• What is the set of problems you're looking to solve? Do you mostly care about coordinating appointments? Do you want to keep track of things like chores, homework, medication, and so on? Do you need to share information with friends and relatives? Do you want to share ALL information, or only selectively share the information?


• How easy is it to use? Paper tools are easy and quick, but they're not accessible from everywhere and
  
  
  keeping them up-to-date is a problem. Often, but not always, using computer-based solutions (whether using the web, desktop, or PDA) requires a certain amount of patience, but they tend to be more portable and accessible. Will the benefits of the computer-based solution make up for the inconvenience? Even if it does, is the system easy enough to use that you will use it consistently?


• Will it work for my whole family? Feeding a time management system is a chore that's more likely to be completed if everyone in your family can easily use it.


• How likely are you to continue using it? Making a commitment to time management, in whatever form, requires a certain amount of discipline. If a system is not delightful to use, it could quickly become a chore that is unsustainable. So weigh the usability of the system from that perspective.


• How accessible and portable is it? This is an important reason to choose an electronic solution in the first place. If you're on the road or in the dentist's office, how can you easily find out if there's a conflict with some other appointment you're trying to make? Is the solution usable by a mere mortal (namely you) who may not have the patience to deal with clumsy little keyboards or the multiple steps it takes to navigate, for example, a cell phone calendar?


• How easy is it to share information? Are members outside your family easily able to access the appropriate information (and only the appropriate information)? How much effort does it take on your part to share that information?


• Does the system give back more than you put in? How easy is it to synchronize your information with, say, your spouse's work calendar and your own work calendar? If you make an entry on the system, does it automatically synchronize with other calendars that are important to you?


• How much automatic input do I get from the system? How automatically does information that you care about, like your kids' homework or athletic schedules, and your local community schedules, come into the system?

About the Author

Saro Saravanan is the Founder-CEO of Mediabee, which makes Mediabee Family Dashboard, a free family management tool built to address the needs of busy families and their organizers. Download Mediabee Family Dashboard today at http://mediabee.com and streamline your family life.