Using 16, 17, and 18-Month Planners and Calendars

This has been a very unusual fall semester for us, as I know it has been for so many others. It is bizarre to have the kids at home while I work a few seats away from them at the dining room table.

But, some things don’t change, even when you’re kids are virtual learning and you are working from home. We still have doctor appointments (telehealth), school events (virtual, but still need to attend), and other activities (also virtual).

It can be hard to keep up with all of the events, activities, and appointments generated by the schedules of a family of four. But, that’s why we have planners and calendars, right?

A few weeks ago, I did a two-part series on planner terms. One I posted at the end of August (here) and the other went live at the beginning of September (here).

In the first article, I mentioned that planners and calendars now cover a variety of time spans. The most common are calendar year (12 months spanning from January to December) and academic year (12 months spanning from spring or mid-summer to the same time the next year) planners.

The other type of planner I mentioned is a hybrid of these two models. They typically run from the summer or early fall through the end of the next calendar year. These come in a few options, but the most common are 16, 17, and 18-month planners and calendars.

While I noted in the article, that these planners are meant for long-term planning, I didn’t really give much detail. But, I figured they deserved their own post since I use several of these planners and calendars in my own planning.

Table of Contents

Why Use a 16, 17, or 18-Month Planner?

This was the first question I had when I was first looking at planners. But, for the past five years, I have been getting my main planner at the end of May and starting to fill it out in August. There are a couple of reasons for that.

First, my deep dive into the planner world began after I missed an important lunch date. That led me to realize that I wasn’t using the At-A-Glance weekly planner that my work purchased for me. And the reason was that I didn’t enjoy using it. It felt blah and boring.

So, I researched planners and decided I would want one that is colorful and practical. I also wanted one that had enough space for me to both write out my weekly plans and also throw in a little decoration if I decided to do that.

After much research that summer, I stumbled upon the Ban.do brand of planners and went with their large, 17-month planner. I purchased my last one a few weeks before what took place with their founder and chief creative officer (see my article on why I will not be purchasing a Ban.do planner next year here). But, I do plan to get a similar planner next year.

Second, I realized that my lifestyle (which includes having kids in school and teaching a class in the spring) was better suited to an academic year planner. The 17-month version simply had some advantages to the ones that only covered a 12-month time-span.

Finally, one criticism of these planners is that they have wasted space. Since you are presumably going to buy another one of these planners a year after buying your first one (not 17-months later), you will not use it for a full 17 months.

Although I had the same worries at first, I would argue that these planners do not have wasted space. By having a planner with more than 12 months of planning pages, you can do the sort of planning that most folks who buy academic and calendar year planners do.

Advantages to using a 16, 17, or 18-Month Planner or Calendar

Long-term planning. Probably the biggest advantage is that you can schedule appointments and events more than a year out. This is great when you get a far off “save the date” or if you or your family has appointments that span 6 months or more (like dental appointments and annual physicals). By having extra months in your planner, you don’t have to carry around 2 planners or a separate notebook toward the end of the year. (I’ll say that this came in really handy when everything started getting messy at the end of the school year with the pandemic. It was easy to push things off to the summer or fall without needing to get a new planner in the mix).
Best of both worlds. Since the planners are a combination of academic and calendar year planning, you get the best of both worlds. You get to shop for your planners mid-year (which is kind of fun, since spring-time launches tend to come with other great products), and you get an extra few months at the end, which helps you to map out your goal-planning (which normally follows a calendar-year setup). And, rather than having to set up a planner at the end of the calendar year, when you already have the holidays to deal with and goal-planning to do, all of your planner and calendar set up is done at a much less hectic time of year- the summer.
They go on sale in the summer. A lot of these planners will end up going on sale in the middle of the summer, especially if the company is going to launch calendar-year planners in the fall. If you already have a prior 16, 17, or 18-month planner, you can continue to use your prior year’s planner until the one you want comes down to a better price point. Although you risk not getting the cover you want, there are sill lots of options by the time the sales roll around. This is what I do for my Happy Planner, which I’ll buy at a craft store with a coupon a well! (So, right now would be a great time to look for these planners on sale).

How to Use a 16, 17, or 18- Month Planner or Calendar

Some questions you may have are: what does it look like to use a planner or calendar with more than 12 months? How does it work?

