So it begins... Happy 2013!

The new year begins with a new work calendar. I take down the tattered and torn 2012 calendar filled with the multicolored details of last year and replace it with a bright shiny new calendar.

For the next 365 days, this calendar will track birthdays, days off, book launches, travel, events, guest blog posts, and anything else that needs my attention. I use a variety of pens to track the progress of projects and potential problems. I even track the ever present dance parties. (We take Lindy Hop lessons at the World of Dance Studio in town.)

There are a lot fancier and more expensive tools in the world. I personally like the flowers on this calendar (creating by Ling Chang) and the chance to look at the year as a whole. Sometimes, things only make sense when you see the year in it's entirety. When I get too focused on getting this or that done, I like to stand in front of the big calendar and look at all the time that's available in any given year.

We also have more sophisticated planning tools - every thing from Wedoist to Google calendars to paper calendars to smart phones to my favorite printable monthly & weekly calendars (which we bounce to Google calendars/docs and use as a team) to household wall calendars.

But I love the elegant simplicity of this flowery year at a glance calendar and the safety felt in seeing that one day leads to another - one month comes and another starts.

How do you keep track of your year? your projects?

Happy New Year!

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