Are People Who Use Desk Calendars More Productive?

Wednesday, November 23, 2022

Many of us waste a lot of time working on time management. Is there anything more ironic or counterintuitive? We are pushed, in both our personal and professional lives, to do more, produce more, and achieve more. When it seems like every minute of every day is crammed with responsibilities to remember, it is no wonder we waste time just trying to keep track of how we track our time.  

It is often a vicious cycle and can be exhausting.  

It does not have to be, though, if we just step back and assess what works and what doesn’t. For many of us, even in the online age of the most innovative, digital devices, a simple desk pad calendar can ease some of the burdens we place on ourselves regarding our time.  

Some Visual Benefits of a Desktop Calendar 

You might scratch your head wondering how can this rectangle of paper replace the shared calendars on smartphones and laptops. It doesn’t have to replace it, but it can augment some of these devices upon which we have learned to rely not always in the most efficient manner.  

First, and most obviously, it is right in front of you. Your phone with its tiny calendar may be in your pocket or your laptop may require you to sift through multiple screens until you find the right page. You can sit at your desk with your desk pad calendar at your fingertips. No searching or scrolling required.  

How many screens does the average person face every day? From phones to computers to televisions our eyes are assaulted with a seemingly endless amount of flickering lights and intense graphics. Our eyes must move at the same pace, which can cause strain and fatigue. That desk top calendar might not light up or vibrate with alerts, but it can allow us to have a well-deserved break from too much visual stimuli.  

The Desktop Calendar as an Effective Tool 

Gone are the days when busy professionals could casually schedule their commitments from week to week. People navigate jampacked days months and even a year in advance. Using a desktop monthly or yearly calendar allows for long-term planning which in turn can help anyone achieve long-term productivity. This type of calendar is a gentle yet efficient way to document wide swaths of time, thus creating a more comprehensive picture of what lies ahead. 

As a new year approaches this is an excellent time to look at your calendar and add your important dates that will occur throughout the year. They can be both family and work-related, especially for one-offs dates like birthdays but can also be helpful to document recurring dates like staff meetings or company retreats.  

Desktop Calendars are for More than Just Dates 

A hand-written to-do list cataloguing projects to complete and goals to be met is a satisfying addition to your calendar. As mentioned above, this visual is right in front of you- every day- as a perfect reminder to reinforce what tasks are at hand.  

The power of visual learning is not to be ignored, therefore take some time to customize your calendar to work with your organizational strengths. Does color-coding help you retain entries in your calendar?  

Using color highlighters to designate different categories can be enormously helpful when trying to organize and prioritize.  

Become a Creature of Habit 

Desktop calendars aid in creating productive habits to move your days in the right direction. Remember, when you sit at your desk it is often the first thing you see. Utilize this time to take a deep breath and take a look at the day or week ahead of you. You will remember what is taking place in your schedule and you reduce the chance of missing something important.  

And don’t forget that to-do list as you scan your calendar to remind yourself of upcoming tasks. Creating that to-do was satisfying, but not as much as checking off the things you were able to achieve throughout the week.  

Connect with your Inner Artist 

Never discount the effectiveness of a good doodle. Busy professionals constantly tax their brains. If you do not allow your mind to indulge in a little daydreaming, then you may not be able to function at peak capacity. Doodling is a way to turn off those firing synapses for a minute and simply slow down. Scribbling away at even a little drawing can calm our thoughts as well as let creativity share some of our space.  

Your desk pad calendar is a blank- well, semi-blank- canvas to draw whatever comes to mind but without any serious thinking. Whether it’s stick figures or a self-portrait, a bit of an artistic release can work wonders for the productivity we are trying to achieve.  

Are you a dyed-in-the-wool digital calendar user or do you still embrace the value of having a desk pad calendar waiting to greet you at the beginning of every workday? If you can’t decide, both play well together.  

If you need to change up your productivity efforts check out the latest desktop calendars at House of Doolittle.