Les O'Dell

I love this time of year. My adoration doesn’t come from a fondness for snow or playoff football (although it could). I’m not big into resolutions or even the idea of a new year bringing a fresh start.

I love the beginning of January because of all of the crisp, new sheets of paper.

I must confess, I am a calendar junky. Well, not calendar per se. And by junky I don’t mean that I have numerous ones. No, not even close. Just one and I swear by it.

My name is Les and I am addicted to my Franklin planner. Officially, it’s called the Franklin Day Planner produced by a company named FranklinCovey. In fact, I’ve been a Franklinite so long, I’ve seen the company through several name changes. Yet the planner, the technique, the comfort and the joy (maybe I’m getting carried away here) never changes.

Oh, I’ve tried all of the other ways of keeping track of things: wall calendars, little tiny datebooks, sticky notes stuck to everything (and each other), memory tricks and technology. None of it works for me. I always come back to the classic size, two-pages-per-day Franklin planner.

A few years ago, someone either absconded with my day planner or I accidentally left it on top of my car as I drove off (so a planner doesn’t cure all forms of forgetfulness!). Regardless, it was gone. I was miserable and even more miserable to live with. It was like driving all of the way to Wally World only to find the moose out front saying the park is closed. I endured all of the stages of grief. I may have even cried myself to sleep on more than one night.

Finally, my planner was discovered under a tree outside of a local dentist’s office. The contents of general value like the pen and calculator were gone, and the binder itself was trashed, but everything else was still there. It was like being reunited with a lost puppy. The scene was similar to the famous time square kiss after World War II.

I am quite fond of my Franklin planner. Don’t come at me recommending any other brand of planner or suggesting a desk or wall calendar. They’re for amateurs. They are the Detroit Lions of personal planning.

I know I’m a type of paper dinosaur; analog in a digital world. But like true music lovers who yearn for classic albums on vinyl, I know that retro quality never goes out of style.

I’ve tried all of the fancy technology. I even carried a Palm Pilot for a while. Sure, my phone has smart capabilities for notes and schedules, but show me someone who exclusively uses their phone and I’ll show you a person with sticky notes everywhere or ink stains on the back of their hand so they don’t forget something.

Like real planner people, I don’t have a to-do list; I have a prioritized daily task list. I understand the productivity pyramid. I have the ability to schedule an appointment for August 3, 2016 and show up for it. Plus, I don’t need batteries.

Technology always seems to change, but pen and paper remain. I can write notes in the dark. Also, I have a place for other stuff: coupons, schedules, tickets and prescriptions. I know where all of my notes, directions, important information, tasks, appointments and thoughts are: right there in my planner. If it’s important, it’s in my planner.

I’d be happy to come over and show you my planner and how it works, if I could only find my keys.