I am in sync

Oh, man. I might have to change the name of my blog.

I started this blog a few years ago after I started publishing my own planner for moms. This year, with all the craziness of my new job, a new baby and home school, I haven’t had time to create my planner for 2011. (For those of you who have asked me when it will be ready, this is my horrible way of finally facing the fact and informing you that I simply can’t get it done. Can we still be friends?)

I really created the everydayMOM planner for myself, and I’m so happy that other people have found it as rewarding as I do to create lists everyday to make them feel on top of their life as mom. I’ve been trying to decide how I will function WITHOUT my planner in 2011.

Well, most of you know what a huge MacGeek I am. I loved the Mac when loving the Mac wasn’t cool. I used an Apple when we saved data to those big “floppy” disks. You know the ones.

But for some reason, I have never fully integrated my iLife to include use of the iCal. I know why. It simply does not offer the satisfaction of drawing lines through chores completed, highlighting important items and adding already accomplished tasks to my list just so I can cross them off.

I could see using it to keep track of birthdays or soccer schedules. But I need a calendar that tells me what to do. I need it to tell me everything I need to do everyday.

Today, during a six-hour car ride, I decided I might be able to make the iCal work for me. I created calendars for home, work, my daily chores, homeschool and meal planning. I made lists and set them to recur daily, weekly or monthly, as necessary.

When I got home, I synced them to MobileMe. And then I synced all of my computers to my new calendars.

I have two iMacs, a Macbook, an iPhone and an iTouch. They are all in sync.

My iCals are one.

I’m going to try this form of list-making with all of its electronic simplicity, e-mail notifications and alerts. And if I hate it, I still have one more month to publish a new planner.

Instead of crossing things off, I will have to survive by checking the box on my electronic to-do lists. I know it won’t be the same, but I’m going to give it a try.

Now if only I could get my me.com to complete all of those tasks on my list. Or maybe an iPad would help?

So, tell me. Do you use an electronic calendar to stay organized? Do you like crossing items off a paper list or does an electronic system work for you?