Time to make money: personal information managers keep you organized.

Time is money. Now software programs can help you save time and money by keeping track of your business affairs as if you had the most efficient secretary at your disposal.

Whether you are a small business owner or a traveling salesperson, PIMs (personal information managers) put the power to organize at your fingertips. No longer will you have to be a slave to your Rolodex or spend hours sifting through piles of paper.

Most PIMs come with three basic elements: a calendar, telephone book and notes area. Some also include telephone logs, to-do lists and beeping alarms that remind you of pending meetings or telephone calls. One popular feature is client tracking tools, which come complete with cross-reference databases that let you link one client with a number of different businesses, publications or organizations. If you're looking for more than one organization, advanced PIMs include e-mail functions, zip code and area code directories and networking capabilities. All these features are linked together by the click of a button.

"The PIM will do everything," says Lisa Kanarek, president of Dallas-based Everything's Organized, and author of Organizing Your Home Office For Success (Plume) and 101 Home Office Success Secrets (Career Press). But if you're attached to hand-held, paper organizers, such as Franklin's or Day Runner, you don't have to toss them aside. "I do my to-do list on my PIM, then I print out a copy and take it with me in my planner," says Kanarek. "If I need to make changes, I just write them down."

With so many PIMs on the market, it's important to assess what you want the PIM to do before you buy one. If you just want a calendar and telephone book, then you can survive with your basic computer calendar and notes area that comes with any Windows package. But if you want organization, client tracking and networking assistance, then you need a PIM.

Since the first PIMs appeared on the market in 1990, they have become increasingly affordable. For more advanced PIMs, which offer workgroup collaboration, you'll pay no more than $300.

WordPerfect's InfoCentral ($139; 801-225-5000) runs on Windows and is great for home or business use. Its interface makes client tracking easy; it works great within Perfect Office, which includes Quattro Pro, Presentations, Envoy and WordPerfect.

Lotus Organizer 2.0 ($99; 800-343-5414) from Lotus Corp. is suited for home or small business use. It has the look of a personal calendar, but functions as a reliable PIM. Lotus Organizer is compatible with Lotus' cc: Mail and Lotus Notes.

The bestselling PIM, Sidekick, from Borland International ($30 for an upgrade; $50 for the first-time buyer; 800-331-0877), is great for those who want simplicity. Sidekick includes a notes section that looks like index cards. However, it has fewer features than more advanced PIMs.