The Forever Calendar is an innovative wall-calendar design that can be used year after year!

Setting it up is easy, and the steps below will walk you through the process. A few tips before we get started:

1. You'll write any recurring annual dates directly onto the paper calendar (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.). Then you'll frame the print and use an erasable correctable pen (such as these ones) to write dates for the year ahead. 

2. If you would like to write any recurring annual dates directly on the calendar you should use a pencil, permanent marker, or archival-quality pen. Choose something that won't smudge, and give the ink a few seconds to dry before touching it.

3. Avoid using an eraser directly on the calendar. The print is matte, but still has a subtle coating that will dull with an eraser. You can gently erase on it, but just know that it might leave a noticeable area where the coating has been removed.

Press It

Your new calendar will arrive in a 4-inch shipping tube, which means it will be safe-and-sound but also might have a slight curl. I recommend taking the glass or plexi out of the frame you plan to use for the calendar, and laying it over the calendar on a flat, clean surface for at least 12-24 hours to allow the design to flatten before writing on it.

Add Recurring Annual Dates

Any dates that are the same year after year can be written directly on the calendar. That way they are there each year when you wipe the glass clean. This is optional, of course, but is a great way to remember important events.

Just make sure they are events that always fall on the same date -- like Birthdays, Anniversaries and certain holidays. For example, Christmas is always December 25th so you could write that directly on the calendar, but Memorial Day is always the last Monday in May so that date varies year to year.

As noted above, you should use a pencil, pen, or marker that won't smudge, avoid using erasers, and give the ink 10-20 seconds to dry entirely before touching it.

Locating the dates is easy. For example, my Birthday is November 16th, so to locate that day on the calendar I go to the column (across the top) for November, and then down 16 rows to land on November 16th. Since my birthday is on the same date every year I’ll write it directly onto the calendar with the Sharpie.

Pro tip: I like to keep the glass/plexi on top of the print while I'm adding the dates. That way it helps keep the print laying flat and gives me a straight edge to use as a guide.

Frame the Print

Once your recurring dates have been added to the calendar you are ready to frame it! The Forever Calendar measures 20"x30" and both glass or plexi-glass will work fine with erasable markers.

I found this great company based in Cincinnati, Ohio, that makes beautiful wooden frames that all come in 20″x30″ sizes. Most of them range in price from $20-$30 and will cost about $10 to ship. I love this oak one which is $29 ($41 with shipping). They also have an eco-friendly series made out of Bonanza Wood for a few dollars more ($33 +shipping). Take a look at their website, you can honestly find any color or material you’d like.

If you are outside of the US/Canada check out similar frames from Vivarti. They also offer a variety of materials in 20″x30″ size and the prices are reasonable. You can also find their products on Amazon.uk.

Customize it for the Year

Once the calendar is framed you are ready to customize it for the year ahead. You can use dry-erase or wet-erase markers to write on the glass or plexiglass, which makes this calendar great for getting down into the details and planning out your entire year.

My favorite pens are called the Staedtler Correctable Pens and they come in two size options:

Staedtler Correctable Pen 1 mm  (this is what I’ve used in the photo above)
Staedtler Correctable Pen .06 mm (superfine and great if you need to write more than a few words in each day)

Once The Forever Calendar is in the frame you may want to add the days of the week to make the calendar easier to navigate. I chose to just add a small initial (SMTWTFS) in the top left corner of each box. You’ll want to reference a calendar while you’re doing this, and it goes rather quickly (took me about 10 minutes).

Think of The Forever Calendar calendar as a 12-month calendar that can span any time period, because you can start using the calendar at any point in the year. Since it’s currently June 2021 I would fill out June through December with 2021 dates, but add 2022 dates to January-May.

Start Planning

Now your calendar is all set up for the next 12 months and ready to use! How you use it from here is totally up to you. I love having this print hanging in my office so that I can see the entire year at a glance. It really helps me plan out big projects, as well as the phase-by-phase planning of a product launch or rebrand.

Cleaning and Resetting

You might choose to erase each month when it ends and reset it for the next year, or you might prefer to use the calendar for 12 months and then clean off the entire thing and reset it. The little eraser at the end of the Staedtler markers works fine for erasing one month, but if you’re clearing off the entire calendar (especially if you’ve written on it a lot!), you might want to follow the process below.

These are tips for cleaning and resetting the calendar. First, I suggest taking it off the wall and laying it flat. You might even want to take the calendar apart. This is a nice time to add any new annual events onto the paper portion, but it’s also nice to have the glass or plexiglass laying flat while cleaning it off, rather than have it suspended in the frame (sometimes pushing down on the glass while cleaning could cause it to break).

I would definitely avoid spraying any cleaning product or fluid onto the glass while it is hanging, as it can seep around the edges of the glass and damage the paper.

If you are using wet-erase markers or the Staedtler markers that I recommend, you’ll need to use a wet towel or cleaning spray (like Windex or similar) to clean the glass off. Paper towels work fine, but I’ve found that a kitchen towel or piece of felt work even better for quickly removing all the marker. Since wet-erase markers can leave a bit of a residue, I also suggest wiping it off with a clean towel, a little plain water, and then a clean towel again.

Once everything is erased and cleaned off you’re reading to start the process over again with a fresh, new year!

Buy It

You can click here to visit the product page for The Forever Calendar.