746: A Continuous Calendar for 2024

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: John Crohn announces the 2024 update of Super Data Science’s continuous calendar, explaining why this calendar format is more effective than standard weekly or monthly views for planning and scheduling. He shares a downloadable Google Sheet, notes it fits neatly onto two US letter pages, and highlights customization options for different regions.

Main Topics: Continuous calendar concept: The episode revisits the idea of a continuous calendar, which presents time in a week-by-week matrix to provide a more intuitive sense of elapsed time and schedule density. 2024 calendar update: This short episode serves as the yearly refresh of the podcast’s continuous calendar for the new year, keeping the resource current for listeners. Benefits for planning and overview: Crohn argues that continuous calendars help users visualize large blocks of time more clearly and understand time between dates without arbitrary monthly or weekly cutoffs. Podcast production workflow: The host explains that the team uses continuous calendars to manage the logistics of producing and releasing 104 episodes per year alongside other commitments. Download and customization instructions: Listeners are directed to a Google Sheet version of the calendar and shown how to print, copy, and adapt it for personal or regional needs. Holiday formatting: The calendar is described as simple and black-and-white, with U.S. federal holidays highlighted in red.

Key Arguments: Continuous calendars are superior to standard weekly or monthly calendars because they make time easier to visualize at a glance. A week-by-week matrix format provides a more realistic view of the spacing between dates since it avoids arbitrary month or week boundaries. The format is practically useful for managing a high-volume podcast production schedule with many competing obligations. A downloadable Google Sheet makes the system easy to adopt and customize for different users and regions.

Data Points: Episodes per year: 104 - The podcast produces and releases 104 episodes annually, requiring careful scheduling. Calendar coverage: 52 weeks - The downloadable sheet includes the full year in a 52-week format. Paper size: 8.5 by 11 inch - The calendar is designed to print on standard US letter paper. Page count when printed: 2 pages - Printing the sheet on standard US paper splits the year into first-half and second-half pages. Holiday color: red - U.S. federal holidays are marked in red on the calendar.

Pivotal Quotes: "I personally find vastly superior to the standard weekly or monthly calendars." — John Crohn: Explaining why he favors continuous calendars over conventional calendar formats. "At a glance, I can easily fit six months on a standard piece of paper" — John Crohn: Describing the visual efficiency of the continuous calendar format. "If you print that on standard US 8.5 by 11 inch paper, it should get split exactly so that the first half of the year is on page one and the second half of the year is on page two." — John Crohn: Instructions for printing the downloadable calendar.

Implications: Listeners can use the continuous calendar to improve long-range planning, scheduling, and productivity. For the podcast team, it supports efficient production management across a packed release schedule.