Calendars - Paper or Phone

I am a hybrid - paper calendar for family at home
electronic outlook and google calendar for phone.

BOTH! LOL I have ADHD, and so even with a large paper calendar on the fridge, I tend to forget things. So, I put it on the paper calendar (and then my hubby can see what's coming up too... he's Mr. Reliable), and then I set a reminder on my phone for it. That way, I usually manage to make it to appts, birthday parties, whatever. I just use the calendar that came on my phone. It's simple, and it works for me.

Hi! A giant, blotter size paper calendar with lots of space to write on. Everything to do is written on it. The rule for years and years is if it isn't on the calendar it doesn't exist. My kids have been writing things on it themselves since they could write. It's hanging in a very visible place so no one has the excuse they didn't know. We put things on it ASAP. The Ringo concert has been on there for a week (June 19) even though we don't have tickets yet. It's all there in black and white for all to see!

https://www.google.com/calendar

It's pretty nice. I don't have a smart phone but I'm sure you could probably access google calendar through a smartphone.

If you have a google account you can use their calendar feature. I believe you can use that on your phone as well.

Our entire family are sync'd on a google calendar. We all have iPhones/iPod touches, and we all know what is going on when. We have 4 drivers and 8 people to keep organized.I don't know how I would manage without it! Actually, I do. Before we had it, I missed things a lot. So, now, we're all on the same page. Everything we enter goes on everyone's calendar. Life is so much easier!

I use my iPhone synced with Outlook on my computer. Before that I had a PDA that I synced with my computer and the available software. I have not had a paper calender in my purse for at least 11 years now. I got tired of the pages getting all torn and bent up being shoved in my purse. It was difficult to look something up from previous years. I love being able to go on my computer and just use the search button and pull up every entry since 2001! I have half-jokingly said I want to find time to take all my old paper date books and enter it all into Outlook. I sync the calendars to several places so I have multiple copies.
Does the android sync to Outlook? It is really worth the money and really easy to use.

I also use a paper calendar. I guess I like the tangible calendar. I have a smaller one that I keep in my purse. I'm not the mom who's going to bust out a whole snack bar, medicine cabinet, etc out of my purse. So, I have room for the calendar. :-)

i don't use anything. if we have doc appts, i rely on their call the day before. if there are school stuff i need to remember, i rely on other moms to tell me.
i am very disorganized borderline space cadet. so even if i had a calendar, i would probably lose it.

DRY ERASE CALENDAR.

I couldn't live without mine :)

We use a paper one. Usually get it from a book store/Walmart etc. We use one that when you open it, it lays flat with a complete month visible. Each day has it's own inch and a half square. Plenty of room to jot down appts. and such.
It stays on the coffee table in the living room and everyone knows to check it from time to time. It can also be carried to the office room, or to another room when someone is on the phone.

I have 5 kids and 2 nephews who are like my own kids and I use a paper calendar...2 of them actually! I would be so LOST without them!

I'm terrible! but I find that the only thing I can keep up with is one large blotter calendar that hangs on the wall and the one on my iPhone, I have a smaller purse size one that I use from time to time when things get busy but the one hanging on the wall right in the laundry room where we come in from the garage that we walk past every day 100 times a day is the most accurate, when I'm not at home it goes in my phone, then I write it down as soon as I get home, the kids can see and read the wall calendar, and the hubby can too but he NEVER uses it (no matter how much I ask him to!) but that's what works for me. I also use the Alerts on my phone to keep me on time and reminded of things, everything has an alert! keeps me from losing track of the time.

I put stuff on my Yahoo calendar. I have it send me reminders that I choose. It can be on the dot, 15 before, 2 hours before, 1 day before, etc...and all times in between. So if I need to make a plan to go to OKC for the kids dental appointments and it is in 3 days I will get a reminder on my phone, it comes like any message, and says X and CX to Dr. Lee, 10am October 15.....Then I always have them set up for the day before, in case I forget, then on the day of. But we are already in OKC the day before so we can spend a few days on a mini vacation. The kids love going down and staying in a hotel with a pool and stuff.

As for appointments, like picking kids up at odd times, I always have that in my yahoo calendar an hour or two ahead of time so that if I get the reminder and I am at Walmart shopping I have time to finish up, go home, get ready, pick them up, and go to their appointment on time.

