Why Should You Use a Paper Calendar?

Too many responsibilities and a busy schedule make it impossible to function without an efficient organizer reminding us of meetings and other important things.

Without a calendar, it would be difficult to remember the date of our next doctor’s appointment, some business that needs to be taken care of or whether the number that called us related to a matter that should’ve been attended to a few months ago. A lot of us are notoriously bad at time management, so one way to manage it effectively is to note things down in a calendar. It’s something we can stick to and rely on during a busy day.

Digital or analogue?

There are all kinds of calendar apps out there but sometimes, putting pen to paper has additional benefits.^[1] Analog calendars are the best, as they often have plenty of space for notes and it’s an item we can come back to in search of memories. Moleskine is just one of the companies making great calendars. In addition to a calendar, we use pocket notebooks to jot down notes or reminders.

What do we like about paper calendars?

• Paper calendars don’t require a battery.

• You can use it during your digital detox if you don’t want anything to escape your memory.

• They’re always close at hand, if you remember to bring it with you.

• You can be creative by taking down important dates and reminders in an original way.

• It’s not a faux pas at business meetings, a paper calendar will look elegant.

• There is no danger of data loss (unless you lose your calendar, of course, but if you’re mindful, it should be safe).

In the digital era, paper calendars may seem archaic. We’re starting to turn away from them in favour of electronic versions. If you spend a lot of time on the computer, an electronic calendar will make your work easier, it will function both as a schedule and an address book. Thanks to notifications and reminders it won’t let you forget about all of the important meetings and by integrating with your email account it will collect necessary data and messages. Another advantage is that thanks to the digital form we can’t lose an electronic calendar, our notes can be accessed from various portable devices.

Yet, an electronic calendar won’t work in every situation and it may turn out to be addictive. You might check your calendar every hour thinking that you forgot something important. If the calendar contains various notes, including personal ones, it might be better to have it in paper form.

We can keep it handy and write things down whenever we want, without fear that we’ll miss something. This facilitates easy collection of information and detailed planning. If we want to have our notes with us all the time, then a paper calendar might be just right.

Canva's Calendar Maker is a great resource that can help you create your own digital or printed personalized calendars, organize your day-to-day tasks, and make your designing experience easy and efficient. Design it, print it, use it! Canva are also donating all proceeds from any paid images used in your design towards Australia's emergency bushfire relief and recovery programs (January 2020). You can also donate directly to the Red Cross here. 

There’s one more thing. What about using a paper calendar as part of your digital detox? What about enjoying the moments you spend planning? Just sit down, take your pen, smell the paper (a bit of an odd one, we know) and write. You can think of it as a form of meditation. Feel the texture of the paper, be careful about your writing. Turn away from your digital calendar and choose its paper form.

Make your life easier.

A calendar kept systematically ensures that nothing will slip your mind. As a result, thanks to detailed notes we are able to predict various situations and manage our time more effectively. For example, if we prepare ourselves for day-to-day duties, it will be easier for us to plan our free time. A calendar can be a functional tool for everyone, not just for the lazybones or latecomers. It motivates us to do different things beforehand so that we don’t leave them until the last moment.

The benefits of keeping a calendar come along when we can finally appreciate the spare time and understand how good organization enables us to be up to date and achieve work-life balance. Unless you’re trying to go paperless, in which case, digital might be for you!

Buy yourself a nice pen and start planning!

You can find some paper calendars here:

• https://xoplanners.com/

• https://riflepaperco.com/

• http://www.moleskine.com/en/

• https://sugarpaper.com/

Is there anything you’d like to add, have we missed anything? If you’re interested in sharing your experiences with us or writing a guest post for us, send us an email via hello@mudita.com!

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