Paper or plastic?
I love diaries! Filofax, cheaper filofax-like products, Moleskine… it’s all great! My husband uses his computer: Google Calendar and iCal. We have a few shared calendars on Google Calendar, which means that I have to make sure that the things in my diary are on the calendar so that we both know about them and don’t forget.
That didn’t happen a couple of times in 2007. It was very embarrassing.
Usually the act of writing something in my diary helps me to remember it. I use my diary to ascertain that I’m free, make a date and then I usually remember it. I don’t actually look at my diary that much — thus the odd occasion of forgetting things.
An ideal set-up
Even though I love diaries and I have a Parker pen that fits perfectly in a small diary. I’ve decided to go digital this year. I have my phone (Sony Ericsson S500i) that syncs perfectly with my computer. It can go out with me and be my diary.
My ideal calendar system looks something like:
Where the phone and computer software intuitively exchange and update information, which they already do. Also, where the computer and internet services (Google Calendar) intuitively exchange information.
I looked extensively into ways to sync Google Calendar and iCal (both ways). I could only find Spanning Sync (too expensive), and some scripts that didn’t seem easy or reliable enough.
There was also GooSync, which allows for phone-internet syncing, instead of computer-internet syncing. GooSync looks like a really good service, they offer a free account, but you need to pay for a premium account to sync more than one calendar. Leaving my “ideal” options like so:
My solution
I decided to compromise on my ideal set-up and have most of my calendars on Google Cal (subscribed to in iCal) with one iCal calendar for my phone, to upload appointments from my phone to my computer. The phone calendar is then subscribed to on Google Calendar using iCal Exchange.
It means that some of my appointments aren’t necessarily in the calendar they normally would be in (e.g. church, uni, or personal). It’s working for now and it’s free! I hope it continues to work when I’m more busy!
What’s your solution to organising your life?
Actually, I don’t need to sync my life so much. I only use a diary+calendar+organizer+planner so that everything is in one place ONLY.
Heh, yeah – when you say it like that my whole system seems a bit unecessary! Perhaps the question is how do you sync your life with your partner, or with your parents when you need to borrow the car, for example.
If I were the sole social organiser in my marriage it might not be a problem, we could go off my diary. However, we both make plans and depend on each other to remember them!
I get what you mean, Kris 😀
I guess I find it extremely easy because I am a student (I take note of things that are related to appointments, deadlines and my research), I am not married (enough said!), and I don’t stay with my Mum (I manage my own life entirely).
But all the best to you, Kris. I hope you find the best way ASAP! :angel:
On a few occasions, I have tried syncing my life into a computer…using programs that are like iCal for Windows etc…but none of them ever did what I wanted…so now I basically just rely on my brain!! Which…could be very dangerous…
Luckily I usually remember what I have to do…it’d be a bit of a worry if I forgot I had school…but, things like Timetables is what I have never found a program for doing…
Can iCal do that? and have the ability to repeat a certain week every 2 weeks…so like week A and B etc etc..?
Or do I just have to wish that it could?
I use my Palm PDA. My husband has learned to always check his plans with the Palm (usually by asking me) and then have me write down any appointments he makes. He likes it because then he never has to remember anything and he can just defer to me when someone asks if we’re busy. We have a paper calendar in the kitchen, too, but I’m lazy about writing on that.
And I’ve learned the hard way to always, always back up my Palm on my computer. I don’t use the computer software to enter data, but I lost my info one time, including contacts that I only had on the PDA! Oh, that was so sad… I had entered all kinds of information about our wedding day, too, and I lost that. It was after the wedding, so no plans or appointments were forgotten, but now I don’t have that schedule to look back on and remember! I’m a sentimental sort and that’s disappointing to me 🙁
Jus – Oh my goodness, I know! Timetable software is very thin on the ground. I’ve tried so many things. None to my satisfaction.
Last semester I ended up using Google Calendar because you can actually set up repeats (I think you can in iCal too). When you edit the event details you tell it to repeat weekly, then tell it every 2 weeks, then you can give it an end date (e.g. end of term).
LaurenMarie – So disappointing to lose things! I actually went looking for some of my wedding lists recently because I’m a bridesmaid for a friend and thought they could be useful!
Sounds like you have an effective system. Your husband has to tell you when he’s made plans! Sometimes I feel like I never know what’s happening with my in-laws. 😛
Ahhh, okay cool…
I might explore that when my Term 1 timetable comes in…cuz it will be a very long time before I have access to iCal!! 😛
Ok, another one of those words that doesn’t translate from English to English very well… Timetable? To me that is the list of 1×1 = 1, 1×2 = 2, 1×3=3, etc. I think that is not what you’re talking about! Is this the schedule of classes for school? I’m guessing this because that’s what it is in Harry Potter… Yes, closet Potter fan here!
And to you, is there a difference between fudge and toffee? To me, fudge is soft and usually (but not always!) made of chocolate. Toffee can either be crunchy hard (English toffee) or gooey hard (like taffy), and it’s usually more like carmel than chocolate. In HP2, the author keeps interchanging toffee and fudge when refering to the same item. I’m confused!
Yep – by timetable we mean class schedule. The maths one is times tables 😛
I think of fudge and toffee the same way you do – I never noticed a discrepancy in Harry Potter, but then they have some pretty crazy candies!
Ah yes, times tables. I guess I was just skimming through too fast. We just call them schedules here.
Hehe, the wizarding world sure does have a lot of weird candy! The part I’m referring to is in Ch 7 when Ron’s slug spell backfires they are at Hagrid’s house and he offers them some candy. He later gives Harry some for Christmas. I have the audio book, so I can’t tell you what page it’s on 🙁
edit: I forgot that I got the (hardcover) books for Christmas. I looked it up! It always says fudge, but the actor reading the book interchanges fudge and toffee several times. Weird!
Oh, that is weird!
There’s also that joke that Hagrid is a terrible cook though. 🙂