Keeping Track

In the battle between the tactile and digital world, there is one area where I have tried so hard to go digital and have failed. I've not only failed, but I've failed multiple times. What has done me in?

Calendars.

I cannot, for the life of me, use a digital calendar effectively.

It does not matter if it is Google Calendar (which I like) or my iCal (which I used to update obsessively, never to check), or the calendar in my Outlook at work (which will even set alarms to remind you to go to meetings!) Nope. It doesn't work. The only things that work are nice big wall or desk calendars. I like the boxes to be large enough to write in, I like to see the whole month at a time, and I like there to be a pretty photo. Since 2008, my home calendars have been: Ireland, Georgia O'Keefe, Natural Parks, and John Singer Sargent. At work I have the largest desk calendar Staples sells, and it is island themed. Actually finding the date on a piece of paper and writing it down, then looking at it multiple times a day, keeps events fresh in my mind and helps me to remember.

In addition, calendars bring a little bit of art into my life. Until recently, my apartment calendar was always in the kitchen. Now it lives in my bedroom. In both places, it brought color and energy to the space. It takes more energy and thought to sync my work and home calendars, but it seems that only the really important "work" events end up on my home calendar. Isn't that how it should be anyways?

Beautiful L!brary Book

Look at this! I want to read and/or devour this!





Check out The L!brary Initiative. It is a book detailing how The Library Initiative paired New York City public schools, philanthropists (The Robin Hood Foundation), and designers, architects, etc to create beautiful, engaging, intellectually stimulating environments for children to read and explore. It basically is everything I believe should be a part of ALL library design. I want to read this so badly.



I mean, who doesn't want to go to the school library when it looks like that?

Thanks to librarian.net for pointing me towards this.

Photo source: Pentagram