It’s easy to look down at the calendar (or scroll through your phone) and realize how fast time is going by. For instance, I have been teaching for two months. I have been living abroad for twice that. I have been married for almost one year. We all mark our lives by days, weeks, years, and when we’re feeling more creative, by people, places, seasons, opening ceremonies, fortnights, notebooks filled and filed, books read or written, friends made, apartments lived in, countries visited, waxes and wanes of the moon.

One of many paper notebooks in my life.

I’m old-fashioned and I adore paper, so in addition to the various notebooks where I record thoughts, images, and snippets overheard, I maintain a nice, old-fashioned, paper planner. (My old-fashioned tendencies also emerge when I order “icy” white wine and say things like “the bee’s knees” in casual conversation). I rely on the planner to keep my head on straight between and amongst appointments, teaching lessons (the schedule changes daily), social engagements, birthdays, and the like. I’ll give you a quick peek into my crazy mind:

The satisfaction when the week is done.

Whenever a given task or meeting is complete, I tick a big, reinforced, check mark next to it, and I’ll promptly admit how much satisfaction I derive from this personal check system. I’m sure the smart phone of your choice offers a similar “check-off” system. The overall feeling must be the same as accomplishment is almost always gratifying. Ready to take a closer look at the (organized) chaos?

Ever in pursuit of check marks…

Sometimes even Dr. Frankenstein needs to refine his work, so I’ll occasionally superimpose a Post-it with additional notes to self (a list’s list, if you will). Sometimes those Post-its migrate onto the surface of the desk or my storyboard or a speaker or the mirror in the bathroom… you get the idea. All of this is an effort to stay organized, and I’m sure more than a few of you will tell me there is an easier, “smarter,” paper-free way. I know this lovely computer I’m lucky enough to be working on comes equipped with perfectly intuitive and logical calendar software, but I’ve yet to use it. Would it allow me to doodle a heart around my anniversary? Or underline my nephew’s birthday three times? Or flip through a year of life with my thumb, as I can with this?

Perfect for teachers: The 2011-2012 August to August Calendar Organizer

I stand by the paper calendar much in the same way I stand by the paper bookmark as a sign of progress rather than an escalating percentage at the bottom of a screen.

Thanks to Litquake, San Francisco’s Literary Festival. Learn more at www.litquake.org.

I stand by the paper calendar much in the same way I stand by the paper book, even though I now know how easy it is to download an English-language book when you’re living in a Spanish-speaking/publishing country. I appreciate the convenience of an e-reader, but I still took paperback books with me to New York last week. I still read with a pen. I might even be the only person who still thinks a paperback is actually more portable than an e-reader. After all, I can take a paperback out on the metro without enticing a soul. I can drop one on the floor of a crowded bus without worrying that a screen has cracked. I can stuff another in the pocket of my bag and not mind if it brushes up against a condensation-heavy bottle of water.

The potential of a brand new seven.

Still, I know I couldn’t speak to all of you with paper alone. I would never have reached the majority of you without the Internet, this blogging service, SEO, built-in links to social networks, published bios, email forwards, and another old-fashioned service, word-of-mouth. I appreciate the paperless support and give credit where credit is do.

Stay tuned… (thanks for not judging my handwriting… I never said anyone else had to be able to read it!)

But whenever an idea for a blog strikes, I know I’ll continue to make a note to myself in a paper planner as a reminder, yes, but also as a motivator. That is always the first step in reaching out to you.