Okay, so the other day I was trying to figure out what Chinese zodiac animal corresponded with the year 2020. I could’ve just Googled it, I know, but I thought it would be fun to make my own little zodiac calendar. Here’s how I put my own record together.
Getting Started
First, I grabbed a notebook and pen – I’m old school like that. I needed to refresh my memory on the order of the animals. I remembered there were 12, and I knew the Rat was first, but I was fuzzy on the rest.
- So, Step 1: I looked up the full list of animals and their order online. Just a quick search, nothing fancy.
- Step 2: I jotted down all 12 animals in my notebook, leaving plenty of space next to each one.
Figuring Out the Years
This is where it got a little tricky. I knew 2020 was a Rat year, but I needed to figure out the pattern. I realized the cycle repeats every 12 years.
I started working backward and forward from 2020. I subtracted 12 from 2020 to get 2008 (another Rat year), then subtracted another 12 to get 1996, and so on. I did the same thing going forward: 2020 + 12 = 2032, etc.
Next, I filled in the years next to each animal, using 2020 as my anchor point. I went back far enough and forward enough to cover a good chunk of years, lets say I did this for all years between 1960 till 2031.
Making it Look Nice
My notebook page was a mess of numbers and scribbles. So I decided to make a neater version. I could have used a spreadsheet program, but I felt like being a bit creative.
I drew a simple table in my notebook, with the animals down one side and the years across the top. I carefully copied the years into the correct boxes. It looked much better!
The Final Touch
Just for fun, I added some color. I used colored pencils to highlight each animal. I have to say doing this is pretty therapeutic.
And there you have it! My own, handmade Chinese zodiac calendar, all starting from figuring out the animal for 2020. It was a fun little project, and now I have a handy reference for future years. And I saved my work on my personal Notion, so I can check it on my phone anytime. Pretty neat, right?