Below are the basics, and they’re as easy as 1, 2, 3:

When you get your new planner (whether that be in July, August, or September) spend some time writing out all of your appointments in your new 17-month planner for both the academic and calendar year. I include adding birthdays, holidays, and anything else that you need to be aware of when scheduling (if you’re a parent, throw in half days and days schools are closed).
As you schedule new appointments and events, add them through the end of December the next year, and don’t worry about the likelihood of not really using those pages toward the end of the planner for much else. Just add those few appointments, and be sure to note the dates and times. For my planner, I tend to note the activity in the monthly layout and the specific time of the event in the weekly layout.
Finally, when it comes time to start your new planner in July, August, or September, you just move all of the appointments (from your beginning month through December) into your new planner all at once. Then, you can shelve your old planner/calendar and move permanently into the new one. Since you still have pages left in your prior year’s calendar or planner, there’s no rush to get this done. Whenever you’re ready, the pages will be there- in both the old and new planner.

Yes, by the time you switch to the new planner there will be spaces (and pages) in your old planner or calendar that do not have writing, but that is not a big deal, since you can use that extra space in unused pages for doodling or as added notes pages. It’s not a waste if you choose to use the pages.

Options and Examples of 16, 17, and 18-Month Planners and Calendars

There are so many of these on the market, but here are some (aside from the ones I purchased and am reviewing for you below) to give you some ideas:

16-Month Time Spans-

Planners– In terms of planners, there are not as many options for 16-month planners (which start in September and end the next year’s December). They begin in September, which is the beginning of the academic year for some parts of the U.S. Here are a few I’ve found:

This hardcover version has a horizontal layout and is hardcover, book-bound:

The Law of Attraction Planner, which comes in several colors, is also book-bound and popular for goal-setting:

If you’re a Pusheen fan, and don’t need a lot of room, this one has almost a dashboard layout and is twin o-ring, spiral bound:

Calendars– There are far more wall calendars in 16-month format, and many were geared toward families with kids. Keep in mind, that many wall calendars have a 4-month preview before getting into the main calendar pages. That is not the sort of 16-month calendar format I’m discussing here. Each of these has 16-months of full calendar pages. I will review in depth the one I use, below, but here are some other options:

This one is spiral bound and shows the entire month on one large page. It also comes with functional stickers:

Here is a smaller calendar that is magnetized, so it can live on a fridge or metal file cabinet:

17-Month Time Spans

Planners– There are a ton of 17-month planners. I think it has to do with the academic calendar year and many schools beginning in August, which is when these begin. Here are a few options:

This is the brand I’ll be buying from next year: Pipsticks and Workman. The layout is horizontal, but has lines that give it the feel of a three-box vertical spread. I was needing a change, and I’m really excited about all of the stickers and cool artwork in these gorgeous, o-ring-bound large planners:

Lily Pulitzer, which makes the To Do Planner I use for weekend planning (to see how I use this planner, check out this article here), also makes beautiful 17-month planners with horizontal layouts. They have several cover options, all of which feature a twin, o-ring spiral binding:

Passion Planner makes a very popular, book-bound planner in this time-span with lots of cover options. It is also popular among goal-setters and has both monthly and vertical weekly layouts:

Calendars– There are also a number of 17-month calendar options available.

Here is a good, traditional calendar layout, which has a compact size and magnets for hanging on your fridge:

For an alternative layout, this wall calendar is set up vertically, with the days of the month on the first, left-side column and remaining columns reserved for the various activities and appointments of family members. It is by the author and illustrator, Sandra Boynton, so expect to see some kid-friendly illustrations:

For a combination of a traditional calendar layout and the organization of dedicating slots to each person, try this option by the Posh Family Calendar (and note that there are many more like this!):

18-Month Time Spans

Planners– These planners and calendars begin in July, so for folks on non-traditional school calendars, that is a big plus. They are also the easiest to find on sale in the late summer and early fall since they’ve been on the shelves the longest.

This is a simple, hard-cover, o-ring bound version that comes with a few cute accessories:

This paperback planner has a simple, horizontal layout with one side of the day having check-boxes next to the list and the other side having lines with no check-boxes (so you can use it for an alternate list or for adding times for appointments):

Calendars– Like their planner counterparts, these have a lot of additional pages and give you extra spreads for long-term planning.

Here is a simple 18-month calendar that you can use as a desk or wall calendar. It’s also lined, which helps keep the calendar looking organized:

If you prefer your calendar to also work as a desk blotter, this 18-month version is really pretty:

Reviews: 18-Month “Boho Stargazer” Happy Planner and 16-Month “More Time Moms” Wall Calendar

So, I mentioned above that I use a few of these planners and calendars in my own planning, and I am definitely hooked. Here are the two that I just started using this fall. As I mentioned before, I plan to purchase a Pipsticks and Workman 17-month planner next year, as they are really similar to the one I’m using currently. So, lookout for that review in the summer of 2021!

