Calendars That Work for Families

If you need your own personal planner to carry with you, this will more than fit the bill. Franklin Covey offers more than just a calendar, the company has a complete organizing philosophy. While many of its planning systems can be customized, the planner kit lets you apply the company's principles with a complete set of the basics. You may want to pair a personal planner of this sort with a wall calendar that other family members can contribute to

Yes, we think of Microsoft Outlook as an email client, but it also has a great calendar function too. You can see and share multiple calendars and access them online and on your PDA. So everyone can contribute their events to the family calendar electronically. You can have a work and a home calendar side-by-side. Plus you can stay connected to your social and business networks with Outlook Social Connector, which allows you connect to Facebook, LinkedIn and other sites. 

Like Outlook, each member of the family can have their own calendar that is accessible to other members of the family when using Google Calendar. You can even share your calendar with relatives and friends. But, of course, unlike Outlook, it's free. The downside to both is that you must be plugged in to an electronic device to use it. So younger children may not be able to see the calendar.

If you'd prefer a non-virtual family calendar that everyone in the family can see and add to, think dry erase because a family's schedule constantly changing. Keep track of meetings, appointments and events. The extra-large size (36"x36") makes it easy for everyone to enter their schedules and kids' activities. It has a white wipe-off writing surface and pre-printed days and months.