Why plan by rows
On a year planner every month is one line, and the weekdays sit in the same columns from January to December. Weekends form vertical stripes down the page, so long weekends, bridges between a holiday and a weekend, and the number of working days in a stretch are visible at a glance. That is why planners like this hang in offices for booking vacation and in schools for planning terms.
The planner always prints in landscape. Each row starts with the month’s name in a colored tab; the weekday initials run across the top. With “Shade weekends” on, the two weekend columns of every week are gray from top to bottom.
Day size on each paper
| Paper (landscape) | Day width | Row height |
|---|---|---|
| US Letter | 0.26 in (6.7 mm) | 0.59 in (15.0 mm) |
| A4 | 0.28 in (7.2 mm) | 0.57 in (14.5 mm) |
| US Legal | 0.34 in (8.8 mm) | 0.59 in (15.0 mm) |
| Tabloid | 0.43 in (10.8 mm) | 0.80 in (20.3 mm) |
| A3 | 0.41 in (10.5 mm) | 0.86 in (21.8 mm) |
The smallest common dot stickers, 1/4 inch (about 6 mm) across, fit a day on Legal paper and larger. On Letter and A4 the days are only just wider than that, so a colored pen or highlighter works better.
Planning leave with holidays
Choose your holidays before you plan: a holiday on a Thursday makes a four-day weekend with one day of leave, and a Tuesday holiday does the same with the Monday. In the US, holidays that fall on a weekend are observed on the Friday before or the Monday after, and the planner shows both the holiday and the observed day. In the UK, the substitute day is shown as the bank holiday and the weekend date as an ordinary day with its name.
Questions
Why are there 37 columns?
The days are lined up by weekday, so a month that starts on the last day of the week needs six columns before its first day and then 31 days, 37 columns in all. Every month fits, and every column is the same weekday all the way down the page.
Can I start the planner in September?
Yes. Choose the first month and the planner runs for twelve months from there, titled with both years. More than twelve months continue on a second page.
What size should I print it?
On Letter or A4 each day is about a quarter of an inch wide, enough for colored dots and short notes. For a wall planner that the whole team writes on, print Tabloid (11 × 17 in) or A3 at a copy shop, where the days are about 0.4 inches wide and the rows 0.8 inches high.
Are holiday names shown?
Holidays that are days off have bold day numbers in the holiday color, and the first few holiday names and your dates are written in the day in small type. On larger paper they are easier to read.
Can I mark vacations and leave?
Add a date with an end date for each one. The days are shaded and the name is written on the first day.