18-Month “Boho Stargazer” Vertical Happy Planner

My first Happy Planner was a beautiful floral planner (in the Homestead design) that I found at Michael’s last year. It was well beyond July, but since it was an 18-month vertical layout planner, there was more than a year’s worth of monthly and weekly spreads for me to work with.

I bought the planner when I realized that I was not using my weekly or daily planners to keep me on task for my personal plans and to dos. And, that was because I wasn’t taking them out of my briefcase at night.

*My lovely vertical, classic Homestead Happy Planner that ran July 2019 through December 2020.*

I wrote a post (here) about this new system of mine back in November of 2019, after I had been using a it a few weeks. Back then, I used the planner to list out to dos and reminders for 3 areas: Home (household tasks), Kids (or family), and Self (self-care and fitness).

By the time we were in the midst of the shutdown, I found I needed the planner to help me with structuring our days at home. Each week, the kids seemed to have a new schedule, and because they were in different schools, I needed to separate it out for me.

My three vertical boxes went from mostly being about me to mostly being about the kids. I reserved a box for my daughter, another for my son, and all of my self-care, household tasks, and fitness plans were squeezed into one box.

The summer made things easier, and I was able to give the kids their own tasks lists while I reclaimed all of the vertical boxes for myself: Home, Fitness, and Self. I’ve been so happy with this arrangement, I printed out a free homeschool planner for the school year so I can shift the kids virtual school activities into their own planner while I kept mine.

As I did the year before, I waited a bit to buy a Happy Planner for 2020-2021. I was actually wondering if I should just use my last 18-month planner to the end of the year and pick up a calendar-year planner in the fall. That was until I found the Boho Stargazer planner.

During the spring I found myself being drawn to artwork with stars and nighttime scenes. There was something magical and calming about the night sky, with its deep violets and blues, and it’s promise of the sunrise on the other side. (You see the draw for me, right? 😉)

When I saw the Boho Stargazer, I knew it was going to be a perfect fit, and it has been! I transitioned in to this vertical planner at the beginning of September and use it to keep me on track with what I need to get done around the house and for myself.

Here are the features I’m enjoying most about this 18-month vertical weekly:

Design. Everything about this planner is magical. This is a classic-sized (7″ X 9.25″) planner with monthly and vertical weekly spreads (3 boxes). It has gold discs for the binding, watercolor details on every page, and beautiful dividers with planets, moons, stars, and often an inspiring phrase. Many of the dividers, like the cover itself, also have gold-foiled details. It’s truly beautiful. Although the month color schemes alternate between only two themes- blue and orange (like nighttime and sunrise), the weekly layouts are simple and will be fun to decorate when the mood strikes. And the two colors they chose can be coordinated with cool and warm color decorating elements. Which leads me to-

*These are just a few of the beautiful dividers and pages in the Boho Stargazer 18-month planner.*

Accessories. I love that this is a “Boho Stargazer” theme. That is because I have not one but two sticker books (sold separately) that coordinate with this planner! The Stargazer and Boho-themed sticker books have hundreds of decorative, inspirational, and functional stickers to match this planner. There is also a Stargazer accessory pack (also sold separately) that I found online. It includes a sturdy pocket folder, extra notes pages (lined on one side and graph grid on the back), a page of stickers, sticky notes on a clear plastic page you insert in the planner, and a beautiful bookmark (which made me so happy, since I donated my ruler bookmark to the kids’ homeschool planner).

*The Boho and Stargazer sticker books, and the Stargazer accessory pack.*

The new year-at-a-glance pages. Recently, the Happy Planner company has been adding a couple of pages at the beginning of each planner with the months written in columns and the days for each month listed beneath it. It’s meant for long-term planning. I am thinking of using it to start tracking pay dates and when certain bills are due- for a budgeting project I’d been putting off. (This has been one of my “someday” projects that led me to write last week’s post).

*These are some of the year-at-a-glance pages, which run from July 2020 to December 2021.*

Other Happy Planner features. I should say, that Happy Planners have some great features generally. They sport 65 lb paper (a standard weight, but something you will find in many planners, including more expensive ones), the arc disc binding system, a monthly dashboard page (that I use to brainstorm my goals for the household, fitness, and self-care goals I have for the month), and a yearly overview of both 2020 and 2021.

