There’s something I absolutely love about turning to a fresh week on my desk calendar and realizing that it’s not actually blank.
There are already things written down. Appointments, responsibilities, projects, reminders, and other things I decided weeks ago that I wanted or needed to do.
And every time I see that, I think about how much I appreciate my past self.
Because at some point, whether it was yesterday, last week, or three months ago, I took the time to think about something and put it on my calendar. Now here I am, benefiting from that decision.
I don’t have to remember everything. I don’t have to start my week by figuring out every single thing I need to do. Some of that work has already been done.
Thank you, past self.
This is one of the reasons I place so much emphasis on thinking and planning within my Major Z framework. We often associate productivity with execution, but there’s meaningful work that happens long before we begin checking things off a list.
Thinking is work. Planning is work. And when we consistently make time for both, we create opportunities for our future selves to benefit from the work we’re doing today.
From a Blank Calendar to a Working System
Imagine sitting down on a Monday morning with a completely blank weekly planner.
You know you have things to do. There are responsibilities to manage, appointments to remember, and projects you’ve been meaning to work on. But none of that is on the page in front of you.
So before you can even begin deciding what to work on, you have to mentally gather everything.
What do I need to do this week? What did I forget to do last week? Wasn’t there something I wanted to work on this month?
And just like that, you’ve created an entire planning session for yourself before you’ve even started your day.
There’s nothing wrong with beginning with a blank calendar. We all have to start somewhere. But the goal is to gradually develop a system that makes planning easier to return to.
Start with what you know.
Birthdays, appointments, holidays, upcoming obligations, and things you’ve already committed to doing. Put those on your calendar.
Then begin considering the things you’d like to do. Maybe there’s a home project you’ve been thinking about, a trip you’d like to take, or something you’ve been meaning to research.
You don’t necessarily need to know every step involved. You can simply identify a date when you’d like to revisit the idea or begin giving it more consideration.
Tomorrow, when you remember something else, add that too.
The next day, do it again.
Over time, something interesting begins to happen. Your calendar starts developing a history of decisions you’ve already made about your future.
And those decisions begin informing the ones you’re making today.
Your Past Self Has Already Done Some of the Work
Let’s say you’ve been doing this consistently for a few weeks.
You turn to next Monday, and instead of looking at a completely blank page, you already have an appointment scheduled, a reminder about something you wanted to research, and maybe a project you intended to revisit.
Now imagine looking three weeks ahead.
There might be several things written down because you’ve been gradually adding to that week as information became available.
You didn’t plan that entire week in one sitting. You built it over time.
And now, when that week arrives, you’re not trying to remember everything from scratch.
You’re looking at decisions your past self already made.
This is what I appreciate about having a planning system that I consistently return to. It creates continuity between the work I’ve already done and the work I still intend to do.
Within Major Z, I emphasize thoughtful consideration as part of Point A, a productive mindset where we examine our circumstances, explore possibilities, and establish direction.
That thinking deserves recognition, even when it doesn’t produce an immediate result.
Sometimes the result comes weeks later, when you open your calendar and discover that you’ve already given yourself a head start.
Your Calendar Is Not a Contract
Something that I want to make very clear is this: just because you put something on your calendar doesn’t mean you’re obligated to accomplish it on that exact date.
Your calendar is a planning tool. It is not a contract you’ve signed with yourself.
Life happens. Circumstances change. Priorities shift. New responsibilities emerge. And sometimes you simply change your mind.
That’s okay.
If I write down that I’d like to begin a project in March, that gives me something to consider as March approaches.
Maybe I realize in February that I won’t have the capacity to begin it. Fine. I can move it.
Maybe I discover that the project needs more research than I originally anticipated. I can schedule that research instead.
Or perhaps another opportunity comes along that makes more sense.
The original entry wasn’t a failure. It gave me a reference point that helped me make another decision.
And a change in plans doesn’t mean to throw the entire plan away. Shift, sort, and continue forward.
