In my job as an author, freelance writer, restaurant reviewer - and all other things that a young lady in the city wants and has to do - I have to be on top of everything. What has to be done and when.

I bet you are much the same.

That's why I think having a planner and organizer that works with you and your crazybusy lifestyle is ultra important.

I carried around a Filofax with me everywhere from 1989 to about 2003. I got purses big enough for it to fit into. It had my plans, my lists, my everything.

It's been a long time since I found something as portable and as detailed as my former system - I found it in Pam Socolow's Family Facts On-The-Go 2010 Organizer & Planner.

There are a lot of things to love about this planner:

- it's portable
- the clear vinyl, waterproof cover keeps the pages protected
- the six-ring binder means you can lay it flat to write comfortably for once!
- it gives you 16 months of weekly calendars, so you can plan ahead and keep organized
- there are fill-in sheets to save you time and worry, such as contacts, babysitters, spending tracker and lots more useful info pages
- you can organize it how you like - there are 3 tabs: calendar, contacts, lists - so set it up how it best works for you!
- stickers! awesome!
- there are fantastic folders, pouches and business card holders - you know you're going to use these
- there's a pretty pen and holder, which means you don't have to go scrounging at the bottom of your purse when you need to write something down
-it's damn affordable ($14.95 US/ $17.95 CAN)

I also really appreciate the clean design of the pages. The light green and blue lines with lots of white space allow you to write down the things you need to do, to remember. And there are little tear away corners so that you can always access today's date to see what's up right now.

And the best part? You can start using it before the end of the year, unlike most planners (it starts Sept 2009 and goes until Dec 2010).

Which means, by the time most people think about getting their 2010 organizer, you'll already have yours filled out, stickered to the max and all of your goals laid out (thanks to the Yearly Goals page), thankyouverymuch.

Our lives are too busy, too complicated not to be organized, don't you think? Pam Socolow's Family Facts On-The-Go 2010 Organizer & Planner is a great, affordable way to do it.

I think your Christmas shopping just got a little easier this year...