As a lifelong Oregonian I learned to treasure the often rare patches of blue sky and precious sunny days in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. My family was small – my pharmacist father and registered nurse mother ran a tight ship. My younger sister and I were expected to participate fully in chores and take personal responsibility from our youngest days. When I was 12, I hung out my babysitting shingle, which gave me an early gift of planning my own time.

By 2003 I was a married full-time sales executive with two sons, a vacation home, a boatload of hobbies and a calendar that ran on adrenaline. I held it together with “The Franklin Planner” system. Over the years I tried all the sizes of binders – the Classic, the Compact, and the deluxe “Monarch” size with the leather briefcase. I was keeping two calendar systems by then – the planners and my digital calendars. Pride goeth before a fall.

In 2004, newly divorced with my own house, the same demanding job and new family schedules I left paper planners behind and went to 100% digital calendars. My cell phones got better with every upgrade, but I occasionally confused my calendar and missed appointments. I felt pressured and always behind.