Day planners: What a charming, old-timey way to keep track of your schedule. I guess at one point they were useful for people planning jaunts in jalopies, disco dates or power lunches, but today we have smart phones to take care of our needs. One thing you miss without a nice pen — make it a gel pen for old time’s sake — is the satisfaction of crossing each item off as you finish it.

iPhones and calendar programs are great for the basics, but when you need to know more than when your classes are, it helps to have a physical reminder that your ten-page paper is due tomorrow morning. This reminder should be written in bright yellow highlighter, naturally.

The only real issue with day planners and organizers is how ugly most of them are. They probably look great if you’re stuck in a cubicle all day, but for the rest of us, they’re a little stodgy. Plenty of companies, fortunately, have created stylish alternatives.

Available in a nice, paperback-book size and in colors like orange, pink, and green, Franklin Covey makes a planner perfect for a college student. It even has a back pocket for those random half sheets of paper you somehow accumulate during the day, which is definitely a feature to look for when planner shopping.

It’s important to note that these specialized notebooks aren’t just a girl thing. In fact, there’s nothing more masculine than a camouflage organizer from Mead for less than $20. It closes with a zipper, so it can be thrown around. Be careful, though: Taking it hunting may be a little rough on it.

If you want something luxurious that will last a lifetime, prepare to spend a pretty penny — or pound, as the case may be. Smythson of Bond Street, a very posh British company, sells a $90 leather planner that will make your professors green with envy. Add some gold-stamped letters, at $12 a pop, to the cover for some extra pizzazz.