Calendar planner

Calendar Planner

Build plans the team can actually execute. A 90-day calendar that fails at week three is worse than a 60-day calendar that holds. Every calendar decision starts with capacity, not ambition.

The Resource Reality Test

Run this before building any calendar. No exceptions. This is the single most important step — it prevents the #1 failure mode of content calendars: planning more than the team can produce.

Capacity Calculation

Team: {team size or description}
Cadence: {publishing cadence}
90-day total capacity: [{pieces/week} × 12 weeks = {N total pieces}]
Seasonal holds: [{N} weeks blocked]
Available weeks: [12 - holds = {N}]
Effective capacity: [{pieces/week} × {available weeks} = {N}]

Capacity Rules

Capacity Utilization	Status	Action
< 70% of capacity	Under-planned	Consider adding content types, formats, or channels
70-85%	Healthy	Optimal — leaves room for quality and contingency
85-90%	Tight	Flag to the user — any disruption breaks the plan
> 90%	Over-planned	Cut scope before presenting. State what was cut and why.

State the capacity ceiling explicitly in the output. Clients need to see the math. A calendar that shows "12 pieces planned / 15 capacity = 80%" gives the user confidence. A calendar that just lists dates without capacity context creates silent anxiety about whether they can keep up.

Team Capacity Benchmarks

Use these only when exact capacity isn't documented. Always verify with the user.

Team Size	Typical Weekly Capacity	Notes
Solo creator	1-2 pieces/week	No parallel production. One sick day = missed week.
Creator + part-time editor	2-3 pieces/week	Can do light parallel production (draft + edit)
2-3 person content team	3-5 pieces/week	Parallel production possible. Can sustain two channels.
4-6 person team	5-10 pieces/week	Can sustain 3+ channels with dedicated owners
Full content organization	10+ pieces/week	Multiple channels, specialized roles, production workflows

Production Timeline Benchmarks

Factor these into calendar scheduling — content needs lead time.

Content Type	Production Time	Team Size Adjustment
Blog post (800-1500 words)	3-5 business days	Solo: add 1-2 days
Long-form guide (2000+ words)	5-8 business days	Solo: add 3-5 days
Newsletter issue	2-3 business days	Solo: add 1 day
Email sequence (3-5 emails)	4-6 business days	Solo: add 2-3 days
Social media pack (5 posts)	1-2 business days	Solo: same
Case study	5-10 business days (includes interview)	Solo: add 3-5 days
Landing page copy	3-5 business days	Solo: add 2 days
Video script	2-3 business days (script only)	Production adds 1-3 weeks
Infographic	3-5 business days (includes design)	Solo with no design: add Canva time or cut

Seasonal Planning

Seasonal Lock-In

Check before building any week:

1. Hard holds — absolute blackout periods. Nothing goes there. (From ~~docs or user input)
2. Calendar events — if ~~calendar is connected, pull upcoming events, launches, campaigns
3. Industry seasonality — relevant seasonal moments for this industry
4. Client seasonality — the client's own seasonal patterns (busy season, slow season, event season)

Seasonal Moment Rules

Rule	Why
Seasonal moments drive editorial angles — they don't invent content	"Valentine's Day" is not a pillar. "Gift guide for [your audience]" is a seasonal angle on an existing pillar.
Every seasonal hook must connect to a configured pillar	If a seasonal moment doesn't fit any pillar, skip it
Don't plan around seasonal moments irrelevant to the client's industry	A B2B SaaS company doesn't need a "summer reading list" unless it connects to their audience
Plan seasonal content 2-4 weeks ahead of the moment	Publishing on Valentine's Day is too late — the gift guide should go live January 25
Mark tentpole moments early in the calendar	These are anchor points — build surrounding content around them

Common Seasonal Patterns by Industry

Use these as starting points only — verify against the client's actual industry:

Industry	Seasonal Peaks	Content Implications
Travel/Hospitality	Spring (planning), Summer (travel), Holiday (gifting)	Lead content by 4-6 weeks; shoulder season is underserved
B2B SaaS	Q1 (budget season), Q4 (renewal/planning)	Budget justification content in Q4; new year goal content in Q1
E-commerce	Black Friday/Holiday, Back to School, Valentine's	Gift guides, deals content, seasonal buying guides
Education	Back to school, enrollment periods, academic year	Align to academic calendar; summer is quiet
Finance	Tax season, year-end, quarterly reporting	Timely regulatory and planning content
Health/Wellness	New Year, Spring, Back to School	Resolution content, seasonal wellness, routine shifts

Pillar Rotation Logic

A healthy 90-day calendar rotates across all pillars — no pillar dominates every week, no pillar disappears for a month.

Default Rotation

Number of Pillars	Distribution	Notes
2 pillars	50% / 50%	Alternate weeks
3 pillars	33% / 33% / 34%	Rotate across weeks
4 pillars	25% each	Each pillar appears at least once per month
5+ pillars	Equal distribution, grouped	Consider combining thin pillars

Rotation Adjustments

Pillar Status	Weight Adjustment	Rationale
Thin	Increase to max 40% for 30-60 days	Build the pillar with concentrated investment
Healthy	Maintain at default weight	Sustain the position without over-investing
Over-saturated	Reduce to min 15%	Prevent content fatigue; audience needs variety
Untested	Test at 20-25% for 30 days, then reassess	Gather data before committing

Pillar Balance Visualization

Show this in every calendar output:

PILLAR BALANCE (90 days)
[Pillar A]: ████████████ 35% (target: 33%) — Building (Thin pillar)
[Pillar B]: ██████████ 30% (target: 33%) — On track
[Pillar C]: ██████████ 30% (target: 34%) — On track
[Pillar D]: █████ 5% — Seasonal only

If the balance is off from default, explain why in one line.

Segment Coverage

Monthly Coverage Requirements

Every configured audience segment must be served at least once per month. Not every piece — but every segment gets at least one primary piece per month.

Segment Priority	Monthly Minimum	Rationale
Primary segment	2-3 pieces directly addressing their needs	This is your core audience
Secondary segment	1-2 pieces	Growing audience or strategic audience
Emerging segment	1 piece	Testing whether this audience responds

Segment Coverage Check

After building the calendar, verify:

• Every segment is served at least once per month
• Underserved segments (from /audit) are prioritized in Month 1
• No segment goes more than 2 weeks without primary content
• High-value segments get the highest-quality content formats

Repurposing Chains

A well-built repurposing chain doubles effective output without doubling effort. Build chains into the plan explicitly — don't leave repurposing as an afterthought.

Standard Repurposing Chains

Chain	Source → Derivative	Time Savings vs. Creating Separately
Basic	Blog post → Newsletter excerpt → Social post	~3-4 hours
Extended	Blog post → Newsletter excerpt → Social post → Email teaser → Pull quote graphic	~6-8 hours
Video	Webinar/Video → Blog recap → Social clips → Email highlights	~8-12 hours
Research	Survey/Report → Blog series (3-5 posts) → Infographic → Social series → Email nurture	~15-20 hours
Event	Conference talk → Blog post → LinkedIn article → Twitter thread → Newsletter feature	~8-10 hours

Repurposing Rules

Rule	Why
Every long-form piece gets at least a Basic chain	Minimum viable repurposing — no content should exist in only one format
Repurposed content must be platform-native	A blog post excerpt ≠ a LinkedIn post. Rewrite for the platform.
Schedule derivatives within 3-7 days of the source	Freshness matters — don't repurpose a January blog in March
Show time savings in the calendar output	The user needs to see the efficiency argument, not just the volume
Don't count repurposed content toward capacity	It's derived, not original — capacity counts original pieces only

Repurposing Efficiency Summary

Show this in every calendar output:

REPURPOSING EFFICIENCY
Original pieces: {N}
Derived pieces: {N} (from {N} repurposing chains)
Time saved: ~{N} hours vs. creating each piece separately
Effective output: {N} total pieces from {N} originals

Monthly Theme Logic

Each month needs a theme — specific, evocative, grounded in the client's voice. Not generic editorial labels.

