your days are numbered

You meticulously jot down appointments on a calendar at home, then get to the office and can’t remember whether that yoga class is on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Or you schedule events on the go but never have anything in your bag to write on, except maybe a gum wrapper. For 2008 resolve to get a calendar that meets your needs, like one of these recommended by Real Simple. Each kind—purse, wall, computer, desk—has something unique to offer, and some will probably work better for you than others. Hey, you can’t slow the passage of time, but at least you can keep track of it.

For your purse

Besides providing space for jotting down your schedule, a day planner often includes extras, such as notepaper, an address book, city maps, and a restaurant tipping chart.

Try these tips:

• Write down how much you’re spending on groceries or other budgeted items on the planner’s notepad. It’s the ideal place, because you can dash off updates no matter where you are, says Kerul Kassel, author of Productive Procrastination (Echelon Press, $16).
• Plot out vacations according to the school year. Standolyn Robertson, president of the National
• Use business-card slots to sort receipts—tax deductibles, big-ticket items, and work expenses— so you’re not wading through a purse full of paper every day.

Above: Each month of the Datebook 2008 features a different color scheme. to buy: $28, www.paper-source.com.

For your wall

Whether you’re seeking a command center for your household or you want to make your home office less officey, wall calendars are up to the task.

Try these tips:

1. “Leave small Post-it Notes by the calendar so family members can write down events and stick the notes onto the correct dates,” says Amy Knapp, creator of Amy Knapp’s Family Organizer, a line of planners and calendars.
2. Color-code a calendar. Use a different-color pen for each child to keep track of after-school activities, from Jenny’s soccer practice to Justin’s swim meet.
3. Order photo calendars for friends and family from a site like www.shutterfly.com or www.snapfish. com with the dates of events you celebrate together—“Smith family reunion,” “Florida vacation”—blocked out, says Mary Carlomagno, owner of Order, an organizing service in Hoboken, New Jersey.

Above: The Cavallini & Co. Birds & Nests wall calendar features 19th-century English prints. to buy: $22, www.anthropologie.com.