Fall is one of my favorite seasons: the air is fresh, the leaves are colourful, and the new planners are available! Many people buy the same product every year or use an electronic planner, but I just love trying something new and different, so I was delighted to receive a life_time.mine planner from the folks at dotmine.

Upon opening the package, I was immediately impressed with the cover, which is a very soft leather in a soothing shade of pale blue, with a stretchy strap to hold it closed. Blue just happens to be my favorite color, but it’s also available in pink or brown if that suits you better. Even the inside cover has an attractive design, as shown above.

This planner was clearly designed to meet the needs of people who strive to balance their personal and professional lives, as each weekly page has a space for a Work to-do list on the left, and a Life to-do list on the right. I love that both are treated equally! These sections are perforated so you can tear them out to take with you, but I’m not sure how that’s supposed to work, since if you tear out this week’s Life list, you won’t have a Work list for next week. In any case, although at 7 x 9 inches it’s too large for my very tiny purse, it’s only about half an inch thick, so I think it’s light and portable enough to carry around without the need to tear anything out.

Despite its compactness, there’s room for all the essentials, including:

• Contact information, emergency and other important phone numbers
• List of holidays from August 2010 to December 2011
• Monthly calendars from August 2010 to December 2011
• One-page personal roadmap for recording yearly goals
• Weekly calendars from August 30, 2010 to January 29, 2012
• Two pages for recording work-related information
• Two pages for recording life-related information (banks, car dealer, dentists, doctors, hairstylists, etc.)
• One blank page for notes
• Master Schedule Planning Guide and Weekly Schedule

There’s even a handy pocket in the back to tuck away any receipts, business cards, or other papers you pick up while you’re out and about so they don’t get misplaced.

Each weekly page also includes a spot to plan “me time” as well as a quote. I especially like the one for last week:

I still have some others to check out, but there’s a very good chance this will be my planner of choice for 2011!

This product is no longer available, but here are some others that might meet your or your client’s needs: