In the digital age we live in, printed calendars are as popular as ever. Desk calendars are common accessories in office environments, including ours, and wall calendars, too, can be found in households up and down the country. In my own family, it’s not unusual to find a calendar (or two) in every room of the house. My family’s calendars serve the practical purpose of reminders – birthdays, holidays, appointments and even refuse collections.
Calendars can also be used as decorative accessories. From scenes depicting traditional landscapes, cute pets and football teams, to the slightly more bizarre Goats In Trees and Nuns Having Fun, there are calendars out there to suit everyone.
There is, of course, a place for digital calendars, too. I have one on my smart phone which can remind me when it’s someone’s birthday – though it pays to remember the proper date. I once had a friend turn up to the pub where I was having my fortieth birthday party a week early!
Planning Ahead
On the Fiction Team, we rely on our calendars every day. As well as highlighting office meetings, they are essential for the planning and structuring of our stories. This is especially important for event-based stories, and, of course, our seasonal stories, too.
Though not strictly a calendar, our “year planner” spreadsheets constitute to similar scheduling purposes, where issue dates are highlighted, helping the Fiction Team plan in advance the contemporary and historical serials which run side by side in the magazine, thus avoiding storyline clashes.
So calendars can serve a colourful and practical purpose both at home and in the workplace. Just remember to put the right dates down in the first place, or you could be early or late to the party!