Image Source: PS Photography | Marisa Petrarca
One thing about me is that I’m always chasing peak organization, from lining up products in my shower organizer and pantry decanting to keeping every event and activity top of mind. But I’m picky in that I need my systems to be simple, seamless, and, above all, convenient. Add a busy husband and a five-month-old into the mix, and our household craves stability wherever we can find it. I’ve dabbled in physical to-do lists (and I’ll admit, I love the ritual of crossing things off) and have relied heavily on Google Calendar over the years, but I’ve officially moved on to a new obsession that’s completely changed the way my family stays sane: the Skylight Max Digital Calendar ($620). I know, the price is steep. Still, as I’ll get into ahead, it’s made such a difference in our day-to-day that I consider it well worth it.
About the Skylight Calendar Max
- The Skylight Calendar Max is a digital calendar you can manage from the device or your phone.
- It keeps all your family’s events, tasks, and lists in one easy-to-use place.
- It comes in a large 27-inch version that can be wall-mounted as well as a smaller 15-inch version ($320) you can display on a countertop.
What I Like About the Skylight Calendar Max
There are plenty of things I love about the Skylight Max Digital Calendar, but what stands out most is how intuitive it is, and how easy it makes it for my husband and me to stay on the same page. We used to constantly get our wires crossed about who was doing what, and a shared Google Calendar never really stuck. With this device, though, we each have our own Skylight profile: his events show up in blue, mine in pink, and anything we’re doing together can be assigned to both of us (or the whole family) with just a tap. Even our baby has a profile. While his “schedule” is mostly doctor’s appointments right now, it makes it so much easier to separate baby-related events from my own and find them at a quick glance.
Another feature I love is how easy it is to sync other calendars. For example, when I accept a Google invite for a work meeting, it automatically shows up on my Skylight. Each profile even has its own unique email address, so if a friend and I are making dinner plans, I can just forward the details (or even a screenshot) to my Skylight address, and the event pops up on the calendar. Worth noting: you do have to enable two-way syncing first, but setting it up in your account settings (on your phone or the Skylight itself) only takes a minute. From there, you can choose between two-way sync (so edits you make on Skylight show up in your other calendars) or one-way sync, which pulls outside events in but won’t push Skylight edits back out. The latter is handy if you’d rather keep certain things living only on your Skylight.
And if syncing isn’t your thing, you can always manually input events directly on the device or in the Skylight app (or do a mix of both, like I do). I often use the app on my phone, and it’s just as streamlined as the wall-mounted calendar. Events update automatically across all connected devices, so everyone in the family can see what’s going on without even touching the calendar on the wall.
There’s more to the Skylight Max Digital Calendar than just, well, the calendar. It has a task section where each family profile gets its own virtual sticky note. You can assign yourself (or each other) to-dos, set flexible or specific due dates, and check things off as you go. There’s also a custom rewards section (something I know will come in handy when my little one gets older), plus a meal-planning feature that lets you map out breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks for the week or even the month. You can create customizable lists for anything from grocery runs to packing for a trip. Here’s what it looks like in the app when you open it (left image) and when you click on tasks (right image).
Image Source: PS Photography | Marisa Petrarca
And last but not least, photos: Skylight actually started as a digital photo frame, so that technology is built right in. When the calendar isn’t in use, you can either display a favorite picture or have it cycle through a gallery, just like a digital frame.
Image Source: PS Photography | Marisa Petrarca
What to Consider About the Skylight Calendar Max
Obviously, the biggest thing to consider is the price. It’s an investment, to say the least. Could my family function without it? Absolutely. But has it made our day-to-day easier and more streamlined? Without question! I wouldn’t say it’s something everyone needs, but if you’ve been craving a little more structure (whether you realize it or not), this might just be exactly what clicks. One thing worth flagging though is that you need a Skylight Plus subscription to unlock all the features, which runs an additional $79 per year. (I know, blah.) Without it, you won’t have access to photo display mode, the meal-planning section, or chore rewards.
Another thing to consider from a visual perspective is that if you buy the countertop version, you can twist it from horizontal to vertical (and back again) whenever you want, and the display will auto-rotate. If you wall-mount it like I did, though, you’ll need to pick one orientation up front, so horizontal or vertical. Once it’s mounted, it can’t physically rotate without taking it down and remounting. I bring this up because I originally chose horizontal, but after a few months of use, I think vertical might have been the better call. Since we tend to juggle lots of activities in a single day, the taller view would probably make everything easier to see at a glance.
Where Is the Skylight Calendar Max Available?
The Skylight Calendar Max is available with fast shipping via Amazon Prime, but you can also purchase it direct-to-consumer from the brand’s website.
Marisa Petrarca (she/her) is a contributing editor for PS Shopping and has over seven years of experience writing and editing beauty, fashion, and lifestyle content. She was previously the senior beauty editor at Grazia USA and the style and beauty editor at Us Weekly. Now freelancing, her work has been featured in Cosmopolitan, Allure, Marie Claire, and more.
