Use this template to plan your whole year for 2023.
Use this full-year calendar template to lay out milestones, track progress, and align with your team for the year in a single, shared space.
Mural’s infinite canvas means you can get as granular as you want, adding details with sticky notes, icons, comments, and more so you can get a bird’s-eye view of your entire year. Invite team members and quickly communicate important steps and stages in any process with this holistic approach.
To get started using the Mural annual calendar template, follow the steps outlined below.
To help give you an at-a-glance understanding of your year, a good first step is to determine a color code for sticky notes by theme, and establish a set of icons meant to show things like milestones, deadlines, or projects.
Once you have a system in place, add sticky notes based on projects or items across your calendar to give you a sense for the flow of work over the course of the year.
As you build out the content in your calendar, you may notice areas of overlap or timing challenges across your projects. The earlier you identify these issues, the better the flow of work for your team, as you’ll be better equipped to adjust and reallocate resources.
The best way to get the most use from your calendar is to make sure you’re keeping it up to date. Naturally, things change over the course of the year — the more you can track those changes accurately and in one place, the better you’ll be able to handle updates and challenges with your team.
To make the most of your calendar mural, you should:
Yes, Mural’s template library offers templates that are free to use, as well as customizable and shareable for any free account.
Using an annual calendar for project planning offers several benefits that can significantly enhance your project management and organization. Here's why you should consider using an annual calendar:
Long-term perspective
An annual calendar provides a broader view of the entire year, allowing you to plan and allocate resources for projects with a long-term perspective. This helps in setting realistic goals and milestones, as well as anticipating potential challenges and opportunities.
Strategic planning
With a year-long overview, you can align your projects with your business or personal goals. This strategic alignment ensures that your projects contribute to the bigger picture and help you stay focused on your objectives.
Resource allocation
Annual calendars enable you to allocate resources, such as budget, manpower, and materials, more efficiently. You can identify periods of high demand and plan for resource availability accordingly, preventing overloading or underutilization of resources.
Project dependencies and timelines
By visualizing projects on a single calendar, you can easily identify dependencies and overlapping timelines. This helps in avoiding conflicts and bottlenecks, enabling smoother project execution.
Deadline management
Annual calendars allow you to set realistic deadlines for each project phase or milestone. This prevents last-minute rushes and ensures that projects are completed on time without compromising quality.
Strategic pacing
You can pace your projects strategically throughout the year, preventing burnout and ensuring a balanced workload. This contributes to better team morale and increased productivity.
Improved communication
Sharing an annual calendar with stakeholders, team members, and clients fosters transparent communication. Everyone can see the project schedule, progress, and potential clashes, leading to better collaboration and understanding.
Flexibility and adaptability
Despite the long-term nature of annual calendars, they can still accommodate changes and adjustments. You can revise your plans based on changing circumstances, market trends, or unexpected events.
Holistic view
Annual calendars help you view projects in relation to holidays, events, and seasonal trends. This holistic perspective allows you to tailor your project strategies to leverage peak periods or avoid slow times.
Efficient workflow
Having a visual representation of your entire year's projects aids in optimizing workflows. You can streamline processes, identify potential bottlenecks, and implement efficient work sequences.
Mural is the only platform that offers both a shared workspace and training on the LUMA System™, a practical way to collaborate that anyone can learn and apply.