How to Use Your iPad as a Planner | Digital Planning For Beginners + Free Planner

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Keep reading to learn more about How to use your iPad as a planner and how you can get a free digital planner!

Would rather watch a video? Watch my complete walk-through below.

Today I am going to be showing you how to use your iPad as a planner.

In this post I will be answering a lot of my most frequently asked questions and I will be going over some tips and tricks on using your iPad as a planner. I’ve seen a lot of people who are new to the idea of digital planning and are interested in getting started so I am here to guide you step-by-step

I know it can seem overwhelming at first with all the apps and files but I promise you it’s super simple and I hope this post gives you an easy understanding so you too can start your digital planning journey. I feel that it’s always easier to learn by visually seeing what I am referring to so I will be showing you my entire digital planning set up.

I will be going over the apps you’ll need, the download process, the importing process, and at the very end I will be showing you how to get a free mini digital planner. Alright, let’s get started!

Getting Started Digital Planning

To start off, let’s go over the planner supplies I use for the best digital planning experience. The device I use is an iPad Air. I also have the Apple pencil 2 which I believe is a must-have when it comes to digital planning. I also have a cover on it which makes writing and drawing with it so much more comfortable.

My iPad case is from Amazon. It’s pretty basic but has been working for me for over a year now so I love it.

I also have the GoodNotes app. This is what I use for my digital planning and digital journaling. This is the app I highly recommend you use as it’s super user-friendly and has great features.

What is Digital Planning?

Let me start off by answering the number 1 question I get. What is digital planning? Digital planning is essentially a PDF document which you can write on using a PDF annotator app such as GoodNotes.

You pretty much get all the benefits of planning in a much more organized and environmentally friendly way. Another great perk is that you can access your planner from different devices. I access mine from my phone if I want to take a quick glance at something or sometimes I will look over it on my computer.

How to Download Your Planner

Let’s go over how to download your planner. I just released my new 2023 Digital Planner. I have an entire post walking you through this planner if you’d like to check it out. So let me show you how to get this planner right on your iPad.

1. You can find my planner here if you are interested in checking it out. I currently have a sale going for this planner so as of right now you can get it for 50% off. Feel free to scroll through this page to see a preview of it.
2. So once you have gone through the process of purchasing this planner you will receive an email that looks like this. It will contain your download link so you will just click on it and it will open up a new page with a download button.

3. Click the Download Now button, then click Download once more. You will see a little down arrow in the upper right corner of your screen so you can click on it and you will see that you have downloaded the planner.

4. Click on the planner and you will be taken to this page, click the Share button in the upper right, then scroll down and you will see an option to Open in GoodNotes or whichever note-taking app you prefer.

5. Click on that and you will be redirected to GoodNotes and a popup will come up prompting you to import the planner as a New Document.

6. Click the button and the importing process will begin which is super quick.
7. Congrats! You now have your digital planner right on your iPad!

Quick overview of GoodNotes

Now that you have your planner in GoodNotes I will give you a quick overview of the basics on how to get started with GoodNotes.

So at the very top you will see a little pen icon. This is what turns your pen on and off. So when it is off, you will not be able to write on your planner but you can click on the tabs and buttons in your planner. Once it is on, you can write on your planner but you won’t be able to click the tabs and buttons.

This is your pen tool where you have the option to change what kind of pen you’re using. You can also change the color and the weight of the pen or how thick the line is.

Here is your eraser tool which is pretty self-explanatory but you can also choose what kind of eraser you’d like to use as well as the size that you’d like to use.

This is the highlighter tool. You have the option of having your highlighter draw in a straight line or if you toggle it off, you can use it freehandedly.

You can use the shape tool to help you make more perfect shapes rather than trying to draw them freehandedly. 

This is the lasso tool which makes moving things around and resizing them so much easier. You just draw a little circle or oval around it and you get a few different options on what to do with your selection.

Lastly, this is your text tool which you can use to type out your text if you’d prefer.

Downloading Your free Digital Planner

If you’re not sure if you’re ready to start digital planning, or maybe you want to try before you buy, I have a free mini digital planner that you are welcome to use. Let me show you how to grab yours right now!

So, first you will want to go to this link. You will see this banner at the top that asks if you want a free Digital Planner.

Click the yellow “Yes Please!” button and the first thing you will see is this form that asks you for your name and email so I can send you your free digital planner.

You will fill it out and once you do that, you will receive an email in your inbox that looks like this. Click on the button that says “Confirm your subscription” and you will be redirected to your free mini digital planner.

You can do the same thing as before and click on the share button in the upper right hand and go to “Open in GoodNotes.”

GoodNotes will then open up and you can click on the “Import as New Document” button. Click Import to Documents and your free planner will open right up!

This planner is undated and is also hyperlinked for easy navigation so feel free to check it out and explore the different features.

If you decide this is something you’d like to try out, be sure to check out my other post going over my brand new 2023 digital planner and how you can grab yours.

That is all for now and I hope this post helped you get a better understanding on how digital planning works!

Want a free digital planner? Sign up below!