds us to Schedule Snippets of Time Between Appointments, and Barbara Tako explains how to Simplify your calendar in 2011

Ramona Creel warns us about Overscheduling Syndrome. She says,

If your family’s calendar is too full and your children are inheriting your exhaustion at having too much to do, maybe it’s time to revamp your schedule and set some healthy boundaries!

We close this month’s Professional Organizers Blog Carnival on a lighter note, with Julie Bestry‘s Lost Time, Dinner With the King of Norway and The Curse of Multiple Calendars. Since this is Julie’s tenth time participating in the Carnival, she is our newest Professional Organizers Blog Carnival Star Blogger. Congratulations, Julie!

The next Professional Organizers Blog Carnival will be published on Tuesday, January 11, 2011, and the theme will be Goal Setting. Submissions will be due by noon EST on Monday, January 10, so why don’t you mark that on YOUR calendar right now! Going forward, the Carnival will always be on the second Tuesday of the month, so those of you who use electronic calendars can go ahead and create a recurring appointment.

See the complete schedule of topics and dates for 2011.

A big thanks to everyone who took the time to submit a post at this very busy time of year! Looking forward to seeing many of you again next month and to welcoming some new participants. In the meantime, please take a few minutes to check out this month’s submissions and to network with your organizing colleagues by leaving comments and sharing your favorite posts with your social networks.

Please visit Your Organizing Business to read and comment on Professional Organizers Blog Carnival for December 2010: Calendars.

During Improve Management Skills Month, I’ve touched on a few of the essential skills for business success, including written communication, social networking, and public speaking. As March draws to a close, I’m going to cover one more skill that is often overlooked by busy entrepreneurs, and that is the ability to switch off and relax.

In the beginning, you’re faced with the daunting task of growing your business to the point where it is generating a sustainable income for you. This is especially true if you’ve left full-time employment to launch your business, or if you’re the sole income earner for your family or even for yourself. It’s very easy to fall into the trap of spending every available moment expanding your knowledge base, working on your online and offline marketing, attending business meetings and trade shows, and networking with industry peers and others.

Once you start to get busy, it’s difficult to break the habit of devoting every free hour to growing your business. Of course, it’s necessary to continue learning, networking, and marketing in order to sustain that momentum, but if you forget to look after yourself, you jeopardize both your physical and your emotional well-being. If you get sick, you can’t work, and if you can’t work, you can’t make money, so taking time off is not a luxury, but a necessity.

Here are five ways to keep your business from taking over your entire life.

1. Schedule activities with your partner, family, friends, or even yourself, whether it’s something simple like watching a DVD or going for a walk, or something special like a weekend stay at a resort. What you choose to do is not as important as taking the time to do it. That’s why it’s important to schedule it – if you just wait until you feel like you can afford the time, weeks will turn into months before you know it.
2. Take up a hobby. Is there something that you enjoyed doing in the past but haven’t done for a while, or something you’ve always wanted to try? If you can’t do it at home, maybe you can sign up for a class or a join a club. It’s easier to commit to something that takes place at a regularly scheduled time, especially if you’ve invested your hard earned dollars into it.
3. Develop a regular work schedule. Just because clients can email you or phone you at any time of the day or night doesn’t mean you have to be available 24-7. Instead of interrupting family time to take a phone call, check your Call Display to see whether you need to answer it. In most cases, you can let it go to voicemail, check the message, and return the call right away only if it’s urgent. Most people will respect that you do have a life and won’t take exception to the fact that you didn’t answer the phone or answer their email at 9:00 PM.
4. Take a day off every week. The body needs that time to rejuvenate itself. It is no coincidence that most major religions observe a weekly day of rest. The Lost Practice of Resting One Day Each Week is an excellent article that explores this topic in greater detail. It’s a legal requirement in many countries for employers to give their employees at least one day off per week, so why should those of us who are self-employed treat ourselves like slaves?
5. Delegate! There’s a good chance that some of the tasks that are cutting into your personal time can be done efficiently by a virtual assistant, thereby allowing you to fit items 1 through 4 into your schedule.

