I’m a list maker. Always have been. If I don’t write things down, my world ceases to function as it should. Not only do I neglect to do key tasks, but I waste far too much energy trying to remind myself what needs to be done. More energy, in fact, than would be required to actually complete said tasks.

And then there is the sleep lost while the mantra “fail to plan, plan to fail” spins dizzyingly in my head.

Lets just say it’s not a pretty picture.

I’ve tried just about every method imaginable to keep myself organized and on track - from little notebooks, calendars, forms and to-do lists, to a remarkably complex system of color-coded post-it notes I developed over several months in a job I detested.

I’ve gone the electronic route as well, from using stock Microsoft Outlook applications to yet another overly complex system I developed at another job I detested. Or maybe it was the same one. I can’t recall.

The Blackberry is not for me, I know, because I’ve already given one of its predecessors - the Palm V - a try. Sure it was handy for entering in my list of to-do’s, but I rarely got any of it done, distracted as I was by my favorite application, Drug Wars.

Nothing ever worked consistently for me until I discovered the Franklin Covey planner system. As I gazed lovingly at its prioritized daily task list, handy scheduler, ample note taking space and plenty of calendars for future planning, I knew that here, finally, was the answer to my organizational prayers.

I’ve been a faithful user ever since.

But no matter how efficient your system of organization, it is only as good as the information you put into it. Forget to jot down an appointment or one of those key tasks, and its all for naught. Ditto if you are remiss in carrying forward an unfinished item.

So, for example, if you neglect to make note of the fact that you need to order the refill for your planning page system well enough in advance of the end of the calendar year, the odds are you’ll end up panicking on January 1.