What do new college grads/20-somethings use as day planners?

Hipster PDA
well, it’s what they should be using

Google Calendar and Remember the Milk

Of course, Google offers Tasks as well, but you can link RTM and Google Calendars to create some pretty powerful to-do/task items, and be informed of everything via SMS, email, etc.

@realsolutions Welcome to Fluther! I think Google calendar is used a lot. I personally use just my memory and a wall calendar.

When I was a student I would have LOVED to have had this program and it’s iTouch counter part.

Things

I use it everyday for everything. And it syncs wit iCal which syncs with Google Calander.

Other wise, Google Docs is great to

Oh, and welcome to Fluther

Another good tool is Evernote, which has a Blackberry/iPhone app, and can be updated via Twitter.

::EDIT::link fixed. thanks @Bri_L

@eponymoushipster – your evernote link was still for hipster pda

I would say most people use electronic calenders of some sort. Google Calendar and RTM are probably the heavyweights, and your best bet for it.

Personally, I use Taskpaper because you can embed the tasks on your desktop with Geektool fairly easily to get them where I won’t ever forget about them. That, and you can easily get it to sync with Dropbox. I also like to use Notebook for some of my more heavy duty research projects. It’s got nice GTD features, too.

@Bri_L Here’s Evernote…

I’m actually not a big evernote fan, though. Those ads on the bottom corner are distracting to me when working on some projects, and the web clipper lacks some functionality I’d like. It’s still a great app for syncing online and with an iPhone, though. I guess I just don’t have the need for any of those services…

@dverhey – have you ever seen Things?

I have. It’s a little heavy duty for me. I seemed to spend more time tracking the project than actually doing the project when I tried it. It’s a beautiful and well designed app, though. That, and I bought Taskpaper and I don’t have 50$ to spend on software right now. If it was in a bundle, though, I would jump on it. I like it, but I have a good method right now. I’m sure if I had it I would use it.

I’m a huge fan of Google Calendar. My wife also uses it and we can track each others schedules that way. I have that calendar integrated with my blackberry. The system works great.

@torch81 that’s a good point. Using Google Sync with GCal is really nice. nearly instant updating, too.

Thanks for all the feedback, folks! It sounds like 20-somethings aren’t big customers of DayTimer or DayRunner, huh? I love my technology, too, but still prefer a paper-based calendar…there’s something about actually writing things down…

@realsolutions then i’d go with the Hipster PDA. i know what you mean about writing things down and the feeling of crossing things off. Plus, who doesn’t love a Moleskin? :)

@dverhey – I found it when it was in beta so I had been using it free then got it for $29 as a result at launch. I agree with your approach. If a bundle ever comes up and there is one other program snatch it up!!

@torch81 – I tried and tried and tried to get my wife to do that and she wont. It really kind of pisses me off. She writes her schedule in this little insurance give away calender that she keeps with her and the only other copy that there exists is in her mothers head because she actually tells her.

I’m probably in the minority because I actually use a spiral-bound pen-and-paper book. It’s Quo Vadis brand, and it just works for me.

Currently a student, and currently using:

1. This in the 2009 (& discounted) version link for day-to-day appointments, tasks, etc that are school or professionally related.

2. My phone calendar for social engagements.

3. A giant dry erase marker board weekly calendar that I put up so my roommate can see where I’m going to be/what I’m going to be doing that week. Also helps to merge the other two calendars in one place.

Something to note: Save for that giant marker board, what I use has to be pretty. If it’s not something I want to see everyday, it’s just going to gather dust. I doodle on the marker board to make it attractive.

The only thing close to a “planner” that I use is Sunbird. But I open that maybe once a month. I just remember all of my appointments.

I use real pen and paper too – I’ve tried a dozen different online/computer apps, and I just can’t seem to make them work – I really need to have things written down in front of me. I make my own calendars out of the Japanese Moleskin books (they’re the accordion-fold ones) – I use each 2-page spread as a week, but since they accordion, you can open it up and look at several consecutive weeks in a row. It helps me a lot with long-term planning, since I can see how busy I am over a few weeks, not just one…

My advice to anyone who’s serious about keeping a really good day planner is to figure out exactly what you need from it and create your own (which is why the Hipster PDA is such a good idea – it’s infinitely adaptable!)

@Sarcasm Sunbird isn’t so bad. If you use Thunderbird for an email client (which can be linked to Gmail), you can install the Lightning plugin, which connects freely to GCal. It can also be connected to Remember the Milk via another plugin.

Oh nice, thanks. I was looking for a way to link it up when I first decided to install Sunbird. Gave up after about 5 minutes of searching.

@Sarcasm no sweat. Sunbird is good, but Lightning is better. I keep hearing they’re gonna integrate them into one product, but i have the beta install of the next Thunderbird, and it hasn’t happened yet. :(

Wow, this is a real eye-opener for me. I haven’t heard of any of these! I’m still using the Outlook calendar (synced to my smart phone) and paper. I guess I’m a dinosaur! Thanks for sharing, everyone!

I have a mac and I use a program called Things on my computer and iPod. Quite useful.

@lunabean – I LOVE that program I found it when it was in beta and have been hooked on it ever since.