Traditional vs Digital Planner- How do I Choose the right one for me?
As any business owner knows, organization is key to being successful. How can you succeed if you miss important appointments because you didn’t write them down? Or forget to pay your bills because you weren’t organized enough? Or miss a big conference because you didn’t plan ahead to register for the event? Being organized means you have a vision of your business’ direction and you have the day-to-day tools like a planner to support that vision. When you’re organized, you’re able to grow, scale and align with your business because organization and productivity go hand in hand.
Having the right planner can absolutely revolutionize your organization. But what kind of planner should you get? When it comes to planners, people tend to either be digital all the way or traditionalists who prefer the paper planners. The digital world and its paperless businesses, including paperless planner options, have exploded and today you can find any style or niche planner your planning-crazed heart desires.
The paperless planner has a lot of benefits as you’ll see in this post. You won’t have to remember to bring your planner with you if it’s on a device you already carry with you everywhere. And it’s less likely for you to lose or misplace your planner if it’s on a device. Also, having a digital planner will make your life a lot easier if you’re a busy mom with a lot of tasks to juggle. You can easily add appointments to your planner and set reminders, so you never miss another doctor’s check-up, parent teacher conference or birthday party again. Plus, lugging a giant paper planner around with you along with car seats, diaper bags and toys just isn’t practical. Even if you’re a busy mom, you can still rock the laptop lifestyle with digital planning and declutter your life.
Let’s dive into the details of paper vs digital planners, shall we?
#1 The pages
Traditional: The thing about traditional planners is that you can easily run out of pages. The paper planners only give you a certain number of pages for the year and if you run out, then you’re out of luck. Also, if your plans change, you have to rip out pages or cross out what you’ve penciled in, making a mess out of something that’s supposed to help you stay organized.
Digital: Digital planners allow you to duplicate as many pages as you want. Literally, the number of pages you can duplicate is unlimited which means you’ll never run out of pages. Also, if your plans change, you can just hit the delete button. Simple as that.
#2 The convenience
Traditional: I used to own a big leather-bound planner that had extra blank pages so I could make designs and sketches. Boy was that thing heavy! As the day wore on, it started to feel like it weighed a ton. Today, with all the weight restrictions on carry-on luggage, you’re nearly forced to choose between your laptop and your planner, making it super-inconvenient to travel with a paper planner. Also, you will almost never forget your cell phone when you’re rushing out the door, but it’s easy to leave your planner sitting on the kitchen table. And, perhaps most annoying of all is when you lose your paper planner. It’s all too easy to leave it behind in a coffee shop or when you’re on the go.
Digital: A digital planner is convenient because it’s on a device you already use and carry with you regularly. It’s also compatible with your phone and other devices, which means you can have access to your planner from any of the devices that are with you. Even if you’re not carrying your laptop or iPad, just having your phone with you means you’re carrying your planner, so your planner is always in your pocket. Also, with a digital planner, even if you lose your cell phone or iPad, you’ll have a backup, unlike with a paper planner where if you lose it, it’s gone for good.
New Digital Planner!
#3. Tidiness
Traditional: Plans change or get cancelled- that’s part of life. But when you have a paper planner, those changes start to look messy and confusing, especially when the mistakes are made in pen and you have to cross them out. Or, if plans change, you’ll have to cross out the original plans and try to find space to write in the new plans. In a short period of time, your organization tool can start to look anything but organized!
Digital: A digital planner is very easy to keep neat and tidy. With digital tools, you can draw straight lines instead of having to draw things by hand. And you can add stickers to help coordinate your digital planner pages. For creative types, maybe one of the best things about digital planners is that you can unleash your mind and creativity because you can easily undo anything you’re not satisfied with later with just one click.
#4 The price
Traditional: Trendy traditional planners are expensive because you’re not only paying for the pages and the design but also the materials such as good quality paper and a leather cover. Such items are not only heavy to carry but come with a heavy price tag, too.
Digital: Digital planners are much more affordable, especially when you take into consideration the fact that you can duplicate pages as many times as you want. It’s also possible to buy an undated digital planner that you can use over and over again and only pay for once. Now, that’s a bargain!
2021 Planner Collection
Self-Employed Business Planner
Final Thoughts
While some people are die-hard paper planner fans, more and more people are choosing the paperless life. That’s because digital planners are more practical, being compatible with your other devices so you’re never without your planner. Digital planners are also more affordable, allowing you to duplicate and add pages or even use the same model over and over again for years. Digital planners also allow you to make changes to your plans easily by just deleting them rather than having to cross them out and make a mess like in a paper planner. And if you’re a busy mom, the last thing you need is to be lugging around a bulky planner that could get dropped, lost or get food or drinks spilled on it. For moms, a digital planner can be a life saver.
Visit my shop to see the styles and varieties of digital planners I have had the joy of designing. But remember, not all digital planners are created equal and people have different styles and needs when using a planner. Whether you’re looking for a creative planner, a financial planner, a goals planner, a pregnancy planner or any other type of niche planner, you’ll be able to find what you need with digital planners.