Theme Quality Criteria

Good Theme	Bad Theme	Why
"The Operator's Advantage"	"Building Awareness"	Good: specific, evocative, could be a section title. Bad: generic marketing label.
"Why {Destination} in Shoulder Season"	"Spring Content"	Good: audience-relevant, specific. Bad: internal planning term.
"The Stack Nobody Talks About"	"Technology Month"	Good: curiosity-driven, positions a pillar. Bad: category label.

Theme Selection Process

1. Which pillar is the primary focus for this month? (From rotation logic)
2. Is there a seasonal moment that creates a natural hook?
3. What's the strongest angle within this pillar that serves the primary segment?
4. Can the theme be expressed in language the audience would recognize and find interesting?

Contingency Planning

Every calendar needs a buffer. Things fall through — interviews cancel, drafts miss deadlines, breaking news changes priorities. Plan for it.

Buffer Week

Mark one week per month as flex — content is planned but not committed. This is your pressure relief valve.

Month	Flex Week	Planned Content	Fallback
Month 1	Week 4	[{Planned piece}]	Evergreen standby #1
Month 2	Week 8	[{Planned piece}]	Evergreen standby #2
Month 3	Week 12	[{Planned piece}]	Refresh of a top performer

Evergreen Standbys

Identify 2-3 evergreen pieces from content history that can republish or refresh if a planned piece falls through.

Good evergreen standbys:

• Top-performing pieces that are 3+ months old (refresh with current data)
• Foundational explainers that don't go stale
• Best-of compilations or round-ups that can be quickly updated
• FAQ or how-to content with perennial relevance

Selection criteria:

• Previously performed well (top quartile by engagement)
• Not heavily time-stamped (no "in 2024" in the headline)
• Can be refreshed in < 2 hours
• Serves a high-priority segment

Performance Weighting

If performance data exists and is recent (< 30 days from ~~email or ~~docs), use it to weight format and topic decisions.

Weighting Rules

Signal	Calendar Action
Format consistently outperforms others	Weight recommendations toward that format
A specific pillar consistently underperforms	Investigate — angle problem? format problem? audience mismatch?
A topic drove unusual engagement	Plan a follow-up or series
A content type consistently underperforms	Flag it — recommend testing alternatives or cutting
Open rates are declining over time	Recommend subject line testing and list hygiene

When No Performance Data Exists

• Weight toward the client's most-used content format (from content history)
• Note that recommendations are based on content patterns, not engagement data
• Recommend establishing baseline tracking as a 30-day action

Always Do

• Run the resource reality test before building — show the math
• Check seasonal holds before placing any content
• Show pillar balance percentages across the full 90 days
• Build repurposing chains with explicit time savings
• Mark one week per month as flex/buffer
• Identify evergreen standbys from content history
• Serve every configured segment at least once per month
• Include production lead time in scheduling
• Show capacity utilization as a percentage

Never Do

• Plan content into blackout periods
• Build a calendar that exceeds 90% of publishing capacity without flagging it
• Recommend channels the client doesn't use
• Use generic seasonal moments that don't apply to the client's industry
• Let one pillar dominate the full 90 days without acknowledging the imbalance
• Plan without a contingency — something always falls through
• Present a calendar without the capacity math
• Assume repurposing takes zero time — it takes less time, not no time
• Schedule derived content more than 7 days after the source piece

Cross-Skill Dependencies

• Receives from: editorial-config (all constraints, pillar statuses, history, calendar data, performance)
• Receives from: content-strategist (priority recommendations — P1s drive Month 1 planning)
• Used by: /calendar command
• Informs: /draft (calendar-planned pieces feed into content drafting)