The 2011 Standard Diary® is now available at ataglance.com and, while it's true that these aren't new products, we did come up with a new list of ideas for their use.  One of the great things about a daily diary is being able to catalog moments and events in life.  Here are just some of the things that you may want to record in your daily diary:

Expenses

Many people have goals to get out of debt completely, or to learn to save. In today's economy especially, it's becoming increasingly important to keep an eye open in this area. A successful budget begins with understanding where your money goes.

• Make a section on your daily page for expenses (many of the Standard Diaries have an expense summary section already). Record all outgoes in this section throughout the day
• If you don't have time to write them down, place receipts between the pages so that you can reconcile your checkbook or budget spreadsheet at the end of the day
• Try to document all of your expenses and income into categories so that it will be easier to lump similar expenses together (i.e. gas, groceries, utilities, rent, etc.).
• At the end of the week, look at total expenses in each category and determine if there are any things that you'd do differently
• Set goals for daily spending and write these down in your diary so that you can remind yourself and keep better track of spending before it gets out of control

Important moments to remember

Life goes by way too quickly and we all get caught up in the mundane, sometimes failing to make time for the most important things that we say we'll get to eventually. Use a daily diary to help you get to the wonderful moments that make life so special.

• Carry your diary with you and write down things as they happen
• Make time at the start of your day to write down thoughts and feelings while drinking your first cup of coffee or take the time at the end of the day to write down the top 5 things that happened during the day
• Begin each week with writing down goals for the week - Make sure that you incorporate some of your wants along with the musts. Think both in the short-term and the long-term (i.e. document 3 things that you must do, 3 things that you'd like to do this week and 3 things that you'd like to accomplish during the month or year).
• As goals are accomplished, check them off the list and document them on the day that you completed the task.

Diet & Exercise

Keeping track of your daily intake and calorie burning activities will ensure that you meet your nutritional goals. A daily diary is the perfect place to record some of the following:

• Write down your calorie consumption and exercise goals for the day
• Document what you eat throughout the day including snacks and drinks
• Make sure you make note of all the activities you complete
• Track how you feel each day so that you can easily identify any trends or situational factors in your eating and exercise habits

Capture ideas, goals and lists

Best of all, your diary can be used to record anything that is important to you.

• Got vacationing on the brain? Write down all the places that you'd like to travel to and rank them from best to worst places to visit
• An important project coming up? Document all the minor and major steps to completing it - helping you to clear your mind for other things without losing momentum
• Moving, camping or traveling? Make a list of items to take, people and places to notify, or things to accomplish before it happens
• Always forgetting important dates like birthdays, anniversaries and meetings? Take time at the beginning of the month to write them down in the appropriate day's sheet so that you don't forget.

Whether you use your diary for business or personal reasons, it can be a record of your life, helping you to keep important things foremost in mind.  And, a dated diary can be an archive of these moments, making it easy for you to go back in time, learn from the past and reflect on these events.

There are many more uses for a daily diary that we haven't listed here.  What are some of the things you use your diary for?  Please let us know, we'd love to hear from you!

I'm a "Get to the Point" type of person. My time is precious to me. I have a hard time dealing with what I consider ‘wasted time'. Some people may tell me to stop and smell the roses; well I have smelled the roses and I much prefer completing a project on time or working in my yard or going to the park with my family.

I know I'm not the only person to prefer spending time on a task or hobby, then accomplishing nothing. So I thought I would take you through a typical day and provide a list of "Time Management Tips".

• Plan Your Day: Everyday you should have a "game-plan" of what you are going to accomplish. Your game-plan should be realistic and created at the start of your day or in the evening for the following day. This way, if you accomplish everything in your game-plan, you won't feel like you're wasting time when you smell the roses.

• Prepare The Night Before: Avoid a frantic start to your day by getting things ready the night before. Pick out clothes, pack your lunch, setup the coffee maker, etc. There is no worse way to start your morning than finding out all your pants are dirty or you've made coffee only to find out that you are out of sugar. Start the morning off efficiently.

• Adjust Your Work Hours: If you commute in a heavy traffic region consider adjusting your work hours. By going in early and leaving early or vice-versa you could free up time wasted in congested rush hour traffic. Talk with your boss or HR, many companies are flexible on when you can start and end work.

• Create An Agenda For Meetings: When setting up a meeting, create an agenda of topics to discuss then send it to everyone invited. This way everyone will be prepared for the topics and less likely to forget something, which can cause another meeting. Make sure you stick to the agenda, a "time waster" can quickly derail a meeting by going off on something that is not on the agenda.
• Watch TV On Your Own Time: Don't adjust you're schedule around TV shows. Get a DVR and record your favorite shows, this way you can watch them when you're ready and can fast forward through commercials. You can also watch your TV shows online. Most of the major TV Networks stream their shows soon after the show airs with few or no commercials.

Hopefully these tips help you avoid "wasted time". If you have any additional time saving tips, I'd love to hear them.

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So it's that time of year where some people are dancin' in the streets with joy while others are looking a bit more dejected and downtrodden - time for the kids (and teachers) to go back to school!  Regardless of which camp you're in (the happy dancin' folks or the "so-sad-I just-lost-my-freedom" group), there are some simple tips that can help to keep the sanity in your household at this time of year:

• Don't wait until the last minute to get your school supplies (yes I realize you will have to get some last minute or special request items after school has started but take advantage of the sales and special offers as they come up.  It won't hurt to stock up on the things you know you'll need like pens, notebooks and even non-perishable lunch sized snacks for the brown bag.
• There will be a myriad of activities and extra-curricular clubs.  Keep all equipment, special gear or clothing for activities in one location.  Put dance shoes & leotard, musical instrument & sheet music, jersey, spikes & pads or whatever you may need for a specific activity into a container in your room (a plastic crate or box in the closet works well) or if you have the space, somewhere near the door that you use to leave for school so you'll see it and remember it.
• Get ready the night before to prevent morning stress.  Put things needed for the next day together the night before.  Don't forget homework, books, permission slips, lunch/lunch money, afterschool stuff, etc.  It's even a good idea to lay out what you are going to wear the next day (that way you know it's clean/ready to go.)
• Keep a central family calendar or planner where everyone's activities are listed.  Each person should keep his or her own planner but then as a family, there should be one central location where everyone can look to see what's happening.  A large wall calendar or planner can work wonders.  There are some good options with plenty of space for writing or color coding for each member of the family.  Be sure to list appointments, reminders, long-term projects and special events. Don't forget birthdays, family events/vacation, games, practices, dances and countdowns to key events like graduations.

Now, these are only a few ideas, I'm sure there are tons of others.  Share how you keep the household sanity when it's back to school time?

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