Paper or Digital: Which Planner is Better?
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Keep reading to see which planner is better: paper or digital.
Would rather watch a video? Watch my complete walk-through below.
Considering the fact that I have an entire website devoted to digital planning, you probably already know what my answer is to the highly debated question: which planner is better, paper or digital?
In today’s post I will share a few of the many reasons why I think that digital planning is definitely the way to go and why you should make the switch if you haven’t already. So, as always, let’s get started!
Searchability
One of the most amazing and significant features of digital planning is the searchability feature. Searchability is like having a personal assistant that can instantly find what you are looking for with a snap of a finger (or in this case, a click of a button).
In the past, I’ve had to flip through pages until I could find whatever it was I was looking for, if I even ended up finding it. Now, I can quickly find what I’m looking for, whether it’s to-do lists, schedules, important notes, and so much more.
A good digital planner will usually be filled with different layouts and templates that can help you be more productive. The ability to search makes it easier to organize all your information to help you be able to quickly find and sort through your things.
For example, you can search for specific keywords and you’ll quickly be taken to areas of your planner which have that specific keyword.
Searchability also makes it easier to update your plans as needed. You can quickly and easily search for specific plans or lists and update them as necessary. This ensures that your plans are always up-to-date and accurate.
Oh, and one more thing! Being able to search easily is also useful when you share your planner with others. You can let that person know what change you made and the person can easily find that information by searching for a specific keyword.
Accessibility
One of the biggest reasons why I love my digital planner is because I can access it from any of my devices. From my iPad, to my phone, and even to my computer, I can make updates and those updates will sync and I am able to see the changes from any device.
Not having to lug around my paper planner with all the pens and stickers is great because I can just pull out my iPad and it’s all right inside.
Easy to Edit
It is SO easy to edit anything when you use a digital planner. I’ve always liked to plan ahead for certain areas of my life and I remember that with my paper planners I was always having to cross out things that later on didn’t end up fitting with my schedule.
This will vary depending on the app you’re using, but I love using GoodNotes to access my digital planners and journals and GoodNotes makes it so easy to move things around using the Lasso tool.
I can quickly and easily circle whatever it is I want to edit and move around and once I’m done, it’s as if I never made any changes!
Customization
Digital planning takes the ability to customize to the next level. I’m big on customizing my planners and I love that I have almost an infinite number of possibilities to customize the layouts of each of my pages.
Besides changing the layout of your planner, you can move pages around, delete or duplicate elements and pages, add new templates, stickers, and photos and create new pages and sections with just a click of a button.
Eco-friendly
Let’s talk about how eco-friendly digital planners are. In the past few years I probably accumulated hundreds of journals and planners and most of them I probably never used.
I’m pretty sure I was a sticker-holic (if that’s a thing) because I would buy sticker packs all the time. Some of which, I still have.
With digital planners you aren’t using any paper and everything you do use is reusable. This includes the digital planner itself, stickers, pens, highlighters, and even your very own graphics and photos! Paper planners are meant to be used once and then you need to grab a new one.
Can you imagine what an impact would be made if all paper planners switched to digital planners? There would be a lot less clutter meaning a lot less waste!
Shareable
Sharing your digital planner has never been easier. GoodNotes gives you the ability to share your planner by sending a link with just one click. While I don’t personally use this feature much, I do see how convenient it is for households that do need something like this.
Instead of having to give out your paper planner, digital planning lets you collaborate with the person you share it with and now both of you have the ability to make changes or add anything to the planner. It’s a neat feature for sure!
Budget-friendly (for the most part)
It’s likely that you already have a device that is compatible with digital planning apps such as GoodNotes. Whether it’s a phone, computer, or iPad (my recommendation).
The “premium” apps for digital planning are usually under $10. Keep in mind that these apps can act as libraries and you can store a ton of different digital files within them whether it’s digital journals, stickers packs, and so much more. There are also free apps out there if you don’t want to invest right away.
And, if you want to save yourself some money when you’re first starting out, you can also sign up to my freebie library where I have all kinds of free goodies. From digital planners, to journals, to stickers and even guides to help you along the way.
There are free resources everywhere! Something that is hard to come by with paper planning. At least I’ve never seen anyone handing out free paper planners.
I think it’s pretty easy to see which type of planner is best in my opinion. If you’re still on the fence, feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have. I’ve helped lots of awesome people make the change already and you may be next!