Every year sometime in December I set up my next year’s calendar. This is not only a planning tool but also a reflective meditation.
I sit comfortably with some nice pens, my old calendar, a hot drink, and some pleasant music in the background. I take my time to reflect on the past year and plan for the upcoming one.
1. I go through my old calendar month by month. I note birthdays, anniversaries, and standard meeting times (networking groups, goals group, the clutter support group, my zone plan teleclass, etc.).
2. I transfer these events onto the new calendar in red. This is easy to do since they were in red on my old calendar. I use red because I want these dates to stand out from all the other appointments and meetings that will crowd my calendar throughout the year.
3. At the top of each month, I note what zone in my home I am planning on working. January will have “office” zone marked. February will have “guest bedroom” zone and so on throughout the year. On the notes side of my calendar, I will write in other actions that I regularly do in that month. March will have “write newsletter” for example.
4. Also, on the notes side I keep track of when I pay yearly obligations (deposit box), renewals of subscriptions (so I don’t renew a magazine 6 months before it runs out), scheduled donations, and memberships. When I start getting mail asking me for a donation or to renew a subscription, I can look at that note section to see when I plan to take that action.
5. Finally, I write in any known scheduled events for the upcoming months such as doctor appointments, client appointments, presentations, and upcoming adventures (hopefully a family reunion in July).
As I perform this end of year ritual, I get to review the past year. I see when I got together with friends or when I held or went to a party or went on a trip. And then I also know that I will not have to worry about missing a birthday or anniversary or doctor’s appointment set months in advance. I am ready for anything the new year is going to bring!