Over the years, I’ve held various professional positions that involved implementing or managing some sort of planning system. I’ve had to design an entire organization system for a scatterbrained owner of a marketing firm. (No, I’m not insulting him. He proudly refers to himself as a scatterbrain and considers it a side effect of being a creative genius.) I’ve revamped an entire medical billing process after taking over a supervisory position from someone else. And I’ve worked for several attorneys who all have their own methods of functioning and staying on schedule, some of which needed to be re-worked and some of which I just had to adapt to because it worked for them and that’s all that matters.

I’ll repeat that because its the most important thing I’ve learned in all of my years of working in the land of cubicles. We all know that planning and scheduling is a necessary component to running your own business or firm but what really matters is finding a system that works for you. From what I’ve seen there are two types of people when it comes to organizing your time and tasks - Tech Types and Paper People.

Tech Types

Some people do better with technology. They prefer online calendars, web apps, software, and mobile access. If you’re a Tech Type, you would probably benefit from the following:

Skoach.com - Skoach is an online task management and calendar tool designed specifically for adults with ADD or even just ADD-type thinking. Skoach is currently in beta and they’ve got a temporary hold on registration but they do have a sign up form on their site to be notified when the new version is available and they are taking registrations again.

Remember the Milk - Just based on the title, you might assume this is more of a home management tool. But don’t be deceived by the ‘domestic’ name. RTM is actually a very simple but effective task reminder tool. You can add RTM to your Google Calendar, Gmail, iPhone, Blackberry, Twitter, even your toolbar. Its a great way to quickly make a note of a date or task and set reminders.

Jott - I’m a big fan of Jott. Its similar to RTM but with more features, like listening to RSS feeds and sending voice “tweets” to Twitter. But my favorite feature offered by Jott is the voice mail. I’m one of those people that will get ideas at some very inopportune moments, like when I’m driving. Rather than pull over to write it down or risk forgetting my idea later, I just call the Jott number - its on my speed dial - and record a message. Jott then sends the message as a text to my email address or even to someone on my contact list. I’ve also used it to send important dates like doctor’s appointments or events I see on a billboard to my Google Calendar. Unfortunately, the phone feature is no longer part of their basic, free plan so you’ll have to upgrade to a paid plan. But  if its something you can see yourself using quite often, its definitely worth it.

Google Calendar - This is the method I use the most. I have several different color coded calendars - one for personal use, one to keep track of family stuff, one for business, one for menu planning - and I also have access to clients’ calendars if they choose to share them with me. You can also access public calendars and import them into yours, like a calendar of US holidays or Tina Turner’s tour schedule.

Lifetick - If you’re more interested in setting goals and planning around them rather than just managing a schedule, you should give Lifetick a try. With Lifetick, you choose your goals and then break those down into scheduled tasks. Lifetick will remind you of tasks and due dates, provide you with a status update, and give you a journal page to record thoughts or notes.

That’s just a very small sample of some of the online tools available to help you plan and manage your schedule.

Paper People

Now some people just feel better using good ol’ pen and paper to manage their schedules and task lists. Paper People prefer notebooks or planners. They may even use desk calendars or dry erase boards. I happen to fall into this category too so, naturally, I have a few recommended resources:

Busy Body Book - I first heard about the BBB when I was offered the opportunity to review it for my personal blog. I’ve been hooked on it since I first started using it. I struggle with finding the right planner and I still have some floating around my house somewhere, half used. The BBB breaks your schedule down into 5 sections on each page. How you use those 5 sections is totally up to you. Personally, I use them for both personal (my stuff, kids’ stuff) and business (client work, freelance projects). Its a GREAT planner, especially if you’re trying to combine your household and your business into one schedule.

Todoodlist - This isn’t a planner, its more of an instruction manual for planning and organizing. Definitely a good idea if you struggle with the concept of time management and productivity and need more than just a website or notebook to help you out.

ListPlanIt - This website offers various printable lists and planners. Not only do they provide monthly and yearly calendars, they also offer inventory sheets, financial records, travel planning and more. ListPlanIt gives you the option of buying planners in sets or a subscription that gives you access to all of their lists and planners. I suggest going with the membership option. Its very inexpensive and you have more control over which lists you use.

Free Planning Calendar from Alice Seba - Now this one is a limited offer but it will take you all the way through 2009 as far as planning and scheduling goes. Interestingly, she calls it a “Planning Calendar”, but what she’s giving away really is a full planner system that you can print out and adapt to your own unique business. It’s a definite must-have and I’ve already grabbed mine. There are no obligations, no strings attached but I will tell you that Alice is offering this planning system in conjunction with her “Spring Cleaning” coaching series that will be starting next week. So, again, if you need more in-depth assistance with planning, it would be worth it to check out “Spring Cleaning for Maximum Profits”.

So whether you’re a Tech Type or one of the Paper People, or even a combination of both like I am, there’s just a few of the tools I can personally recommend. And, as always, Advantage Virtual Assistant can help you with calendar and task management too. Its just one of the many services we offer.

What tools are you using to manage your time and your goals? Do you prefer paper or computer?