We were a good part of the way through January when I realized I didn’t have a calendar to my name for 2014. As someone who relishes planning maybe a little too much, this was quite disturbing. Despite relying heavily on Outlook at work and my smart phone for up-to-the-minute reminders and the answer to “what day is it, anyway?” I still need that grid of printed paper to scribble appointments, deadlines and birthdays on with a favorite pen.

So thus I set out to find the perfect planner and calendar for the new year. I settled on a 5″ x 8″ Blue Sky brand agenda because it was lightweight, wire bound, small enough to slip into a purse and had both monthly and weekly calendar views. For a wall calendar, I found an illustrated Barbie calendar at Paper Source that, despite not being much of a Barbie girl, I couldn’t say no to. The illustrations are just so pretty.

In my quest for the necessary planning devices, I stumbled across a genius idea from Midwest design blogger Jensie. Crafters rejoice: it involves washi tape. For multi-day engagements, use the tape of your choice to mark across calendar grids. For the ultra-organized, you can even color code by using different tapes. You could do this just as well with a highlighter, but what’s the fun/craftiness in that?  At least this way you have an excuse to go out and buy some new rolls of the adorable, multipurpose tape that’s sweeping the craft world right now. An added bonus I found is that if an appointment changes, you can carefully peel up the washi tape and reapply it to the new date. This technique is a fun and easy way to take the monotony out of scheduling. Even dull events appear like something to look forward to when they’re dressed up like this. If you have a suggestion for how to organize your calendars, I’d love to hear about it!