Just bought myself a Mslexia Writer’s Diary for 2017, to keep track of competitions I plan to enter, agents I’ve approached with my novel, and the responses I receive (if any). Far better than cluttering the family diary.
A designated diary like this provides a submissions record, information on manuscript formatting, details of the major competitions, and advice on how to get published from Donna Tartt, Isabel Allende, Hilary Mantel and many others. However, it would be easy to customise one for your own needs – and they’ll be on special offer once we’re into January.