Beekeeping is extremely task-oriented. There are always chores (good) beekeepers plan to do during different times of the year, sometimes in response to circumstances and sometimes as a matter of course. Keeping track of all these tasks can be daunting, especially for people like me who need to set reminders for my own birthday, lest I lose track of my age. These tasks, of course, vary by location, number of hives, and other conditions, but the point is we all have boxes to check each month, regardless of where and how we keep bees.
Besides journaling and maintaining a white board with the current status of my hives, I hang a paper calendar in my office with notes about what I should be doing at any given time throughout the year. This serves as a helpful reminder of when I need to start thinking about major tasks, like winterizing or checking for varroa mites. It’s a way to introduce consistency for things that have worked well for me in the past, and also to remind me of things that haven’t worked well.
Over time, as you learn and your practices change, you just update your calendar. It evolves with you. After a few years, if the calendar gets messy with scribbles and notes, spend a half hour transcribing the good stuff to a new calendar. Just like that you’ve got reminders for your big tasks set to go for years to come, and you can stop worrying about whether you’ve remembered to do all the things you dreamt up last winter.