A plan can change and still have served its purpose.
This is also why I prefer planning tools that allow me to make adjustments. I use pencils, erasers, sticky notes, and other supplies because my plans are living things. They evolve as I gain information, make decisions, and navigate changing circumstances.
I don’t want my planning system to make me feel trapped by decisions I made three weeks ago. I want it to help me make better decisions today.
Planning Has a Chain Effect
One of my favorite things about being able to see my schedule beyond the current week is how one entry can influence decisions I haven’t even considered yet.
Let’s say I put something on my calendar for three months from now.
A few weeks later, I’m looking at that same month for something completely unrelated, and I see the entry I made.
Suddenly, I’m reminded of something I wanted to consider.
Maybe I recognize a scheduling conflict. Maybe I see an opportunity to coordinate activities. Maybe I realize that another responsibility needs to happen first.
That one entry has now influenced how I’m planning something else.
And none of that would have happened quite the same way if the idea had remained exclusively in my head.
Having a place for something allows you to encounter it again when it becomes relevant.
That’s an important part of how I organize my life through Major Z. I don’t need to actively work on every idea or responsibility at the same time. But I do need a reliable way to capture things, give them an appropriate place, and return to them when necessary.
Otherwise, I find myself repeatedly trying to remember things I’ve already thought about.
And I’d rather use that mental energy to move forward.
You Don’t Need a Million Calendars
Now, I love calendars, planners, desk pads, sticky notes, and office supplies in general.
I use several different tools because they serve different purposes in my life.
But I would never suggest that everyone needs to use the same tools I do.
In fact, having too many planning tools can create problems if they aren’t working together.
Imagine writing an appointment on one calendar but forgetting to transfer it to the calendar you actually check every morning.
You’ve technically written the information down, but that doesn’t mean you’ve created a reliable system for managing it.
The point isn’t to have as many calendars as possible.
The point is to have a system you can trust yourself to return to.
Maybe that means one calendar on your phone. Maybe it’s a weekly desk pad. Maybe you prefer a wall calendar where everyone in your household can see what’s coming up.
Whatever you choose, make sure each tool has a reason for being there.
And don’t feel obligated to use something simply because you purchased it.
A planning tool should serve your life, not become another responsibility you have to manage.
The Importance of Returning
Writing something down is only part of the process.
You have to return to it.
If you put something on your calendar and never look at it again, you’ve documented information, but you haven’t necessarily established a reliable planning practice.
The value develops when you repeatedly return to what you’ve written.
You look ahead. You review what’s coming. You make adjustments. You acknowledge what you’ve completed. You reschedule what still needs attention.
And then you do it again.
Over time, that repetition creates a cadence.
You become more familiar with your responsibilities, your available time, and the way different parts of your life interact.
This is something I emphasize throughout Major Z: thinking, planning, execution, evaluation, and repetition.
These aren’t isolated activities that we complete once and never revisit. They work together as we navigate our lives.
And repetition is especially important because we aren’t working with circumstances that remain exactly the same from one day to the next.
We have to be willing to return, reconsider, and adjust.
Give Your Future Self Something to Work With
If you’re just beginning to use a calendar or planner, don’t feel pressured to fill every page.
Start with what you know.
Write down a few things that are already coming up. When you think of something else, add it. When you make a decision about a future activity, give it a place on your calendar.
And then make a habit of returning to what you’ve written.
You don’t need to have your entire life planned out. You don’t need to know exactly what you’ll be doing six months from now.
You simply need to begin creating a system that helps you manage what you know today while making room for what you’ll learn tomorrow.
Eventually, you may find yourself turning to a new week and discovering that your past self has already given you a head start.
And I hope you take a moment to appreciate that.
Because the work you do today doesn’t always have to produce an immediate result.
Sometimes it makes life a little easier for the person you’ll be next week, next month, or next year.
And sometimes that person gets to look at the calendar and say, “Thank you, past self.”
Major Z | Direction Before Effort
