Hey peeps!

One of the things I try to preach on Domestically Challenged is the benefit of effective time management techniques and skills. Here’s a great way to do that – use a planner. Any type of planner will work, so long as you put it to work for you.

Today, I have a review of a spectacular product to those of you who like to use paper planners. I use Google Calendar for my regular planning, but a paper planner for my writing and blogging notes and schedules. I am a planner junky, so getting to try a new one was fun. I was able to review a DotMine Day planner. Read on to see how to win your own planner!

This is the Dot Mine Day Planner:

Aren’t these adorable?

Here’s the one I reviewed:

My initial thought when I opened the package was “Impressive!” This is a sturdy planner that will hold up well to a purse or backpack, as well as regular daily use (you do use a planner daily, right?).

Another cool feature? The pocket at the back. It’s the perfect place to stash doctor’s notes, receipts and other notes that you might need to keep handy.

Once I finished checking out the basic features, I dove in. I am a former Franklin Covey user, so I *know* calendar systems. I decided that I liked the layout of this one right away.

This is the babysitter page. It allows you to fill out all the relevant info that a sitter would need. I like this – no more rewriting the notes each time we go out. It’s all in one spot.

For each month, you get a monthly calendar, like the one above and then one week per page afterwards.

There is also a basic overall seasonal planner. This would work for sports or music practice, for example. Highlight the times you are always busy and then you can see the times you have available quickly.

What’s to like about this planner:

• This is a biggie – each week has a list on the side, that is perforated. THIS MEANS YOU CAN RIP IT OUT AND NOT RUIN YOUR PLANNER. See what I mean? HUGE.
• Week at a glance – this makes it easy to see what you have going on – I personally like being able to look ahead to see what’s coming up.
• Style – this is a GREAT looking planner. Choose your style, flirty or sophisticated.
• It’s a mom owned company.
• They offer planners for families, professionals and students. There’s bound to be something there for you.

In all honesty, the only criticism I could come up with was the size. It might get a little heavy, but if you leave it in the car and then bring it into the house, you’d be fine.

Now, the most important part – how do you get your own?

EASY!

This drawing is for a DotMine planner. Winners may choose any planner that IS NOT a Borders Exclusive from the www.timemine.com site. This is open to U.S. residents

All you need to do is this:

1. You must leave a comment here with a valid email address.

That’s it! Would you like an additional entry? That’s easy too!

Additional Entry:

Tweet a link to this page (you can use the Tweet this button on the top of the page) – then leave a comment telling me that you did so.

A random winner will be picked on Saturday, March 5th at 8PM MST. Winners will be contacted via email and the product will be shipped directly from the company.

**The fine print**

This review was made possible by Mom Spark Media. These views are my own. I did receive a planner to review in return for this blog post.

Which planner would you pick? Leave it in the comments for your chance to win!