Crafting a Calendar, Part 2

Here we are a mere stone's throw from January 1st, and I just got my 2008 daybook put together today. This is the "daily visual reminder" I alluded to in my post on routines. To be sure, it's a humble, homemade planner - mostly just a year's worth of checklists - but I'm really excited to use it. I printed and assembled the pages at home, and then swung by Kinko's after lunch to have them all bound into a book.

As I mentioned recently, I've done this before (made a planner, that is), but with little success. But I have a good feeling about this one. First of all, I really like how it looks. :) I'm a smidgen more tech-savvy than I used to be, so this planner is more decorative than ones I've made in the past. I changed the font to a prettier style, and wonder-of-wonders I figured out how to add not just "custom" colors, but borders and tables, too! Actually, I shouldn't give myself too much credit ~ I hit the right buttons quite by accident. ;)

So, about this planner. Here it is at a glance:

In all, there are 210 pages (regular copy paper), a cardstock cover and a cardboard backing. A black plastic spiral binding holds it all together.

Inside the front cover we have:

On the left, three columns; here I'll jot down goals for the new year. On the right are 12 open boxes ~ this page will serve as a year-at-a-glance. Just general notes for each month - like, birthdays, special events and reminders.

Next we jump right into the planner itself: 52 weeks, all laid out in the same way, one day to a page:

• Monday/Tuesday
• Wednesday/Thursday
• Friday/Saturday
• Sunday/Notes

Here is a Saturday/Sunday spread:

Each page (one for each day of the year) has the basic daily checklist listed on the lefthand side, and to the right, in a higlighted box, are the homekeeping tasks meant for that particular day of the week. There is ample space for notes, too.

Here's a close-up so you can see the colors and font. ;)

These pages present a checklist to consult and work off of everyday - daily reminders of what needs to be done. (Granted, the list doesn't change much day-to-day, but we covered the whole mommy brain issue in my previous post. Every little bit helps - or I hope it will.) The bonus is, I also have a spot where I can jot down notes for upcoming days. Let's say I need to bring something for someone I'm seeing on Wednesday the 9th of January. I can flip open to that day and write the reminder down there. My file crate system, as much as I love it, doesn't really address this kind of daily planning.

These pictures don't show the cover all that well, but it is a very pretty brown floral. It matches my backpack, actually.

I might use those little stick-on tab things to divide the book into months, but I'm not sure I like how they look. I should also mention, I did not print out the pages pre-dated. That would have taken waaaay too much time. Instead, I will jot down the date on the top of each page by hand. I will also add any significance to the day such as a holiday, feast day or birthday etc.

The daybook is a good size (8.5x11) but it fits neatly in my bag. I envision myself using it mostly at home, though - keeping it open on my counter where I can refer to it, or quickly jot down something as it comes up. Of course only time will tell how useful this planner will be, so I'll let you all know in a few weeks how it's going.

Well, that's all for now ... thanks to everyone who's been sharing their thoughts on calendars and planning throughout my previous posts. It's great to hear about what has worked for other folks! And as always, thanks to everyone who stops by just to visit ... I hope you all have a great night. :)

Comments

[nina]

Wow, now I am planning (or at least wishing) to do the same. My to do lists don't change much day to day. How handy to have the most of it already printed each day. Thanks for sharing. :)

[Laura]

Oh, that is so neat - I love the cover!

[Caroline]

Whoa. You are awesome. I can't even imagine putting something like this together. You are so talented.

[KatieButler]

This is wonderful--very inspiring!

[Meredith from Merchant Ships]

Beautiful!

Dawn, I've never had much success with pre-printed planners. I'm wondering, though, roughly what a planner this size costs to print and bind?

Time-wise, I'm sure it's worth every penny, as you don't have to write your to-do list on every blank planner page each day.

[sharyn]

Hi there: I've really been inspired by all your planning and celebrating with your family. A question -- how do you balance the boys' schooling in a typical day with your homekeeping tasks? i.e. are they doing independent work while you are hitting your checklist?

Can't wait to see what you've got planned next!

