If there’s one thing Natalie has taught me in the time I’ve known her, it’s that I have to kick my paper planner to the curb.
It’s kind of like the death of a friend, though. I always looked forward to buying paper planners at the beginning of every school year. I took great pleasure in scribbling things off of my to do list, and last year, I even made my very own customized planner that was all beauuuutiful and colorful and just for me.
I acknowledge that digital to do lists and planners are better for the Earth and perhaps easier to access given that paper planners can get lost or torn. Still, I found myself in Starbucks this past weekend annoyed that I didn’t have a piece of paper to write on. I ended up using the wrapper from the bagel I purchased to jot some notes down.
Sometimes, I just really have to have the pen and paper to hash out ideas or get the satisfaction of crossing through items on a to do list, but all in all I’m trying to convert and maybe you should too. Here’s why:
1. Scheduling with the Hubs
Given how increasingly hectic our lives are, it’s really helpful to have a joint calendar with my husband. It helps me to know if his on call nights got changed or if he has a meeting scheduled after work. It’s always such a bummer for me to expect him home at a certain time only to learn he’s going to be an hour later because of a meeting. A joint calendar helps me to be aware of how my day is going to go.
2. Accessibility from Anywhere
I frequently work at coffee shops on the weekend, and I enjoy having my entire editorial calendar and to do list saved in drive so that I can access it from anywhere. If I used a paper planner still, I promise you I would forget it and have to try to remember what I’m supposed to do that day. My life with two new babies has gotten so hectic and I really do need my calendar to keep me on task. Having it digital really helps with that. Plus keeping my editorial calendar for my blogs digital helps me to share them with my lovely biz partner and also my virtual assistants that help me with my other sites.
3. Easily Altered
When you use a digital planner, you can easily change things. Once you write something on paper, you can mess it up by writing in the wrong date or cancelling an appointment. Then things start to look ugly and ain’t nobody got time for that.
Overall I’m glad that with some prodding, I’ve now moved over to a mostly digital lifestyle. There are still those times when I really want a piece of paper, but they are getting less frequent as the days go on!
Do you use a paper planner?
I always had a paper planner to write down how I was spending my time to bill my clients. We’re not on electronic calendars, and while it is nice to be able to share with the hubby and always have it with me, and has much for functionality, I miss my old paper planner.
We use a combination of a joint online calendar and a dry erase monthly calendar in our kitchen. Both are mission critical for managing everyone’s schedules. I do miss the days of paper planners, and I even tried to use one (because I got it as a gift) a year ago, but to no avail.
Haha I love the phrase “mission critical”
I have such an affinity for paper planners, but have mostly transitioned to google calendars.
You could make a really colorful paper gratitude journal/calendar though 😉
Ooh I like that idea!
I use the cozi app for our family and when it was %50 off for the gold version I locked in. That comes with lots of notification options, shared/color coded calendar for the family (the kids can add the apps on their devices when they get older too without having to set up a Google account). Also comes with a recipe keeper, meal planner which then puts the recipe ingredients right into the shopping list!!!!
However, I also carry a journal and pencil in my purse to write things down. Inspiration, notes, meeting info, whatever I need to get out of my head fast!
I have heard that’s super awesome!
I still use my paper planner and the thought of giving it up makes me panic. I just haven’t gotten on the digital bandwagon yet!
I also love paper planners! There’s definitely something about writing things down versus typing them out that makes me a little sad to give it up. I’m pretty good about carrying it in my purse with me, but it wouldn’t hurt to have a copy online.
I had a paper planner until about a year ago. Once it was done, I went digital. I really miss crossing things off the list. It’s just not the same anymore. But I don’t want to spend money or waste paper. OMG synced google calendars has changed my relationship for the better. With two creative hustlers, it’s a must!
I tried the whole be good for the earth digital planner… not for me. I like lists and like you said, scratching them off. I have the largest purses in the world because I carry my planner (and pens for color coding) everywhere!
I love using a paper planner! I’ve tried doing things digitally, but I enjoy writing things down and checking them off. I don’t get the same satisfaction from typing, ha.