This helps me to keep on time and planning ahead.

You can invite friends to the event too. If you do then they get the same reminders you do. I love this because hubby can use the same calendar and it is coordinated with my calendar too.

I use the calendar ap that comes with the iphone for my personal stuff and outlook at work for my work stuff. But, if the month is REALLY busy - like our January was, then I create a paper calendar and print it out and tape it to the fridge. Mainly though, my phone calendar works for me.

Good luck!
L.

Kitchen calendar for the family to see & a calendar reminder on my cell phone.

I have an iPhone and I definitely use it to keep my personal calendar straight but for the kids we use a paper one that hangs on the door. Hubby uses his phone too for apponintments and scheduling.

Try using the Google calendar, that should work with your android.

Years ago, I worked at Franklin-Covey and loved everything about it. I love the smell of leather, I love cool pens, I love "everything" so I'm a paper girl. My dad got me a PDA (which, incidentally, we sold at F-C too) but I never took to it. I just felt more "in control" with paper. That said, we do have a Yahoo calendar for the family, so that my husband can look at it from work if he wants to know what time my son's tournament is, or to remember to get off work early for a belt test or whatever. Those are things he doesn't want on his Outlook calendar at work but if he has a question about something he can take a quick peek into Yahoo's calendar and see what I've put in for him to know. I really only put stuff in the Yahoo calendar that I think would be pertinent for my husband to know: a party, his doctor's appointments, a special event for the kids that he needs to attend, that's all.

I went to Michaels (the arts/crafts store) and picked up a cute family calendar for $1 in December. That hangs on the wall by the computer. Instead of squares it's done in columns. The far left column has the date and day, and then there are 5 columns for each day that you write what you want (I labeled mine General, Jeremy, A., Joseph, and Victor, and highlighted each name in a different color). General is just basic family stuff: church, a family outing, an event we want to go to, a volunteer thing we're doing, etc. And then you can always see at a quick glance what each family member has going on that day. It's also easier to track the kids' stars (they get a star on a day if they've earned their allowance, 2 stars if they get a bonus, or a black X if they did not earn that day....and they get paid on "Pay Day", Saturday evening). It's easier to track if each child has their own column. Each month has cute themed illustrations. I like it, especially for $1.

I have my dayplanner with me religiously (my friends joke that it's my Bible). It's got the monthly calendar AND the 2 page/day daily calendar. The first page of each day is my to do list with columns to prioritize and to check off, the 2nd day is for notes. My trusty dayplanner goes with me everywhere, almost like a security blanket. I can leave it in the car, but it has to be walking distance from me or I feel nervous and unsettled, and yes I know that makes me sound like a fruitcake. :) I have a binder from Franklin Covey that I store the pages already used or not in use. I'm super organized though, but have PLENTY of space for it. I laughed at Eve's comment about not carrying a snack bar and medicine cabinet in her purse....I don't either. All that stuff (1st aid kit, water bottles, snacks, a couple blankets, changes of clothes, etc) goes in a cute divided storage box in the trunk of my car (ha).

I have the Staples-brand calendar. It is organized the same way my brain is, and so switching just leaves me feeling lost.

One on the wall, one in a planner in my purse, and one online that sends text reminders to my phone.

my boss uses a google calendar on his phone which I can access from my home computer. but not matter what kind you get your still going to need a big one to hang on the wall that everyone can look at and see. I used to go to a teachers store and get a big one at the beginning of the year. the size of a posterboard. get it laminated and then use dry erase markers on it. then you can put stuff on each month and then erase as it is done. get two of these as you will always need to flip it to the next month to add stuff. you can hang it on your kitchen wall with push pins. couldn't have gotten thru the junior high and highschool years without this. as I had youngest in soccer, middle son in junior high and older son in highschool daughter in college. we had soccer, baseball, cheerleading, rifle team, choir, band, bookclubs etc all going all the time. in addition to all the regular stuff like dental apts doctor apts etc

I always buy that little Mead calendar notebook that has 2 years in it, and I keep it in my purse. Like you I tried to figure out a way to organize myself when my kids started getting busy, and this worked for me. Good luck!!

I use the gmail calendar. Set it up on a computer, then use your phone as you're out and about. I still write appointments for my kids so they see them on a calendar in the kitchen and that includes days off of school, count downs to grandpa and grandma visits and vacations.