What is digital planning? Learn 3 awesome reasons why you should switch from paper.
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What is digital planning?
Digital planning is basically what it says – it’s a form of planning that is done digitally. There are two main types of digital planning:
- Online tools that can be downloaded on your phone or used in a browser
- Hyperlinked PDF files ready to use in annotation apps know as digital planners
3 main reasons why you should switch to digital planning
Being able to take it anywhere with you.
Have you ever left your paper planner at home, because you didn’t have a space to take it with you? I bet you have. It happened to me many times and it stressed me out terribly. I ended up with tons of to-do lists scribbled down on tiny pieces of paper, in random notebooks and sometimes on the phone. I forgot about so many things because of that.
Eliminating unnecessary stress.
So many times I’ve cringed looking at my paper planner when I saw not-so-perfect handwriting, a mistake, things I had to strike through because my plans changed etc… Usually, it resulted in throwing out the planner or hiding it and never getting it out again. When it comes to planning digitally, you can easily move things around, or delete them, change text size and colour, copy and paste repeated tasks, or move appointments around. No more stressing out because of a hell of a mess I made 😉
Reducing waste, saving money & freeing up space.
As I told you before, I used to make a to-do list of anything I could find around me. It could be an old receipt, post-it note or printer paper that I took to create a beautiful, and esthetically pleasing to-do list, meal plan or weekly schedule. That’s so much paper that went almost straight to the bin! Add unused paper planners to it and the amount is even bigger and harder to think about. It’s worth noting that nothing was free (maybe apart from old receipts :D), so I literally wasted money on something I threw out almost immediately.
I love stationery. Walkthrough the stationery aisle was always a must for me anytime I went shopping. When I was a kid, I loved trips to supermarkets in August, when “Back to school” items were put on the display literally everywhere. Choosing new notebooks, pencils and other stuff was always my favourite thing. Heaven on earth! Unfortunately, there is no such thing in England, where “back to school” items are mostly the same as ones you can get at any time of the year.
Somehow I managed to have two big boxes of notebooks and journals, that are too beautiful to write in them, pens and highlighters I’ve always dreamed of getting but was always afraid of “wasting” them, and other things I probably forgot about. It takes so much space and could be easily avoided if only I switched to digital planning sooner.
If you already have an iPad with Apple Pencil (or any tablet with a stylus really), you could try to use digital planners, journals and notebooks to save money, space and sanity. Digital planners can be very cheap, many of them are undated, so once you invest in one, it can last for years!
What do you need to get started?
Things you need to get started correlates with the type of digital planning you chose.
Digital planning using online tools
There are many available apps on Apple Store/Play Store, and everything depends on your preferences. Do you want to use just a calendar, to-do app, or more advanced, task management app? What about using more than one? Do you want them to sync between multiple devices, computer included? Those are very important questions you should ask yourself first. This will help you find a system that works for you faster.
Apps I recommend, that are available on iOS, Android & web:
(all of them are free)
Calendar:
To-do list:
- Microsoft To Do (previously Wunderlist)
- Todoist (premium available)
- Google Tasks
More advanced task management:
Digital planning using digital planners
What is a digital planner?
A digital planner is a digitised version of a traditional planner in form of a hyperlinked PDF. You need a PDF annotation app, and usually a device with a larger screen, to be able to get the most out of it. You can write, draw, doodle as you would be able to do with your paper planner. You can also erase and fix mistakes easily, which is a huge advantage
Keep in mind that there’s something that looks similar to planners – digital printables. It’s usually one page that you’re copying over every time you want to make a new to-do list or schedule another day. They remind me of notepads with a glued binder, just digitised.
Tip: You can use digital printables as inserts for your digital notebook. Just copy and paste them, or use an import function!
Things you need to choose to get started
1. Device – which one do you want to use?
You can use a digital planner on any device you want to, even on the phone, BUT you will need a tablet with a stylus to get the most out of it. There are three things you need to pay attention to:
- Screen size – if the screen is too small, you will have to zoom in and out all the time, which is tedious. Using digital planners on the phone is possible, but I definitely don’t recommend it. Although, if you decide to start with planning on your phone, look into planners that are made specifically for this type of device.
- Stylus compatibility – without a stylus, you won’t be able to make full use out of a digital planner, write by hand or draw which is kinda a boomer. The one thing I like the most about digital planners is fact that I can use them in the same way as paper ones. Writing with a stylus is also faster and easier than typing on the virtual keyboard.
- App compatibility – go to Apple Store/Play Store and check if the app you want to use is compatible with your device.
My tablet of choice is an iPad with Apple Pencil, but it doesn’t mean that you should get one too. Start with a tablet you already have, as it would be a waste if you buy a new one and decide that digital planners aren’t actually for you.
2. Choose PDF annotation app.
Choose an app you’d like to use for digital planning. Check a few different ones but remember that you don’t have to commit to one app forever! Unfortunately, most of them aren’t free so keep that in mind.
