Longing for Organization

I love organization; or rather, I long for organization. This has lead to an abundance of containers, folders, planners, calendars, and notebooks; most of which sit unused because I am yet to find a system that works for me.

Here is my newest attempt to find what works: a DIY Dry-Erase Calendar. My thought is that being large and hanging on the wall it will be hard to miss. I also like the ease of dry-erase.

And even if it doesn't end up working for me, maybe it will work for you. So, here we go:

DIY Dry-Erase Calendar

Supplies:

1. Pencil
2. Pen/Marker
3. Ruler
4. Scissors/Paper cutter/X-acto knife
5. Glue/Double-sided tape
6. Colored or patterned paper
7. Post-it notes
8. Poster board
9. Poster frame
10. Dry-erase markers

The Basics:

Poster board dimensions = 22" x 28"

Space covered by frame = 1/2" on all sides

Working space left = 21" x 27"

Layout Plan

Cut List:

1 Month Block (choose size based on preference):

• 2" x 19.25" (shown of Layout Plan above)



Parts cut out and laid in place

• 2" x 12" (what I used)

8 Day/Note Title Pieces:

• 0.75" x 3"

Note Strip/s (chose number/size based on preference):

• 1 - 3" x 16" (shown of Layout Plan above)
• 2 - 3" x 7.75" (what I used)

 Assembly:

From here, it is pretty simple: measure, mark spacing, and glue the pieces into place.

Note:

• All parts (aside from the Month Block) are spaced with 1/4" between
• The Month Block is 3/4" above the Day/Note Title Pieces
• Leave a 1" border on all sides to allow for a 1/2" border inside of the frame

TIP: I would suggest not gluing the post-it notes and sticking them with the adhesive on them. This will allow you to move them around as you work and get them all lined up evenly/straight. When you put the poster board into the frame, they will lay flat despite only being attached on one side.

Days of the week

Once everything is glued, it is time to add the days of the week and the header for your side section (I labeled mine "Notes" but a "To Do List" or "Grocery List" would also be a good options).

I chose to write in pencil first and then go over that in pen, so that the lettering ended up centered and the same size.

Poster frame (back)

Finally, you need to place your calendar in the frame and close it up (I had to add paper between my poster board and the back of the frame to fill the space. This made sure the poster was tight against the front of the frame).

Then it is time to hang it up and grab a dry-erase marker to add the current month and to fill it up with all of the events, due dates, vacations, etc. that are happening in your life.

Finished Dry-Erase Calendar

I hope that this will be a solution to my unorganized ways. And if not, at least I enjoyed the time spent creating it!