I probably don’t take off as much time as I should, but here are a few of the ways I’ve incorporated R&R into my regular schedule:

1. I meet my sister and my dad for lunch once a month and usually spend a weekend with my sister every month.
2. I have signed up for a yoga class which starts next week, something I haven’t done in three or four years.
3. My hours of work are posted on the contact page of my website, and I rarely answer business calls or emails outside of those hours. The only time I work after 5:00 PM is if I have a speaking engagement, am attending a business event, or have an urgent deadline.
4. I rarely work on Sunday. When I do, it’s to take part in a scheduled event or to do something I consider fun and relaxing, like working on my own website or blog.
5. The day my husband decided to join me at Organized Assistant was a major turning point for me, but even before that, I had my own virtual assistant to whom I could delegate certain tasks and projects, so I could focus on giving my clients awesome service without working myself to the bone.

What about you? How do you switch off and relax?

Please visit Your Organizing Business to read and comment on Five Ways To Keep Your Business From Taking Over Your Life.

Today I am excited to bring you the first Professional Organizers Blog Carnival with a specific theme. Since February is National Time Management Month, the topic for this month is Time Management, and this month’s participants have lots of great tips to share with you and your clients.

The first step to any time management system is Setting Priorities. As Lisa Montanaro says in Time: The Great Equalizer:

The problem with time management is that it is an oxymoron. We can’t manage time itself – only what we choose to do with it. Until we stop blaming time and take responsibility for our role in “time management,” we won’t be able to fully change our relationship with it.

Kimberly Eagles tells us how she plans her time in Organizing My Time- My Ideal Work Week. Kim says that:

Setting priorities is so important when trying to maximize the use of time. I think knowing what is most important is the starting point to being productive and can take you from being very busy to very effective!

If it seems that other people are taking you away from your priorities, you need to read Ramona Creel‘s post, Teaching People How To Use Your Time. Ramona says:

I can’t tell you how often I hear my friends, colleagues, and clients complain about how other people just don’t respect their time. You’ve probably experienced it too — either at home or at work. But it doesn’t have to happen that way!

Sometimes it’s not other people, but our own habits that keep us from completing our most important tasks. Does this sound familiar?

“I can’t help it!  I was born to procrastinate.” That was the statement I heard when talking with a new client about a week ago.

So I asked her, “Are you happy with your procrastination?  Does it serve you well?”

“No!” she exclaimed.  “That is why I called you.  I’m missing important deadlines and my co-workers and family are fed up with me.”

Do these statements resonate with you?  If so, then keep reading. You can overcome procrastination if you learn a few simple secrets.

Stephanie LH Calahan covers this common problem in Learn 5 Secrets to Put Procrastination Off Until Tomorrow.

I found it interesting that two people both recommended an online tool called Rescue Time. Is someone trying to tell me something? If you’ve ever run out of day before you ran out of work, be sure to read Joan Kosmachuk’s Where does the time go? A free tool to track your computer time and Margaret Lukens‘ Need a Net Nanny? Rescue Time Provides the Loving Discipline.

Once you’ve identified your challenges and determined your priorities, you’re ready to begin Scheduling.

Elaine Shannon suggests Batching Tasks a Recipe to Manage What you do with Your Time, and Jane Veldhoven describes her system in her series which begins with Keys To Effective Time Management #1.

If the thought of a schedule seems too confining, you need to read Sarah Kimmel‘s post on Changing Your Mind About Rules & Routines. Sarah tells us to:

Change your attitude about having a set routine for the day. It will actually allow you MORE freedom!

Of course, it’s much easier to create and maintain a schedule when you have a time management system that suits your learning style, and Hellen Buttigieg provides some great tips in her post, How To Choose the Best Calendar for You.

Several bloggers contributed their favorite Time Saving Tips, including Michelle, who offers a Quick Tip : Keep Reading Material Handy.

Angela Esnouf reminds us that time is The Precious Gift and asks:

Do we treat each of our precious hours as a gift?  Do we value our time enough?

Ellen Delap recommends Delegating at Work, informing us that:

Delegating can be one of the most important tools for productivity!

