At some point in life, we’ve all found ourselves lamenting the brevity of time, hours, days or weeks seemingly slipping by too fast to stay productive, jobs piling up, to-do-lists getting longer, etc. The 30-day month is not exempt from this feeling, which brings us to the topic, is 30 days a month enough?
The Calendar System
The current world calendar system, the Gregorian calendar adopted by most countries, has 12 months, with a range of 28 to 31 days each, except for February, which has 28 or 29 days. The length of a month was calculated based on the time it takes for the moon to revolve around the Earth. Since the lunar cycle lasts around 29.5 days, our calendar has 12 months to roughly cover a solar year of 365.2425 days.
Why Not Make All Months 30 Days Long?
Intuitively, having each month be 30 days long would have a uniformity that could make it easier to keep track of time. However, it would not precisely correlate with the lunar cycle or the solar year, which is what our current calendar system is designed to do.
What Are the Disadvantages of the 30-Day Month?
There are some disadvantages when it comes to the 30-day month. These include:
- Month end being a difficult time for budgeting, as not all months have an equal number of business days.
- This lack of uniformity makes budgeting for businesses difficult, as some months have more or fewer business days than others. For instance, February only has 28 days, and sometimes 29 days in a leap year.
- The peak of a business cycle, which typically occurs on the last day or first business day of the month, can shift between the 30th of one month or the 1st of the next month. This shifting can create uncertainties that affect inventory and cash handling.
- When it comes to interest calculations, months’ varying lengths can result in interest charges that are higher or lower than expected.
What Are the Advantages of the 30-Day Month?
There are also advantages to the 30-day month, which include:
- It can be easy to calculate a month’s pay, knowing that each month has precisely 30 days.
- It can be a good benchmark for budgeting, and its lack of uniformity can force budgeters to plan for unexpected expenses or shortfalls.
- It can simplify the tax-year calendars for businesses, as the quarter ends would be on the 30th or 31st of months.
Is 30 Days Enough for Personal Goals?
Most of us have personal goals we hope to achieve in our lives–from learning new skills, building our careers, nurturing relationships to visiting new places. One question we ask is whether the 30-day month is enough time to achieve these personal goals. The answer is not straightforward since it entirely depends on the nature of the objective or goal.
Short-term Goals
For short-term objectives such as learning a new skill or reading a book, 30 days could be enough time to get started or complete one part of the goal.
Mid-term Goals
For mid-term goals such as saving $5,000 in six months or running a marathon, 30 days isn’t enough time to achieve the objectives fully. However, breaking the larger goal into actionable steps to take every 30 days could help track incremental progress in pursuing the bigger objective.
Long-term Goals
In terms of long-term goals, such as building a successful career, raising children, or buying a home, 30 days may seem too little time to accomplish anything significant. However, if monitored frequently with quarterly or monthly reviews, the long-range goal can be continually refined with new tasks and refined strategies.
Conclusion
There is no clear-cut response to whether 30 days is enough or not, as it depends on personal goals, aspirations, projects, and objectives. However, goals broken into workable milestones and reviewed regularly can lead to progress and momentum.
Common Questions and Their Answers
Here are some frequently asked questions regarding 30 days a month and their answers:
- Q: Why is February shorter than the other months?
- A: February is usually shorter, with 28 days, and on leap years, it adds a day to make a total of 29. This resulted from Julius Caesar’s decision to create the Julian calendar and dedicate February, the month of purification, to the Roman god of boundaries, Februus.
- Q: Is there a scientific reason why the lunar month is 29.5 days long?
- A: The modern lunar month is 29.530587981, also known as the synodic month. Its scientific explanation is that it is the time it takes for the moon to move from one new moon to the next, equivalent to the time Earth needs to complete one full rotation around its axis relative to the sun.
- Q: Could we have 13 months instead of 12 and each with 28 days?
- A: Yes, we could. However, it would break the continuous seven-day week cycle and present significant administrative challenges in reassigning workers’ schedules, salary payments, quarterly tax reporting, and many other day-to-day tasks.
References:
- “Is 30 Days Enough To Form A Habit?” Huffington Post, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/30-days-better-habits_n_5af7ddcee4b0200bcab9ecc2
- “Why is February the shortest month?” The Old Farmer’s Almanac, https://www.almanac.com/content/why-february-shortest-month
- “Why 30-Day Months are Better.” Financial Post, https://financialpost.com/executive/executive-summary/why-30-day-months-are-better-for-todays-business-environment