I am just getting down to work when Andy comes barging into my office carrying a big box that is completely blocking his line of sight.

“Special delivery!” He calls out.

Suddenly, he trips over a pile of files sitting on the floor beside my desk and he – and the box – come crashing down. “Oomph.”

“Ah Andy are you okay?!” I jump out of my chair and scramble to his side to help him up, sidestepping my ‘to be shredded’ pile along with the spilled notebooks from Andy’s box on my way.

“I’m fine.” He sits up slowly, a distraught expression on his face.

His attention turns to the state of my office, and I immediately sense the judgments he’s making.

“I’m uh…re-organizing. September is a fresh start!” I explain.

Andy doesn’t look convinced. He pulls one of the notebooks that came from his large box, and opens it up. I quickly realize it isn’t a notebook, but a planner.

Andy grabs a pen from my desk drawer and scribbles something in the margin next to the month of September. Then he hands it over to me.

I look down and read Andy’s neat handwriting: “September is a fresh start!”

“Now, you can remember this moment, and use it to set your goals moving forward,” Andy says with a smile.

“But I don’t need a planner, I keep everything organized on my iPhone,” I reply.

“And how often do you look back at your digital notes, months later, to assess what you’ve accomplished?” He asks. “I use my paper agenda to track my goals – both professionally and personally. It really helps me stay on track.”

Where did this Andy come from? I think to myself. Mr. Goal Chaser.

“Nothing beats a handwritten collection of your thoughts,” he says. “All the great ones did it – Charles Darwin, Thomas Jefferson, Beatrix Potter.”

I flip through the planner, noticing the weekly and monthly page spreads, with plenty of room for notes. Maybe this is just what I need. “Thanks Andy, great idea.”

“Not to mention, I figure this way, when I become famous, I can sell my planner on eBay for the big bucks!” He jokes.

We sit on my office floor, laughing loudly. “Who knows, Andy? You’re so full of surprises, it just might happen!”