There’s a lot of excellent time management advice here, but if you know someone who needs a more structured approach to learning, take a look at Anne Blumer‘s 4 Weeks to Reclaim Your Time eBook, which she describes as follows:

For 28 days follow my Four Week Plan to More Effective Time Management and I will teach you habits that will lead to more control over your time and skills to manage yourself within your time more effectively.

Each week covers a different focus: Week One (habits 1-7) creating new habits, goal setting (the foundation of effective time management) and prioritizing Week Two (habits 8-14) time management tools Week Three (habits 15-21) planning and scheduling Week Four (habits 22-28) addressing procrastination.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this month’s Professional Organizers Blog Carnival! I’m sorry I couldn’t accept all the posts that were submitted. Although all organizing strategies will ultimately save the individual time, I wanted to focus on the specific topic of time management, so I hope no one was offended.

To help people get ready for tax time, the theme for March will be financial organization, and you are welcome to submit your post at any time.

For those of you who like to plan ahead, the topic for April will be green organizing.

If you’d like to suggest a topic for a future Professional Organizers Blog Carnival, please feel free to leave a comment or to contact me directly.

Please visit Your Organizing Business to read and comment on Professional Organizers Blog Carnival for February 2010: Time Management.

As I announced in Paper Planners: The Showdown, after much deliberation, I chose the myAgenda from momAgenda as my planner for 2010. If you’re still looking for a 2010 planner for yourself, a client, or someone else, be sure to read my review before making your decision.

Since my previous system was no longer working for me, I was eager to begin using my new planner, and because it covers the period from August 2009 to December 2010, I was able to start right away.

As shown in the above photo, the page is laid out in eight columns: one for each day and an additional one for notes that cover the entire week. The top half of each column is one section, and the lower half is divided into four. Recognizing that each user will want to use these in her own unique way, the designer has not labeled any of the sections.

For my purposes, the top section is for daytime tasks and activities. These are not usually assigned to a specific time, but when I do have scheduled appointments, I simply write the time next to it. There is ample space for me to leave room between my task areas, such as client projects, phone calls and emails, errands, and so on.

I use the next section for evening tasks and activities. Although they’re not usually done at set times either, there is no overlap between what I plan for the daytime and what I plan for the evening, so I like to put it in its own box.

In the remaining three blocks, I keep track of my blog topics, meals I’m preparing, and my exercise. I may decide to change this, but since I use pencil rather than pen, it won’t create any complications if I do. The paper is good quality and can tolerate erasing without tearing.

At the top of each weekly page are the dates for that week, a small calendar of both the current month and next month, and a motivational quote. This week’s quote is:

A baby is born with a need to be loved – and never outgrows it.

Frank A. Clark

At the front of the planner, before the weekly pages, are monthly calendars which have ample space to write, small calendars on the side for the previous month and following five months, and another motivational quote.

After the weekly section, you’ll find an interesting assortment of supplementary pages, including:

• An advance planning calendar for 2011, with one line per day (holidays already indicated)
• A Books page: You could use it to make note of titles you’d like to read, but I’m using to keep track of those I’ve read – good as a memory jogger, but also to motivate me to read more. Since it’s in two columns, I’ve designated one as Fiction and the other Non-Fiction.
• A Movies page: Again, although you could use it to list movies you’d like to see, I’m using it to keep track of those I’ve seen.

There are also a number of pages which I haven’t used yet:

• Music
• Fashion
• Restaurants
• Wines
• Health / Nutrition Plan
• Fitness / Exercise Plan
• Expense Records
• Entertaining Resources: Caterers, Wines/Beverages, Entertainment, Lodging, Florists, Invitations, Equipment Rentals, Taxi/Limo
• Parties: Date, Time, Menu, Beverages, Guest Names with space to track RSVPs
• Vacation Ideas
• Vacation Planning: Dates, Place, Budget, Getting There, Lodging, Car Rental, Itinerary, Recommended Sights/Restaurants, What to Pack

Those are followed by a good supply of blank pages which could be used when other pages are filled, or for other topics not included in the planner. There’s also a pull-out booklet labeled “myEssentials” where you can write addresses, family members’ information, medical information, important phone numbers, birthdays and anniversaries. There’s also a page for listing your usernames and passwords for various websites, but I do not recommend you write this information on anything you will be carrying around with you. That’s just asking for trouble! I use Roboform for that purpose, so I don’t have to worry about that.

