The barn is a busy place with many overlapping priorities. Somehow, we manage to hold things together with duct tape and chewing gum, but we’re always longing for order and the greater sense of calm that (we imagine) would come in its wake. Over the past few years, we’ve tried to implement various schedules but have always fallen short when it comes to sticking to them. Perhaps our process depends on a certain degree of chaos? Or perhaps we’ve fallen short in the past because we never had a really big calendar before.

Well, now we do.

And as a result, as the bold block letters at the top attest, things are going to change around here. 2012 will be a year of productivity.

Usually I am the optimistic one, while Robbi keeps us firmly tethered to reality. But this time around, I feel compelled to play the role of naysayer. I’ve simply been duped too many times before by dreams of order.

But Robbi was not to be denied. She climbed up onto our work table and started slashing through the chaos.

Using highlighters of various shades, she marched forward without reservation. “Who is this woman?” I asked myself.

It was just Robbi, of course, eager at the advent of a new day.

Here’s hoping that this latest scheme is able to keep the ship afloat. We’re marching headlong into a busy spring, with book-related trips to Chicago, New York, Boston, DC, Williamstown, and Baltimore on the not-too-distant horizon.

At least we know when they’re all happening now. Here’s to a year of productivity. I hope that we survive it.

If you’re looking for your own year of productivity, this 27″x29″ beauty can be had via NeuYear for $24.