Days Left
Notes on waiting well.
How-tos for countdown widgets, and practical ideas for the trips, birthdays and deadlines you’re counting down to.
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How-to
How to put a countdown on your iPhone Home Screen
iOS has no built-in day countdown widget. Here's how to add one to your iPhone Home Screen or Lock Screen in a minute, and pick which event it shows.
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How-to
How to add a countdown widget on Android
Put a days-until countdown on your Android home screen in under a minute. Steps for Pixel, Samsung and most phones, plus resizing and reminder fixes.
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Countdown
How many days until Christmas 2026?
A live count of the days, weeks and weekends until Christmas Day, Friday 25 December 2026, plus the key dates on the way and a relaxed week-by-week plan.
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Countdown
How much of the year is left?
A live year progress bar for 2026: the percent of the year that's gone, plus the days, weeks and weekends left, and a calmer way to use them.
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Travel
Why counting down to a trip makes you happier
Research suggests the weeks before a trip can make you happier than the trip itself. What the studies found, and how to make your countdown part of it.
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Birthdays
How to never forget a birthday again
Most birthday reminders fire on the day, too late to post a card. Here's a simple two-reminder system, and where to collect everyone's dates.
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Study
Exam countdown: how to plan your revision backwards from the day
Days until your exam is only half the question. Turn that number into a realistic revision plan using the study methods research says work.
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Weddings
A wedding countdown that actually helps
Turn the days until your wedding into a calm plan: what to sort at 12, 9, 6, 3 and 1 month out, and what to do with the countdown afterwards.
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How-to
How to count the days between two dates
A free days-between-dates calculator, plus how to do it by hand, in Excel and in Google Sheets. And why two calculators sometimes give answers one day apart.