September is almost over. Fall has just begun. Department stores may be getting ready for Halloween, but Stationery stores are getting ready for the New Year. There are still several months and holidays before the New Year begins, but now seems to be the time that successful businesses start thinking ahead.

Planners, schedulers, and daytimers abound. And everyone seems to have their own way to plan and stay current. At my “day job”, a list just went out for all staff to indicate whether they would like a desk calendar, daily planner, monthly planner, or any other type of “calendar in a book” they could fathom. One or two days per page, or a week per page, everyone seems to have their own preference for time management.

Some people prefer electronic gadgets or online tools. Certainly these can be helpful in a variety of ways. If your schedule is online, you can access it anywhere. If it’s an app on your phone, it fits easily in your pocket so you can have it with you at all times, unlike a paper daytimer.

Personally, this is the first year I’ve cared. Next month I’ll be planning the next year of marketing activities and other business-type “stuff” for the upcoming year. This will help me set goals and stay on track with growing and establishing my business. Appointments will still be managed with Google Calendar, which syncs with my phone and computer, and is accessible online from any other computer or internet-capable device. But the big picture for my business will be figured out and saved manually on a good old fashioned paper planner. Probably a purple one at that!

What are your favourite tools for planning the new year? Share them below, along with any time management tips you may have.