This is a post I never thought I’d write. As much as I love the benefits of technology – when it comes to books, I’ve stayed staunchly in the “paper only” category, despite my bookshelves crying out from being overstuffed. #WorthIt
But, now I’ve got kids and all of their stuff, too. Add in daily life and homeschooling and sometimes I feel like going Marie Kondo on the whole place.
So, I’ve been looking for easy ways to simplify, cut back on waste, and, maybe, spark more joy ;). I started seeing digital planners and notebooks popping up and my first reaction was a big fat, “NO.”
Why Digital Planners:
Then, the more I thought about digital planners, the more I started realizing how often I lose my planner, or have to scribble things out because plans change (hello 2020), and decided maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to have a digital planner, too.
After a few weeks of playing around with digital planners, I have made room in my heart for both digital and paper planners. So, today, I’m going to share 5 reasons why you might want to consider digital planning – and sharing some exciting new products in my shop.
1. Fully Customizable:
This part I love. You can buy a digital planner that has everything you want and then customize it to perfectly fit your needs.
You want to scrap that week plan and start over? You can do that.
Want to use that planner year after year? You can do that.
Want to add inserts or stickers or other layouts? You can do that.
Want to easily add colors, pictures, and other details? You can do that.
And, because you are in control, you can duplicate pages over and over again as many times as you want and delete the ones you aren’t using, rather than carrying around an entire planner full of blank pages you’ll never use.
2. Reduces Waste:
I still have my paper planners from the last few years in my desk. I find it hard to part with them. What am I waiting for? I don’t know. These planners have my collective experiences from an entire year in them and I don’t want to throw them in the trash. But, I also really don’t need to keep them. I never look through them.
As I’ve gotten older and had kids, I’ve thought more and more about the planet we are leaving for the next generation. I am more conscious of what’s in our products and also how much waste our products are leaving in landfills. I’ve started being more considerate of choosing zero waste products. Then, I see those planners sitting there – and I don’t want to add them to a landfill, but I also don’t want the clutter in my house.
With digital planners, you use them on a tablet and when you’re done – you can save as a file or delete. Easy. No mess. No waste.
3. Carry Less:
If you’re already carrying your phone, your tablet, your bag, and a lifetime supply of fruit snacks around (No? Just me?), then do you also want to carry a planner? No, you don’t. So, I leave my planner at home and then I don’t have it.
With digital planning, you are reducing how much you are carrying around, but not sacrificing having what you need. Plus, if you’re already carrying that tablet to entertain the kids for a few minutes when you’re stuck somewhere waiting or just need to get through the grocery shopping – why not have a digital meal planner right there on your tablet? Then, just delete the page when you’re done or duplicate the page for next time.
Or, you can have access to your tablet for work or whatever else you use it for, but also click right over to your planner to add, edit, or delete changes in your schedule.
4. Save Money:
So, that planner you buy each year costs anywhere from $15 – $60. You may buy more than one if that one gets damaged or lost. You might buy multiple planners and notebooks if you are a teacher, a student, or just like to take a lot of notes. And, if these are dated, you can’t use them after the year is over – whether or not you actually used all of it.
Enter: digital planning. Undated planners can be used year after year, over and over. Digital notebooks can be used forever. Digital meal planners will last as long as you want to use them.
If you upgrade your tablet – just reload them. The only reason you would need to buy more is if you want a different design or style.
It may not be a huge savings – but it could definitely add up.
5. Great for Students:
Remember how heavy all of those notebooks would be in our backpacks? I used to have marks on my shoulders and headaches from the weight of lugging that thing around. Kids are adding technology now out of convenience and necessity – so it just makes sense to also have their notebooks right there on their tablets.
With a digital notebook, you can even have all the note-taking paper types available, tabs to organize them, a table of contents to keep them organized, and the ability to duplicate or delete pages as needed. My digital notebooks have 5 types of pages: dot grid, graph, lined, checklist and boxed paper designs, making them perfect for the avid notetaker, the bullet journal enthusiast, or the student.
6. Great for Teachers:
Former teacher in the house! I used planners every year and one of my biggest gripes was that every time something changed, like a new student came or a student left, my attendance records and seating charts totally changed. In fact, things were changing all the time in the classroom, including my lesson plans.
If I had a digital planner that allowed me to make those changes and edits quickly and easily, take notes on staff meetings in a note section, track additional meetings and notes in a student meeting section, keep lists of supplies I needed for lessons in the list section, track expenses in the budget section and more – I think I would’ve been even more organized. Or, there would’ve definitely been less random sheets of paper and post-it notes all over the place – that’s for sure.
I don’t have a teacher planner released yet (coming soon), but you can grab one designed just for teachers here.
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What do you think? Have you tried digital planning? I have a few new planners in the shop and lots of ideas for more. Check them out!
For more productivity and self-care tips, check out these posts:
- 10 Best Planners for the Boss Babe!
- How I batch work to explode my productivity
- How Practicing Mindfulness can help you reach your goals!
- 10 ways to take care of yourself
Have a fabulous day,
E
