Many years ago, the personal organisers as we know them today did not exist. People would have a diary for writing all their engagements in and an address book for all their contacts. At the start of every year, or a little before for the very diligent, people would copy across all their addresses, birthdays and other pieces of information that they kept in their diaries and address books from the previous year into the current year's diary and address book.



Not so long ago, a Filofax was the personal organiser that everyone had to have. Its small ring binder format made adding pages or sections, or taking them out very easy. People bought different covers for their Filofaxes, for example black leather covers or pink canvas covers, and Filofaxes were seen very much as a status symbol. Filofaxes still continue to be very popular today and they make a number of different styles of personal organisers, with designs ranging from the classic to the contemporary. There are also many different accessories and sections you can buy for your Filofax, on top of the standard sections, depending on your interests and needs.

When the electronic organisers came on the market a lot of people instantly ditched their Filofax for a Palmpilot and other similar makes of electronic organisers, or PDA's. These are small handheld electronic organisers which you enter your information into by using a stylus onto a screen. They can store all your appointments in a calendar and all your contacts including email contacts. They have many other features and applications such as areas for making notes, and electronic games.

The big advantage of an electronic organiser over a paper based personal organiser is that you can set reminders and alarms to bleep when you need to attend an appointment. You can also synch them with your personal computer so that all your appointments and contacts are kept up to date on both. If you have internet access on your PDA then you can also send and receive emails, surf the internet, and much more.

Since the launch of the Palmpilot, electronic organisers have continued to evolve. Most mobile phones come with personal organisers now and of course with the advent of BlackBerry's and other similar modern PDA's, it is like carrying your computer in your pocket wherever you go.

However, not everyone likes all the bleeping and flashing that goes on with an electronic organiser and so many people have remained true to their Filofax or other paper based diaries and personal organisers.

Whether your preference is for a paper based organiser or an electronic one there are so many different types on the market that you are guaranteed to find an organiser to suit you. Some people even go for the best of both worlds: having a paper based diary for their personal appointments and then using a PDA for their work related appointments and contacts.

The devotees to PDA's would argue that this isn't the best of both worlds and that it causes confusion running two diaries. They are happy to keep everything on one of the many types of electronic makes of organisers available today.

Whatever the outcome to the debate between paper based organisers and electronic ones may be, there is definitely one for you out there amongst the many types of organisers available. Don't miss out on making these organizers a tool for your business! They make great customer appreciation gifts, and your logo or company slogan is sure to stand out.