Jan. 1 is upon us. It’s time to figure out our resolutions, set meaningful goals, and make plans for the new year. Many of us will vow to eat better, exercise more often, get more sleep, and improve our overall health. But you can also resolve to enjoy yourself through your favorite hobbies, traveling more, saving more money, or working on your career goals. Whatever you plan on accomplishing this year, a customized calendar can help.
If you haven’t already, there’s still time to create your own calendar (or customize your electronic calendar) — and we have some tips on how to make it both fun and more useful.
1. Add all the important dates
If you’ve ever found yourself scrambling to get a last-minute gift or a card sent out because you forgot about someone’s birthday, anniversary, or another special occasion, a custom calendar can help you stay on track each month. Simply add the birthdays, anniversaries, and other important dates to the calendar before you hang it on the wall so you can make sure to remember them throughout the year.
In addition to family celebrations, you can add fun and wacky holidays that you’d like to enjoy with the family, such as Popcorn Day (Jan. 19), Pi Day (March 14), Star Wars Day (May 4), Talk Like A Pirate Day (Sept. 19), and many more.
If you’re tech savvy, you can add them as recurring events on the calendar on your phone, tablet, or computer. Whatever your preference, getting organized at the beginning of each year and setting a reminder (whether written or electronic) is a great way to stay on top of all the important days during the year.
2. Incorporate personal and family goals
Thirty-day challenges are becoming more and more popular — and they can be fun too! From learning something new, improving your heath habits, or reaching a new fitness goal to following your passion, making time for a hobby you enjoy, or even doing something practical like saving money, you can get a sense of accomplishment through every 30-day challenge you complete.
If you love to cook but find it difficult to find time for new recipes, take one month out of the year to challenge yourself to cook a new meal each day. If photography is your passion but you feel you don’t time for it, make one month your photography challenge, and take one photo every day and post it to social media.
The goals can be super simple. If you want your family to be healthier, challenge everyone to exercise for 15 minutes every day during the month of June and make sure everyone drinks enough water during the month of July. You can also make the goals fun. Take one month to go out and explore a new spot in your city every day, or every weekend. Or watch a documentary on a different country or state each night.
Your monthly challenges can be useful, too. Make March the month you all try to save money for your family vacation. Get every family member involved and have them come up with ways you can cut down on expenses. Then, chart your progress so everyone can see what you’ve accomplished.
3. Add photos from last year
Creating a photo calendar with your favorite photos from last year can be a nice reminder of what you were doing at this time last year. Use your favorite photos from social media to make the process simpler and add one or more photos for each of the months.
It’s a great way to reflect on how far you’ve come in just one short year, and especially fun if you’re incorporating wedding, baby, or kids photos into the calendar.