[Stacy]

Dawn,
I have been reading your blog daily since November and I just want to say your blog is my absolute favorite. I can tell that you truly are a kindred spirit. It's funny, we like a lot of the same things (Mary Englebreit, Susan Branch, being outdoors, and homeschooling, to name a few...But where we differ is that your are ultra organized and I am organizationally challenged. I'm enjoying your posts about your planner and I must say that it is very very pretty. I haven't successfully used a planner since college (not that I haven't tried) but a few months ago I bought a pretty 3 ring binder with the intention of having everything I need throughout my week at my fingertips. I'd like a section with housekeeping, homeschooling notes, budget notes, etc. I have yet to make time to put my binder together, but you, Dawn, have inspired me to do so and I plan to get busy with this project this week. Thanks for the gentle nudge. I also plan to begin nature journaling and to have my ds begin nature study/journaling too, perhaps this week...This is something I've wanted to do for years, but never bothered to. You've inspired me in this area too! I'm a Christian mother of two, but I'm not Catholic. May I add that I am in awe with your devotion to the Lord. I could say more, but dinner is waiting to be served and I must go. I'm so glad you have this blog and congrats on your Blog Award. I voted for you and am so happy that you won an award. It is well deserved.
Warmly,
Stacy :-)

[KC]

Dawn,

For each week's pages, did you date them or are they just generic that you'll use in order? This is such a fantastic idea! I've been housekeeping challenged and I know it's because I don't have a list of things that I need to accomplish each day. My mind is working like crazy!

Once again, you've given us all a great, great idea.

[Heather Duncan]

You had better bring that out for this months activity night. I so wanna check it out. I am a forever planner and love lists. LOL

[Heidi]

Wow!
I am so inspired...
I almost want to cancel my 3 week Jan. vacation to have time to plan and start a good 2008 routine!
I truly love your blog and am going to start subscribing!
Thank you!

[Patricia]

Dawn,
What a New Year inspiration you have been. I was looking at your pages and I noticed you have a daily routine in one column. Would you mind sharing that? Also, I have noticed in the past that you read to your boys at mealtime and I am wondering how that works. And, finally, do you do your homekeeping in a certain time slot or do you multi-task.
Thank you so much for sharing and answering questions, you are a tremendous help to me.
Patricia

P.S. I found your blog during a search for Lenten activities and I was not disappointed.

[Jenna]

Dawn! Wow your planner looks great and might I say you are ambitious to make your own! I just bought one of those bizzi2go planners this year because it is small enough to fit in my purse, yet it folds out to bigger so i have writing room. One of my goals this year was to make a menu each sunday for the week and stick too it.So I have been writing down the meals in my day planner as well as any other important ideas etc. However it does not have the cool checklist that yours does! I love that you did not pick specific times too. I tried that at the beginning of this year with making a daily list and schedule and found myself so guilty if I did not stick to it that I quit using it all together. Well anyway your blog today as always is inpsiring!
Jenna

[Maria]

This is wonderful! I am so inspired!

[dayspring]

Wow! Looks beautiful. Love to have a closer peek at those lists! :)

[Allison]

I too would love to hear about the daily list and what something like this costs.

Thanks, as always, for inspiration! You're incredible!

[Jen]

I love the looks of this! The wheels are spinning away in my brain. :) I am so enjoying (and benefitting from) the file crate idea...I appreciate your sharing your ideas so much!

[mel]

Love it! You're right, color makes all the difference. :) I'm wishing I could start a new planner now..heehee. But I start mine over the summer with our new school year.

[Mira]

What a great idea to make your own planner. I use Amy Knapp's Family Organizer but it doesn't always fit the bill. I'm going to have to take another look at my home planner(separate from the organizer) and see if there is a way to combine it with your make your own planner idea.

Thanks for sharing.

[dolfin]

What an inspiration. Thank you for sharing this. I have been trying to decide what sort of date book would suit me and this idea touches a note.

[jennifer]

I would love to hear an update on how your daybook is working, if you would be willing to share. I love this idea, and I have been thinking about it ever since you posted about it. I am finally about ready to put one together. Has it been a real help? Anything you would change about it? We seem to work so much better with checklists than a set time schedule...I'm thinking a modified version of this might be a good thing even for my "olders".