Awesome Idea for Daytimer

It's time to reorder Daytimer pages.  And please, just suspend the disbelief here and bear with the thought that yes, in this digital society, there are people who still lug those heavy, paper-filled little binders around, scrawling in ink - INK I say - daily appointments, meeting notes, to-do items, etc.  Have you done that? Good.

Now, back to my issue.

It's the time of year when I panic because I start making appointments for January and realize when I flip to the back of my Daytimer to record said appointment I find no new calendar pages.  AHHHH.  So I make a note (in my Daytimer, thank you very much) and then later that evening, hit up the Internet to order refills.

And then I remember why I haven't ordered new pages yet - they all suck!  Yes, I know, not pretty talk from a 36 year-old professional, but it's true.  There are only a handfull of page sets to select and they're boring or I've had them so many times I know everything they say EVERY DAY.  And while I am a Daytimer brand loyalist, I've stepped out on them a time or two - and you know what?  Covey, At-A-Glance, they all suck.  Seriously.  I know it's 2010 and with iPhones and Crackberries and iPads and whatnot people aren't creating a huge demand for these items anymore.  But those of us who still use those flexible "Today" markers are mired in a wasteland of Gardenpath, Nautical, Diabetes Tracking hell planner pages from the 1970's.

As an aside, I covet the iPad and hope to add one to my life within the new year.  And that may change the way I organize my world.  But for now, in my professional life (which requires a lot of note-taking, time-and-date tracking and WRITING), I need something handy in which I can do all of this and a Daytimer - planner, if you will - fits the bill.

Why doesn't someone create new planner pages that are fun, entertaining, easy to use (two-page pre day format, action list long and on the left side of the right page - appointments that run from 6 a to 10 p, little area to track calls to return and a full lined notes page on the left page) and updated a little?  I mean, printing has come so far these days, this would be a breeze. And could drive sales of certain products/services.  Want to know how?

I love, love, love Texas/Red Dirt Music.  How much fun would it be to have Daytimer pages featuring info on my favorite bands, current and from the past? Throw in Tabbed Month Dividers (2 pages) with photos of some awesome clubs and dance halls, pre-print brithdays,  pre-determined shows, album release dates by certain artists and viola!  Fan heaven and instant support for an entire music scene.  Southern Thread, Tito's Vodka, and other consumer brands beloved by artists and fans of the scene could put coupon codes on certain months to drive traffic to their sites and purchases for their products...it's gold, gold I tell you!

Hell there's a Show called Keeping Up With the Kardashians - how hard would it be to turn that into a "Keeping Up With You" planner page set?  Advertisers who support the stars' endeavors could get placement on pages, they can promote show times and dates, their clothing stores and books and websites, etc.  They could even include a place for women to track trends they like, reminders to schedule beauty appointments (lazer hair removal anyone?), etc.

And what about the Demon Marketer himself, Mr. Gene Simmons.  KISS is an international brand and KISS fans are everywhere - and I would venture to guess equally split between the young and older demographics (or demon-graphics - get it?).  Put together a set of KISS planner pages - you could use old album covers as the tabbed monthly dividers, have a nugget of info on each page about the band or its members, have a "This day in KISS history" (or KISStory) item on each day - - - I guarantee they would be purchased as fast as they could be printed.

And the awesome thing is - these pages could be turned into apps for iPhones and  iPads sharing the same graphics and info - just digitally - to open up the market even futher.  Lord knows there is yet to be a top-notch planner app for Smartphones etc. created to date.

I've spouted off enough.  Since I guess I won't be ordering my Randy Rogers Band planner pages this year, I've got to go back to choosing between Maxine, Flavia or Golf Links...




  

The Shower

It seems all of my ideas come to me in the shower.

Seriously.

I've created entire marketing plans, found the missing piece to solving multi-leveled problems for clients, written songs, realized elegant methods of navigating odd social situations and generally had a bunch 'o a-ha moments under the water and suds.

My in-laws started a travel blog recently. They are working hard on making it a complete resource for visitors to Santa Fe and a showcase of travel done "their way" across the country. I was thinking about this in the shower the other day and asking myself why is it that I don't have something like that going.

It all comes down to choices. I have too many of them and I really hate being put into any one box.

For instance, I own a PR/Marketing Communications firm. Hey, i could blog about that. Yeah, but I don't want to put my clients on display like that. And yeah, sure, I could pick apart press releases by other companies, point out mistakes PR firms or companies make in their campaigns, have a "when will Tiger speak" counter on the site, but that, to me, is something I would do on my company website. That's work. And more of it. I love PR/Marketing/Communications - and I'm good at what I do. I live it every day - adding a full blog about it would really let it take over my life.

I'm a writer. I could do a blog about writing - motivation, analysis of the current trends in publishing, review books, kvetch about my own struggles when writing...But really, does anyone want to read what an unpublished writer with two "closet novels" (one's that will stay in the closet until I die) to her name has to say on any of those topics? Especially not with real writers who have earned a seat at the table are covering those issues quite nicely.

I'm a mom who is over-extended in child-rearing, home-making, social duties...maybe I could... Nope. I can't even say "Mommyblogger" without throwing up a little in my mouth. Don't get me wrong, I love to read mom blogs. I get their humor, jokes, fascinating asides. And I think they have A LOT to add to the coversation of parenting because they tend to be truthful when too many people are not. But that's not all of who I am, either.

I'm into fitness and am actively working towards a "Total Body Transformation by 37". This self-created program includes working my way up to running at least 3 miles a day three days a week, cross-training twice a week, dropping 20-25 pounds and increasing my lean muscle - which is to say, relocating it. I'm changing eating habits, working out more regularly, counting calories and keeping a food journal. So far I've dropped 9 lbs (bringing weight to lose down to the number above) - so this would be a great blog to start, tracking my progress daily and being held accountable to the world. Only I'm sometimes too busy to keep my food journal up for a full week, can't remember when I did an ACTUAL workout (instead of those 10-minute running-up-and-down-the-stairs-mini-workouts I see in Shape) and really feel like I'm the last person to crow about fitness at this point in life.

I'm a pop-culture freak. I may not perscribe to them, but I follow trends in fashion and tech and society closely. I take an interest in the celebrity world - while not supporting paparazzi actions or libelous press. I enjoy music and love to see who is on the charts and why - and also point out who I think is worth listening to, and who is not. Why not talk about that stuff. Ehh, it's interesting in passing, and I'd love to make snarky and pointed commentary about events occasionally, but I think I'd tear off my eyelids if I had to watch every style change of Lady GaGa or track which celebrity has their own perfume or fashion line out. I love that stuff, but I'm no slave to fashion - and I only wear perfume if I'm going somewhere where people are present who are worthy of smelling Chanel.

So what do I do then? Tell me, Oh suds and hot water, what should I do to be more engaged in my writing, my world and enter the blogosphere?

Really? Is it that simple? Noooo, it couldn't be...

Just be me? Just write about what I'm thinking about, doing, wondering each day? Why that's... that's just...ABSOLUTELY EFFING BRILLIANT!!! And, after re-reading the posts on this blog, is exactly what I'm doing.

So that is it, that is this, this is me....