To keep organized, mix the old and new

Michelle Kempskie's desk includes a planner/organizer she uses to help track appointments, along with a Blackberry she checks her e-mails with. She also keeps her Christmas gift list on an Excel spreadsheet. (Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff)

Talk about organized. Michelle Kempskie keeps her Christmas shopping list on an Excel spreadsheet. She has two calendars - one for work and one for home; tracks e-mails on her Blackberry; and rarely loses track of her meetings - and she has up to 10 appointments a day.

"I have an enormous amount of things to do," says Kempskie, vice president of information services at the Weber Shandwick public relations firm, who is also the mother of two young boys. Kempskie tried to manage everything on a personal digital assistant, or PDA, but went back to paper planner when she found that viewing the small screen was difficult and it was cumbersome to prioritize items. Now her indispensable tool is a simple black paper planner. "I like to look in one place," she says.

Although electronic time management systems - such as smart phones or handhelds - allow you to enter your calendar, journal, and sticky notes all in one small portable device, traditional paper-based planners and organizers are still a nearly $1 billion annual business that includes appointment books, desk blotters, date books, and other planning accessories. In fact it's not a "Paper or Palm" proposition, as coined by Austin, Texas-based certified professional organizer Lorie Marrero, but rather combining new technology with the old-fashioned pen and pad.

One option for keeping track of calendar items is using a PDA, which is lightweight and portable, stores and displays an endless amount of information, can be synched with a desktop computer and databases such as Microsoft Outlook, and has search capacity. But note-taking on a PDA can be tedious and time-consuming; you risk crashes and data wipeouts, and the expensive machines require batteries or charging.

Paper products, on the other hand, are inexpensive, can carry papers and receipts inside the binder, and are intuitive with fast data entry, says Marrero. Paper planners also come in a variety of sizes and styles, from pocket to desk size; loose-leaf or wire-bound; and can be leather-covered.

Whatever the choice - paper or electronic - people want something tailored to their needs, says Maria Woytek, a time management specialist with Day-Timers time management products. "When we survey people, we find that there are tasks they prefer to do on paper and others they like to do with electronics," Woytek says. "People like to plan their day in a specific way and have a format that works for them."

Some people, like time management specialist Peggy Duncan of Atlanta, use only a laptop, synched to a PDA, with the occasional note jotted on a spiral notebook for errands. "Paper planners are fine for moms who don't work outside the home," says Duncan.

But for others, like busy caterer and pastry chef Vicki Boyajian, owner of Vicki Lee's in Belmont, a desk calendar and production boards in the kitchen, office, and retail shop are enough to keep track of her crowded schedule.

"I use what I'm used to," says Boyajian. "Electronics are one more thing to learn."