Creating a Family Calendar

A desk pad calendar is ideal for creating a family calendar. There's plenty of space for writing in appointments, telephone numbers, addresses and reminders. The trick is to organize all the information in such a way that no one's appointment or activity will ever be missed. Here are the tips that keep my family calendar on track, month after month.

Mount the desk pad calendar

At an office supply store, choose a desk pad calendar with a firm cardboard back. At a framing shop or craft store, buy three adhesive saw-tooth picture hangers. Turn the calendar over and glue the picture hangers at the top corners and top mid-point of the calendar. Then use nails to hang your family calendar on the wall.

Avoid markers and pens

Because the space in your family calendar is limited, it's best if you can erase changing information throughout the month. A mechanical pencil with an eraser top is ideal, because you'll never have to sharpen your writing tool or look for an eraser. If you tie the pencil on a silk ribbon beside your family calendar, you'll never have to hunt for something to write with. Finally, keep a box of mechanical pencil lead refill nearby.

Keep repeat information handy

At an office supply store look for colorful sticky notes, perhaps in heart or star shapes. Write down important phone numbers, emails, address or reminders that apply for the entire year. Stick your sticky notes on the top (spine) of your family calendar. Using a different color for different family members can help you locate information quickly.

Keeping everyone's schedule handy

Buy a three-ring folder and folder dividers at an office supply store. Use the folder to store after-school activity schedules, doctor appointment schedules and other pre-assigned appointments that might stretch across a few months. Use one folder divider for each family member, to help you locate information easily. Store your family schedule folder where you can easily access it once a month.

Preparing the family calendar each month

On the first day of each month, pull out your family schedule folder and use it to populate your calendar with appointments and events for the month. Make a note of the appointment type (for example: Dr. Brown) and if needed add the family member's name. If you keep a sticky note with the phone number on top of your family calendar, you can save space inside the calendar day by not having to write the phone number there.

Time scheduling on your family calendar

When noting an appointment time, remember to add parenthetical travel time estimation. This buffer will prevent you from scheduling appointments back to back. In addition, think of a typical day in your family's life. Do unexpected things pop up on a regular basis? If so, perhaps you should consider adding a buffer period for the unexpected. Remember to always consult your family calendar before scheduling a new appointment to avoid conflicts.

Mark celebrations brightly

It can be fun to make an exception to the pencil rule. Noting birthdays, anniversaries or graduations in a bright marker will add festivity to your family calendar. Avoid washable markers, however. They will not wash off your paper calendar in case you make a mistake. In fact, washable markers are likely to bleed through the calendar paper into the month below.

Add a little color to your family calendar

Kids will love to stick bright stickers on the unused space left in the calendar when a day is over. This can be after a dreaded appointment is over (perhaps with the dentist), or after a difficult exam at school. Stickers can even be an award for a job well done, after a recital, concert or game.

Mixing practicality with fun will make your family calendar a useful and enjoyable tool. And after you tear off a finished month, fold the calendar page and store it in your family album. You'll have a beautiful memento of your family's daily existence.

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