The myEssentials booklet also includes some useful information, such as the birthstones and flowers for each month, traditional anniversary gifts, zodiac symbols, and popular websites for health and fitness, nutrition, travel, food, and shopping.

If anything, myAgenda may be more planner than I require, but I don’t mind because I don’t carry it with me everywhere I go, and the design and layout of the weekly planner fit my needs perfectly. I had been hoping for a coilbound book, but was pleased to find that although myAgenda is hard-covered, it does lie flat so I can leave it open on my desk for reference throughout the workday.

The myAgenda planner is available with five different colored covers and in two sizes (5×7″ and 7×9″). All momAgenda products are on sale right now, with free shipping available in the continental USA, so there’s still time to get yours before 2010 rolls around.

Please visit Your Organizing Business to read and comment on Product Review: myAgenda Day Planner.

Welcome to the November issue of the Professional Organizers Blog Carnival! It’s exciting for me to watch the carnival grow, with new bloggers participating every month. Be sure to take advantage of this opportunity to connect with and learn from your organizing colleagues! There’s a lot to read here, so if you can’t get through all the links at one sitting, I hope you’ll bookmark this post and come back later.

We’ll kick things off with some posts about Working with Clients.

If you’ve been watching Hoarders, you might be wondering whether you have what it takes to work with clients with hoarding issues. Find out by reading Geralin Thomas‘ post, Cleaning a Hoarder’s Home: Not for the Faint of Heart.

Can you ever combine friendship and business? Lisa Montanaro says “yes” in Mixing Business With Pleasure: Professional Organizer + Disorganized Friend = Valuable Lessons.

Next, we have some Business Strategies in Deb Lee‘s post, The Entrepreneur’s Toolbox:  8 Things You Need to Get.

Effective Time Management is crucial to the success of your business, and this topic is covered by Christine Simiriglia in Thirty Minute Time Management Miracle and Margaret Lukens in The Jump-Start Meeting.

Alex Fayle says:

Many of us, even Professional Organizers, put off doing things because we think there will be plenty of time to do it later.

There won’t be. As author Mignon McLaughlin said: “Don’t fool yourself that important things can be put off till tomorrow; they can be put off forever, or not at all.”

Read more in his post Someday Doesn’t Last Forever. Procrastination is also addressed by Claire Tompkins in Why I Procrastinate.

Several bloggers share some great Organizing Tips that you can use with your clients or in your own life.

In Decluttering Adventure – the Roadmap, Angela Esnouf explains that

The Roadmap is just the start of a Decluttering Adventure, with more steps in the journey to follow.

Hellen Buttigieg explores the psychological benefits of decluttering in her post, Letting Go.

Preventing clutter is also important, and this topic is covered by Ramona Creel in Ways To Bring Less Paper Into Your Life, and Jeri Dansky in How to Shop So You Don’t Wind Up with Clutter.

In Organizing myth: Organize once and never do it again, Lelah Baker-Rabe explains that

Organization requires maintenance; there is no one-time “organization vaccine.”

Julie Bestry, AKA the Paper Doll, uncovers some eye-opening information in Who Knows Your Secrets? Part 2: Checking Up on Your Checking History.

We’ll close off this month’s Professional Organizers Blog Carnival with an announcement from Janet Baker about a “Smooth Sailing Document Management” contest drawing for a FREE 7-day Caribbean sailing vacation!

Thanks very much to everyone who participated this month! Please show your support by visiting their blogs and leaving some comments – it’s a great way to get to know one another! If you’ve never taken part in the Professional Organizers Blog Carnival, perhaps we’ll see you next month!

Please visit Your Organizing Business to read and comment on Professional Organizers Blog Carnival – November 2009 Edition.