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. :)