I have always seemed to struggle with keeping a calendar consistently. It has just seemed to be an area where I could not maintain any continuity, and every system I tried failed. Until now.

Keeping a calendar has always been hard. I started off in college by using the DayTimer system. I initially used the small, pocket sized planners. But eventually I “upgraded” to the Desk size, and purchased a few different leather covers to go with it over the years. It was a good system, but I struggled to keep it with me, and found that when I needed it, it was either at home or at the office… wherever I wasn’t. And, over time, I just stopped using it.

I moved to jotting things onto a wall calendar, hanging by my desk, and then to a deskpad type calendar. Those seemed to work for a while, but I ran into the same problem. I never had it with me when I needed to check something.

When I got my first BlackBerry, and then later moved to an iPhone, I thought my problems were solved. I started using the calendars on those devices, eventually settling on Google Calendar, which synced across all my devices. This seemed to be much more effective, but I had one small problem. I love writing, especially using pens, and specifically, using vintage fountain pens. While Google calendar was effective, I still struggled to use it. I just forced myself to use it, because what other option did I have?

And while Google does a great job of keeping my appointments, it doesn’t help much at all with my tasks or goals. It still wasn’t fully what I needed.

Several months ago, I discovered a new planner, a paper planner, and a full-feature planner. I was intrigued, but skeptical. So I started digging. I found others who used it, and looked over how they implemented it. I watched videos about it. I read blogs about it. Finally, I decided to pick one up and try it out.

The planner I am talking about is the Full Focus Planner by Michael Hyatt. I have been utilizing this planner in sort of a hybrid fashion, in tandem with Google Calendar and Todoist. It has been amazingly effective for achieving my goals, keeping my priorities centered, and making sure I not only get things done, but get the right things done.

First off, it’s a quarterly planner. As I started using it initially, that seemed to be a drawback, only having three months handy at a time. But I have come to realize that this is actually a great benefit, because it allows me to focus on what is immediate and high priority. Viewing my year as a whole often discourages me, because there is much to do, and the time frame is harder to visualize. Or I think I have so much time, I can procrastinate. Having only three months to view at a time helps me see the timing for things much more clearly.

And, for those longer range items, there are a few pages that hold “rolling quarters.” These are quick glances at the next four quarters, and they can hold the big items that need to stay on my radar that may be coming up.

Each day contains a timeline for my appointments and time blocks, and it contains a task list for the day, which I populate from my Todoist list. But each day also contains a Daily Big Three, three things that must be done that day to move my work and my goals ahead. In a like fashion, the end of each week contains a Weekly Preview, where I can review the past week, plan for the coming week, and identify a Weekly Big Three. This has been a game changer for me, allowing me to see what steps need to be taken for my goals to be achieved.

And that’s probably the biggest change for me due to using the Full Focus Planner. The first few pages are the goal pages. These contain my goals for the coming months, maybe even years. I have determined these goals from my Life Plan Reviews, and they are things that I want to accomplish in both my personal life and my professional life. The Full Focus Planner allows me to summarize each of these, identify the next action steps to move them along, and to incorporate those action steps into my weekly and daily plans.

I have never felt so organized and “on task” before. This planner has helped me to move forward in so many areas of my life that weren’t moving so well before. I don’t want to say that these areas were stagnant, but many of my goals for some areas of my life remained unchanged form year to year, simply because I had no way to see and measure any progress, or to be reminded to take the next actions steps in each of those areas. The Full Focus Planner has helped to change all of that.

I am so excited about the potential the Full Focus Planner has to impact my life and work, advancing my goals, and helping me to be productive and effective in my life and ministry. So I decided to subscribe for a full year’s worth of planners. Michael Hyatt Co. will send one out to me every 90 days, just a few weeks before my current planner runs out. That gives me time to get it set up and ready. I do this in conjunction with a quarterly Life Plan Review, taking a day or two away from the busy pace of life to refocus myself.

If you would like to try one out without a year long subscription, you can order a single planner from Michael Hyatt, or get one from Amazon.com.

Either way, I highly encourage you to check out the Full Focus Planner. It’s easily the best tool I have found for daily planning, as well as moving myself forward in achieving my priorities and goals.

Question: How do you maintain your calendar? Digital, analog, or hybrid? What tools have you found to be most effective and helpful? You can leave a comment by clicking here.