Have you ever thought how life would be without a calendar? Just imagine what would happen if all the world’s calendars suddenly disappeared…we would be clueless and helpless at the same time because we are so used to it. We, humans have been using this tool since the beginning of the civilization, however the calendars have underwent a sea of change and various revolutionary theories from renowned historians and astronomers have contributed into evolving the calendar into what it is today.
Julius Caesar introduced a calendar in 45 B.C.E and the most interesting fact about this calendar was that it also started with 1 January. Before the introduction of the Gregorian calendar, which was named after Pope Gregory XIII in 1582, the Julian calendar was widely used. As the Julian calendar had some imperfections, it was finally reformed and named as the Gregorian calendar which is used around the world today.
Although various historians and astronomers have many times challenged the theory on which the Gregorian calendar is based and different types of calendars have been proposed, until now the Gregorian calendar has been widely accepted and considered relevant around the world.
So, the question is – why do we use a calendar?
When it comes to determining the significance and use of calendar in people’s lives, you will discover that different people use it for different purposes. Although the basic need of a calendar is to keep a track of the present day, month, and year; basically identify the particular time in which we are living or existing, there are several other reasons for which people use a calendar:
- Planning the daily activities
- Keeping a track of events
- Staying organized and enhancing productivity
- Planning efficiently and meeting the deadlines
- Remembering birthdays and keeping commitments
- Managing the daily schedule
- Remembering important dates
- Alleviating the anxiety and stress
- Knowing the important festival dates
How did technology influence the use of calendar?
In the past, we only had the wall calendars that helped us remember the dates and add important notes besides the dates to keep a track of things. However with the advent of technology, the calendar also got a makeover and it slowly shifted its position from the wall and found its place inside the modern portable gadgets like laptops, computers, and smartphones.
Although we still have the humble wall calendars in our homes and offices, the personal calendars in our mobile devices has enabled us to organize our tasks and schedule the important activities for particular days, months or keep an efficient track of the annual events. The enhanced calendar tools further help us customize the calendar, break down each day into hours and distribute our time for important events and meetings.
The modern man cannot imagine life without a calendar, the one that silently hangs on the wall as well as the one he carries with him in his phone and it plays several roles such as that of an interactive day planner, event organizer, special dates reminder, productivity booster, and a buddy that makes sure that you live each moment to the fullest!
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