Did you ever feel like you could get organized if someone just gave you the right tools to keep you on track? It may be time for you to look into investing in or using some personal time management software.

Personal time management software is like that friendly coach or boss who always reminds us to stay on task and keep our eyes on the prize. Of course, a coach or a boss can impose consequences when you don’t follow their orders; whereas a personal time management software program cannot.

Therefore, to succeed with this program, you must still have a fair amount of self-discipline even if your organizational skills are lacking.

Microsoft Works

If your needs are pretty basic, you might be able to use Microsoft Works for your personal time management software needs. Works comes pre-installed on most personal computers, so you don’t have to pay anything extra to get it. Although it is not specifically a time management tool, it comes with several time management templates including templates for routine chores and errands, events planning, lawn and garden maintenance and grocery and household needs. The templates are easy to find, easy to use, and easy to modify for your own purposes. Although far from fancy, these are some good, basic tools which should not be overlooked.

Effexis Personal Time Management

You were only going to work on that article for an hour. Now, here it is, a full two hours later. The article isn’t finished, your kids haven’t had their baths and tuck-in-kisses, and your spouse is starting to sound like the man-eating plant from Little Shop of Horrors. (“Feed me, Seymour!”)

If this sounds like your life, you may want to consider getting an Effexis Personal Time Manager. Effexis costs between $50 and $100. Effexis takes some time to set up—plan on making that the project of an entire afternoon and not just an hour or two, but once you’ve got it up and running, it tracks your projects beautifully. Effexis personal time management software comes in extremely handy if you are a visual person, since you can use different colors and fonts to represent each new task and area of our life (e.g., romance, family, health and fitness, business projects, etc.) When you think you don’t have time for everything in your life, using Effexis is a great way to visually demonstrate that you do.

VIP Quality Software To Do Lists

VIP Simple To Do Lists range from about $30 for a simple to-do-list program all the way up to $70 for the more complicated organizers. The to-do lists are recommended for students, homemakers and anyone else who just needs a few extra reminders for organizing their daily lives. Typical tasks fall under the headings of family, work, appointments, study, chores and hobbies.

The more expensive organizer is developed for people who routinely have to multi-task, like small business owners and other professionals. Features include multiple database management, task groupings, and advanced reminders.

If in spite of your best efforts, you can’t quite seem to get it together, personal time management software could be exactly the tool you need to keep you on task.