The shift to digital planning represents a move away from traditional paper-based methods towards more dynamic and efficient digital tools.
What is Digital Planning?
Digital planning involves using electronic devices and software to manage tasks, schedules, and goals.
Reasons to use digital planners:
- They are flexible and you can easily reschedule meetings, for example.
- You can have everything in one place.
- You can easily search for specific information in the planner.
- No paper waste – eco-friendly option.
- There are lots of fonts, stickers, and customization options.
- Digital planners can have links.
- Possibility to lock planners and apps with passwords.
- Easily share with others.
- Easily backup your data to the cloud for safekeeping.
Various types of digital planners are available to suit different needs and preferences.
As we explore digital planning further, it becomes clear that this approach offers a robust and versatile alternative to traditional methods.
Whether you’re a student, professional, or someone looking to streamline personal tasks, digital planning tools can significantly enhance your productivity and organizational capabilities.
What Do You Need for Digital Planning?
Before starting with digital planning, there are some tools you’re gonna need to start this journey.
Necessary tools are:
- Tablet
- Stylus (for writing)
- Annotation app.
First and most important is a tablet which is the best option for digital planning. You may use digital planners on laptops, however, they are not so accessible. On the other hand, smartphones are too small to use digital planners – either for writing or reading.
Speaking further of tablets, iPads are very popular, however, like other Apple products, they are expensive. You can still go with some more affordable Android tablets. Yet, you’ll still need a stylus pen to use the planner more efficiently.
A secondary necessity is a stylus pen (as mentioned above). The pen will make everything easier. Just imagine you have to write in your digital planner by using your fingertips – awkward and uncomfortable.
Finally, you’ll need an annotation app that supports PDF files. This app is also necessary for editing PDFs as default factory PDF readers don’t offer enough possibilities required for digital planning.
Some of the most popular apps are:
- GoodNotes (iOS)
- Notability (iOS)
- Xodo (iOS and Android)
- Penly (Android)
So starting the digital planning is simple and covers a few steps:
- Get a tablet device (either iOS or Android)
- Install necessary apps
- Get a digital planner (download free or buy one)
- Start using a planner.
This is the shortest brief on how to start planning with digital planners. Keep reading if you want to learn more about digital planning.
Read more: Best Digital Planning Apps
Are Digital Planners Expensive?
As always, you have various digital planners out there coming with different price tags.
You can even find free digital planners online if you don’t feel comfortable buying one or if you want to experiment before you dive deeper into digital planning.
Free Digital Planners
These digital planners can be found across the internet. Also, you can check our Freebies collection with free digital planners.
These planners are great for start or if you want to start learning how to use digital planners.
Depending on the place you find them they may or may not come with hyperlinks.
Also, they can come in different formats including PDF (which is by far the best format and widely used).
Budget-Friendly Planners
These planners are mostly undated as they can be used year after year. Also, they are easier for creators to make, hence, they are cheaper.
Also, some of these planners are simple and offer some simple layouts. For example: daily fitness planner, daily planner, daily finance planner, etc.
They are used for specific purposes.
Premium Planners
These planners can cost more than usual and are not so good for beginners.
For example, these planners are usually dated which means they are made for a specific year and they are useless in the next one.
Additionally, these planners sometimes include an all-in-one planner which contains not only a daily planner, but also different trackers like debt, income, fitness, and many more. They are comprehensive and may require more time to master them. These are good if you’re an advanced user.
Choosing the Right Digital Planner
When you start digital planning, choosing the right digital planner is essential.
Firstly, consider the compatibility with your devices. Ensure the digital planner works on your device – iOS, Android, or Windows.
The user interface is important too. Look for a user-friendly interface with a clean, organized layout and easy-to-navigate menus and features.
Additionally, you can look for basic features like calendar views, to-do lists, and note-taking capabilities.
Cost is a practical consideration. Evaluate your budget and the essential features you need. Free versions might work for personal use, while professional needs might require a paid version.
The section above explains the differences between different price tags.
Creating Your Planning System
Next, you need to create your planning system – this will improve your productivity and organization.
Popular methods are:
- Getting Things Done (GTD) – capturing all tasks in a dependable system and then processing them into actionable items.
- Bullet journaling – highly customizable and allows you detailed tracking of tasks, events, and notes.
- Time blocking – a technique involving the allocation of specific time slots for different activities.
Organizing tasks and events through categories, tags, and color coding enhances the functionality of your digital planner.
- Categories can represent different areas of your life or work, such as personal, professional, health, and finance.
- Tags offer a finer granularity, enabling you to group tasks by specific projects or contexts.
- Color coding adds a visual element, making it easier to quickly identify the nature of tasks and events at a glance.
When you set up these organizational elements with care, you can make a digital planning system that’s not just efficient, but also customized to your specific needs and goals.
Incorporating Productivity Techniques
Don’t forget this: Integrating productivity tricks into your digital planning routine can help you focus, prioritize tasks, and manage your time better.
There are three standout methods:
- Pomodoro Technique – working in focused intervals (like 25 to 30 minutes) and then taking a short break.
- Eisenhower Matrix – known as the urgent-important matrix involves categorizing tasks into four quadrants based on their urgency and importance.
- SMART goals – essential for setting clear and attainable objectives.
The Pomodoro Technique – This technique helps you stay super focused and prevents burnout.
For example, you can work in a 25-minute block, and then take a 5-minute break. Do this four times, and then take a longer break of 15-30 minutes.
The Eisenhower Matrix – this method helps prioritize tasks that truly matter while delegating or eliminating less critical activities.
In your digital planner, create a section or use tags to categorize tasks into urgent and important, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, and neither urgent nor important. This visual representation aids in making informed decisions about where to focus your efforts.
SMART goals – an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound, are essential for setting clear and attainable objectives.
When incorporating SMART goals into your digital planning, ensure each goal is well-defined and includes a timeline.
For example, instead of writing “exercise more,” specify “exercise for 30 minutes, three times a week for the next month.” This clarity not only keeps you accountable but also tracks your progress effectively.
Be Consistent
As mentioned in our previous articles, consistency is key to digital planning.
There’s nothing useful if you buy a digital planner and don’t use it.
Consider how often you want to plan and on what basis – daily, weekly, monthly.
Daily planning will require a daily routine of writing down plans, while monthly will require less time as you can dedicate half an hour monthly to writing down the most important tasks, appointments, or important dates.
