The quiet days after New Year's always present an opportunity for me to toast farewell to the festivities and to greet what lies ahead - in this case, a blank canvas sitting in front of me. I recently came across a Dutch research study from 2010 that, among other findings, concluded that planning for a trip tends to make a person happier than actually going on a trip. Amazing, I thought, isn’t it? There is a lot more substance in this study, in case you are curious, but I decided to focus on the planning aspect.
As the past year was winding down, we had a lot of opportunities to dream and discuss what lies ahead, including what kind of camping trips we might want to plan for and what kind of kids’ activities are already scheduled in the coming months. I decided that, as part of my recent discovery of my “3rd Day”, I would use my time to design a 2026 visual calendar to lay out all of our anticipated events for the upcoming year. It did not take long for me to learn that Dutch study was right: planning does indeed create a feeling of happiness!
The size of the calendar was determined by the repurposed piece of art paper (the “front” side had some unfinished kids’ scribbles on it). I used a ruler together with a Tombow mechanical pencil to map out a grid that would contain the 365 days and all the possibilities that they hold. Then, with some good music in the background, I went ahead and added all of the days, months, and numbers. It was a tedious process as I had to keep checking that I did not make a mistake, but it was SO rewarding when I finished. That was also the moment when the real joy of planning started.
With the whole calendar mapped out in pencil, it was easy to add fixed days (such as birthdays) and edit flexible plans (such as camping trips). With each field being too small to add a lot of writing, I opted for adding doodles instead. Candles for birthdays, tents for camping trips, etc. The next morning, the kids found the half-finished calendar on our dining table and pored over it with excitement. It turns out that the joy of planning is just as contagious when it is shared!
I have begun coloring some of the elements (using a Pentel Multi 8 color pencil that was gifted to me) which is adding another level life and fun to the process. The kids are adding requests and suggestions as I am creating the content. I am also thinking of including some spontaneous family activities (Snow day? Cake day? Bouldering Day?) where it seems fit. After all, if it is in the calendar, we’ll all be looking forward to it, perhaps not even questioning how it got there in the first place.
Inevitably, plans will change, and not everything will turn out as planned, and that is ok. According to the conclusions of the Dutch research study, real happiness is in the planning anyway. And I would like to add that, at least for me, any type of planning has this effect, not just trips. There are events like tournaments, Stationery Store Day (!), and of course, the kids’ favorite: Halloween!
As the first few days of the New Year are slowly unfolding, I feel I am ready to be mindful and present for what lies ahead, whether it is planned for or not.
If you had a blank canvas ahead of you, what would you fill it with?
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