perfect planning

Save the date: 2012 personal planners to keep you fashionably on schedule

These days, the idea of carrying around a datebook, desk calendar or personal agenda likely seems archaic. But although there are endless ways to plan and document your days in digital form, there is just something gratifying about recording an appointment or meeting on paper.

Call us old fashioned, but scrawling out a last-minute reminder — on actual paper — somehow adds an additional layer of commitment to a deadline or dinner.

While desk calendars are themselves no novel invention, the nearing new year might have you rethinking your organizational strategy. If that's the case (and if you haven’t already committed to a trusty sidekick) then take a peek at the few we've rounded up below.

Here's looking at you, 2012:

Pocket-friendly prioritization

Poketo’s Perfect Mini Planner is just that — compact, efficient, durable and good-looking to boot. With a plastic cover and a handful of playfully modern designs to choose from, this little book lives up to its name. Also, its open format (it only lists days of the week, you fill in the numbers) is good for those who like a little less structure.

If you like the look and feel of these little guys but need something a little bigger, check out their Tomorrow Planners. A little larger, but equally as awesome.

Leather lovely

If you’re looking to invest in a datebook of the more evergreen (read: reusable) variety, then a classic Kate Spade organizer might be your answer. The Tudor City Large Debra is both elegant and functional. I can personally vouch for the fact that these stand the test of time as the one I have has held up for nearly 10 years.

All you need to do is purchase the refill pages each year (which are always cleverly designed around a fun theme). Plus, you can customize it however you want — post-it pages, zip pouches — you name it.

Old faithful

It’s no surprise that the purveyor of the classic and clean notebook, Moleskine, makes a sleek and simple planner. Although there are countless styles, sizes, colors and versions (daily, weekly, monthly) available, the Large Vertical Weekly Planner is the logical middle ground. The pages are dated from January 2012 through December 2012, and each two-page spread features one week — straightforward and functional.

Spiral-bound simplicity

This recycled leather option gets points for both sustainability and style. Similar to the Moleskine in its weekly layout, this 2012 Moss Datebook has a little added bonus: stickers. Cute and colorful, the stickers add an interactive element to your calendar, making ticking off those to-dos just that much more fun.

Non-traditional notes

Based on the “Action Method” developed by the Behance team, the hard-cover Action Journal was designed with the creative professional in mind.

Falling more within the lines of a notebook than a calendar, the Action Journal features unique page layouts that provide plenty of creative freedom to plan your day but emphasize actionable items and task accomplishment. Oh, and it’s created using 100 percent sustainable materials.

Did we miss your favorite? Share your tips and tricks for staying organized in the comments below.

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room for improvement

Houston has work to do on ranking of America's fittest cities for 2026

Photo by Gabin Vallet on Unsplash

About 74 percent of Houstonians have exercised in the past month.

Houstonians are more fit than they used to be, but the city still needs to hit the gym. The Bayou City ranks in the middle of the pack in a ranking of America's fittest cities.

This year’s American Fitness Index puts Houston at No. 44 among the country’s 100 most populated cities, up from 49th place last year. Houston ranks 26th in the personal health category and a disappointing 64th in the community and environment category.

The index shows 74 percent of Houston residents had exercised in the previous month, 57 percent had met aerobic activity guidelines, and 33 percent had met aerobic and strength activity guidelines. The first two of those numbers are below the 100-city averages.

The Elevance Health Foundation and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) produce the annual index, which they say combines measures of personal health behavior, chronic disease outcomes, community infrastructure, and environmental factors “to provide a comprehensive picture of how well cities promote fitness and well-being.”

Arlington, Virginia, tops the index, followed by Washington, D.C.; Minneapolis; Seattle; and Denver. The Dallas suburb of Plano takes the top Texas spot at No. 12 nationally.

“The cities that consistently rank at the top aren’t succeeding because of one program or one investment,” Stella Volpe, past president of ACSM and chair of the Fitness Index Advisory Board, says in a press release. “They’ve built systems that support healthier living over time. They are the ones creating environments where physical activity can easily become a part of everyday routines.”

One thing helping Houston is its strong network of parks. In May, Houston landed at No. 10 in Texas and 69th in the U.S. in the annual ParkScore Index. That was down slightly from 2025.

Every year, land conservation nonprofit The Trust for Public Land rates park systems in the 100 biggest American cities on accessibility, equity, acreage, investment, and amenities.

Among other Texas cities appearing in the American Fitness index are:

No. 28 Austin, down from No. 21 last year.
No. 43 Dallas, up from 46th last year.
No. 69 Fort Worth, up from 80th last year.
No. 80 San Antonio, up from No. 94 last year.

“Where you live increasingly determines how healthy you are,” Volpe says. “The healthiest cities don’t just encourage exercise — they make movement part of daily life through infrastructure, transportation, and community design.”

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