Planners are a great tool for organization, time management, and stress reduction. Long term goals, coffee dates, and grocery lists can all be stored in this handy tool! There is no doubt that it’s great to have a planner, but should you get a paper planner or use a digital planner? Here’s a guide to help your decision.
By Jayne Turner – Staff Writer
Paper Planner
Paper planners come in many forms. Daily, weekly, monthly, academic, and more. I personally use an academic calendar. Instead of January to December, academic planners are from July to June, so you don’t need to get a new one mid-school year.
Versatile. They make planners for everything now. Fitness, finances, and work, to name a few. But of course, the most popular type of planner is a general daily planner.
You can even find a planner with sections for reflection and journaling. This way, there is no need to carry around two notebooks: all you need is one planner! They are also a great way to free yourself from digital distractions and unwind.
They spark creativity. With pen in hand, you can doodle, brainstorm, and write encouraging messages. Many paper planners come with stickers that can be used decoratively within the planner. By crafting the perfect planner for your personal taste, you will be excited to use your planner every day.
Planners can be purchased online or in person at a variety of retailers, such as Barnes and Noble or Staples. With unlimited different styles, you are sure to find a planner for your minimalist or maximalist lifestyle.
The cons are that if you lose a paper planner, you start over from scratch. Also, it can be inconvenient to handwrite everything, especially when in a rush. There is also limited space in paper planners, so when a day is full, you’re out of luck. The inflexible structure of paper planners may be a dealbreaker for someone with a variable routine.
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Digital Planner
Popular digital planners are Notion, Goodnotes, and Google Calendar. Notion allows you to build your desired planner from scratch or use their premade templates. Goodnotes is compatible with downloadable PDF planners. It also works for note-taking. Google Calendar is the simplest of these options. It is free, simple, and can be shared with others.
Accessibility. If your planner is digital, it will always be in the palm of your hand. Most phone-based digital planners can sync with the cloud, updating instantly across all your devices, so you never miss a beat.
Digital formats typically come with a “search” function, allowing you to find a specific date or event without needing to flip through pages.
Easily customizable. With the click of a button, you can change the theme of your digital planner. A pop of color or a festive theme adds personality at the touch of your fingers.
The layout can also be customized, updated for a daily or weekly view. You may add digital sticky notes or to-do lists for particularly busy weeks.
The cons are that digital planners need internet access, so they can’t be used on airplanes or in places where the connection is weak. They may also be riddled with distractions or ads, if it’s a free version. They are also less straightforward than paper formats and require a more tech-savvy user.
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With those points in mind, you may now go forth and be the most organized version of yourself! Get a planner and some nice pens (or just customize your digital calendar), your schedule will thank you.
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Author: Jayne Turner is a freelance writer from Orange, California. She has a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience with an emphasis on language and cognition. She has ten years of musical theatre experience and a lifelong love of reading. Utterly excited by the brain, she brings a fresh Gen Z perspective to the topics that intrigue us most
