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!