*Monthly dashboard and yearly overview pages.*

I had always been fascinated by vertical planners and am really happy that I found a use for these. I honestly don’t know how I would plan the personal tasks for my week if I didn’t have this nicely organized planner.

16-Month “More Time Moms” Family Organizer

While I became a planner fanatic within the past few years, I have always used a wall calendar. Planners are what I use to keep myself organized, but the wall calendar is where I make sure the family knows the appointments and events we all have for the week.

As with my planners, I keep my old wall calendars as a record of what happened during a particular year. I just looked at my collection, and it seems I can be a pretty loyal customer. I have been using the More Time Moms Family Organizer every year since 2006. That means I’m on my 15^th one!

I started using these calendars back when they were recommended (and possibly sold by) FlyLady – a house cleaning and organization site. While the FlyLady company wound up marketing its own brand of calendar, I stuck with More Time Moms.

The reason I keep using this brand, year after year, is because I still have kids in the house, which means I need a calendar where we can write everyone’s activities and appointments all in one place. I’m not ashamed to admit that I also really like the family theme of this calendar.

There are so many features about this calendar that I really like:

Size– This spiral-bound calendar opens to 15″ x 22″ and, since the calendar fills both pages of a monthly spread, the calendar boxes are 2.1″ x 3.5″ large. This is a good amount of space that I use to post each day’s menu and family events/appointments, especially since the boxes are lined. Even when I write out all of those items, I have even found room to track good habits with a gold-star system when my kids were little.

*It’s a pretty big calendar. We have it hanging on the laundry door in out kitchen.*

Layout– I work best with a traditional calendar layout. The vertical and columned options that I listed above don’t really work for how I view a calendar. There are three holes in the calendar, which means you can hang it from a single hook in the center, or (as I do), use two hooks for more stability. While the calendar layout takes up most of the two-page spread, there are some additional spaces, including a lined notes section under the month, a space for “Plans, Kids’ Chores and Reminders” and sometimes a bonus reminders or notes space, depending on how the month fills the pages. There are also inspiring quotations and recipes scattered throughout the calendar. The back of the calendar has a page with space for writing out emergency numbers (Police/Fire/Ambulance; Hospital; Doctor; Dentist; Neighbor; and Other), “Medical Card Numbers,” “Kids’ phone numbers,” and “Everyone Else’s Phone #s.” The back cover has a preview and planning space for notes for the next calendar year, and a sturdy pocket to store extra papers.

Quality– I have been very pleased with the quality of this calendar. It has paper that holds up to erasing and writing in gel ink with no shadowing on the other side. Although I fill the pocket with extra papers and clip invitations and flyers to the monthly layouts, which can weigh down the calendar, I have never had the holes tear. Finally, the pocket is pretty strong and has held a good number of papers that I will store in there each year.

*The back cover has a sturdy pocket running the width of the calendar.*

Stickers– Each calendar comes with cute but functional planning stickers. There are over 500 planning stickers with ones dedicated to mom’s and dad’s time, kids’ sports and activities, birthdays and parties, and other school and household reminders. There are also a good number of star stickers in yellow, turquoise, pink, green, purple, red, and blue, which are perfect for color-coding. You can order more sheets of these stickers directly from the company at this link.

Of course, I can never get enough stickers. Here is another pack I picked up that has a few more of the ones I find myself using throughout the year:

Designs– Yet another reason I have stayed with this calendar is it feels like a family calendar. Each month has colorful, family-themed illustrations. I love this even more as my kids are growing older. It may sound strange, but having a kid-themed calendar makes me feel like I’m still a mommy. Corny but true.

*The top of each page has a color illustration.*

Note: There is also a Student Calendar that More Time Moms has sold during the past few years, however, due to the pandemic they do not have stock for this year but are encouraging folks to try a DIY Student Organizer, which they explain here. You can purchase the student sticker sheet here to complete your DIY student organizer.

I am pretty sure I’ll be using the More Time Moms wall calendar as long as I have the kids in the house. After they move out, I may downsize to a simpler wall calendar (or maybe not, who knows?).

I hope this article encourages you to take a second look at 16, 17, & 18-month planners or calendars for your long-term planning needs. They are really functional and come in so many varieties, I will likely keep using them even after the kids are gone.

Do you use a calendar that spans more than 12 months? Are you interested in learning more about how wall calendars can be used alongside planners? Leave a comment below!

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**Image planner with cactus and yearly planner images found on Pixabay.

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