Recommended apps for iOS:
- GoodNotes (£7.99) – my favourite!
- Notability (£8.99)
- ZoomNotes (£7.99)
- Noteshelf (£9.99)
Recommended apps for Android:
- Xodo (free)
- Noteshelf (£4.99)
Tip: Learn all about your app, it will make a difference!
3. Choose (or create) digital planner.
There are two different paths you can follow. First, if:
- you‘re a creative person,
- you know exactly what you want,
- you’re open to learning new things,
- and you’d like to have a digital planner that’s completely yours,
you can actually create a template by yourself. There are tons of free tutorials around the Internet that you can follow. You don’t have to be tech-savvy (although that can be helpful) to create your planner because you can use software like Keynote, Google Slider, or Microsoft PowerPoint, which is fairly easy to learn and use.
Tip: you can do that on an iPad, but it’s easier to work on the computer, where you can use a mouse and keyboard.
Second, if you don’t want to make it by yourself, you can definitely buy a ready-made digital planner or printable on Etsy, for example. There are a couple of things you might want to pay attention to:
- Hyperlinked tabs – are they present? Do they work in the way you’d like them to? Are all dates, tabs, buttons etc connected? Hyperlinks are the main feature of the digital planner and that’s what differs planners from printables basically.
Tip: check all the listing photos, it should be mentioned somewhere what’s linked and what’s not. Don’t hesitate to reach out to the seller and ask them questions! You worked hard to earn money, you should be confident when spending them. - Orientation – do you want your planner to be in portrait or landscape orientation? While paper planners tend to be vertical, people actually prefer horizontal digital planners. If you go for the latter, you usually get wider columns which result in having more space to write. Also, you won’t be able to get two pages side by side if you go for a vertical planner, so think about it and decide beforehand what is more important to you. It will help you find your planner sooner.
- Dated or undated, that’s the question – usually dated planners are hyperlinked throughout which is not the case when it comes to undated ones, but if you want to start planning anytime and don’t like to leave empty pages, the latter planner will be a better option for you. Keep in mind that it takes a bit of time to write all the dates down and you might have to copy and paste pages you want to use.
Tip: Want to save some time? At least two months a year begin on the same day of the week (eg. February, March and November 2021). You can write dates down in one of them, and copy and paste them to other months as well. - Overall feel – do you want your digital planner to be minimalistic or to resemble the traditional planner? You can find many planners that have added rings, shadows, or a background that resembles a table, wooden panels etc.
Digital accessories you might want to check out:
- Digital planner stickers
- Digital washi tape
- Digital sticky notes
Tip: Make sure that items like that come in PNG format and have a transparent background!
5 digital planning mistakes almost everyone makes
Spending lots of money.
I know that you’ve probably seen people posting photos of their journals on social media. I know, that some of them use extensive amounts of digital stickers and they’re praised for doing so. It doesn’t mean that you have to do the same! Before you go and splurge on any accessories, make a decision whether you’re going to pursue digital planning or not. This way you won’t waste your money on something you won’t even use.
As I mentioned before, you don’t need to buy anything to get started. Do your research instead of clicking “buy now” without thinking too much about it.
Beating yourself up for missing a day.
Life happens. You can’t plan or predict everything that’s yet to happen. If you miss a day or two – just go with a flow and get back to planning as soon as you’ll be able to. It’s okay to leave empty pages but if you want to catch up, make a note about anything that happened that day, go through your camera roll and pick a few photos to put there.
Procrastination.
Don’t spend too much time obsessively planning, looking for perfect stickers, tweaking layouts instead of actually planning and getting the job done. If you want to decorate your planner – do it later in your spare time.
Done is better than perfect. Having a beautiful planner won’t help you achieve your goals.
Treating your planner as a piece of art, not as a tool to help you be productive.
This one might be difficult to overcome, especially if you’re a perfectionist like me. Seeing perfect planners on social media might be intimidating but you should remember that your digital planner is only yours and you don’t have to share it with anyone else.
There is nothing wrong with your handwriting! Calligraphy and lettering is a skill that you can learn but don’t forget that it takes time to master. Practise is a key. Don’t forget that a digital planner is a tool that should help you be more productive organized! If it becomes a source of anxiety, pause and reflect on that. Ask yourself why does it make you nervous and what you can do to change that.
Tip: You can use a text tool with hand lettering fonts.
Comparing to others.
I spend months checking how other people set up their planners. I was checking what planner they went for, what stickers they use, how they plan their day etc. Even if I chose the planner I wanted to buy, I quickly changed my mind because someone uses a different one and in my mind, it looked better. When I created my own printable, I wasn’t able to use it for a long time because I felt like it’s not good enough as it’s not exactly the same as the other people’s.
Comparison can bring very negative emotions. When comparing yourself to others, you waste your time on something that is irrelevant. It’s your personal journey, and you don’t need to follow in someone’s footsteps to be happy and successful.
Have you ever thought about switching from paper to digital planning? How does your planning system look like? Let me know!