End of Year Calendar Ritual

By now most of us have our calendar for the new year. Let me share a ritual I do with my calendar every year about this time.

I like to order a calendar that is small enough to carry with me when I go to a client’s home or a doctor's office. I also want my calendar to show a month at a glance and have large enough squares for me to write in.

I already have some appointment dates in my new calendar but sometime before Christmas I will find an evening where I can sit peacefully without stress and do my annual end-of-year ritual.

Besides having my current calendar and my new calendar I will gather a couple of pens with colored ink, have nearby a nice beverage and put some holiday music in the background.

I have some notes and information that I transfer from my current calendar to my new one each year.  For example, I have a piece of paper listing National Organizing Events by the month. I have a few sayings and affirmations that I transfer. Toward the back of my new calendar on a notes page I have a few social media passwords. I do this so that when I am on a trip, and I need to log in on my iPad I have these at my fingertips and don’t get upset because I can’t remember them.

Then I open both calendars to January.

On the top of the page on the new calendar, I write the zone in my home that I am working on for that month. On the To-Do side column, I write tasks that I need to do that month like renew my business license or contribute to certain charities. On the notes section I will write reminders like that this month is Get Organized Month and Clean out Your Closet month.

I take my red pen and write in everyone’s birthday and anniversary. I will take a green pen and write in meetings that I have every month on certain dates. This makes these reminders pop out when I start filling up my calendar with monthly “to-dos”, client appointments, doctor appointments, and tasks I schedule to complete the zone that I am working on for that month. It keeps me from double scheduling and also reminds me to make a call or send out a card or email.

I take some time to review my current calendar before I turn the page to the next month, to remind me of all that I did this past year in that month. Sometimes I have forgotten about that play that I saw or the trip to the Botanical Gardens.

Then I repeat this procedure for every month.

At the end of my ritual, I have set up my new calendar for the year. I have also had a lovely trip down memory lane. I find this ritual soothing and grounding and I feel I am ready to begin the new year.

If you want help or just some accountability in planning your time, organizing a zone in your home or working any other organizational plan either outside or inside your home, join Diane Quintana and me on our Clear Space For You clutter support group.

Jonda S. Beattie, Professional Organizer owner of Time Space Organization, and co-owner of Release, Repurpose, Reorganize. She is based in the Metro-Atlanta area. As presenter, award-winning author, as well as a retired special education teacher she uses her listening skills, problem solving skills, knowledge of different learning techniques, ADHD specialty, and paper management skills to help clients tackle the toughest organizational issues. Jonda does hands on organizing and virtual organizing. For more of Jonda’s tips connect with her on Facebook.