I occasionally dabble in digital planning. I thought maybe because I was only using it here and there that it could be the reason why I wasn’t completely sold on it, so decided to try it out for a full month.
Related post: How to get started digital planning: the tools & resources you need
Thoughts after trying digital planning for a month
I did 4 weeks of consecutive digital planning in November using various types of weekly spreads from my Rainbow Digital Planner.
I did a mix of dashboard, vertical and horizontal to see which I liked best.
I used Goodnotes although there are other digital planning apps that look similar that I intend to try in the future (zoomnotes, noteshelf etc.)
My favorite type of weekly spread to plan digitally is still dashboard (same as on paper) with the days of the week on one side and a checklist on the other.
You could use the lasso tool in Goodnotes to select a task or event and delete it once completed so you end up with a completely blank / fresh spread ready for the next week. Or if you have anything left at the end of the week, it’s already there for the next week without needing to re-write it.
I don’t like using vertical weekly planners on paper, but didn’t mind using one digitally. I can use my fingers to expand the screen, write what I need to and then zoom out again so it’s easier to fit text in narrow columns.
If you like these digital weekly planners, they’re available in this bundle from my shop.
Things I liked about digital planning
- Easy to move plans around easily using the lasso tool
- Can color match the colors of the planner you’ve made or have purchased
- Quick to set up simple spreads
- Can use any color I want
- Easier to create uniform appearance – can just make something once and then copy and paste as many times as you need
- Saves time when you have recurring tasks
- Can add extra pages if you run out of space
- Can duplicate a weekly spread to save time setting up the next week
- Can reposition pages in your notebook if you want to keep a recurring weekly tasks list, your monthly habit tracker etc. next to your weekly spread for quick access
- Can change colors after you’ve used them. I created one circle using the highlighter tool then copied and pasted to all days of the week, wrote in the numbers and then changed the colors of each of them
To change colors or resize, use the lasso tool, draw a circle around the element then tap and hold until the black pop-up menu in the screenshot below appears.
I thought the battery on my iPad would die quicker than it did. A few times I forgot to turn it off before I went to bed and the battery had only dropped 2 or 3% by the next morning.
Things I didn’t like about digital planning
- Bit limited in the decorating you can do in Goodnotes – there’s really only the highlighter tool and different colored pens. Unless you import in digital planner stickers there aren’t many different ways to customise. A stamp tool or some pre-imported images, or some border templates within Goodnotes would be handy (although I haven’t seen other digital planning apps offer these either)
- I wish there was a search function (CTRL + F) in Goodnotes. I’m definitely using only digital notebooks with a hyperlinked index that goes directly to the page you want from now on, and will be keeping my weekly spreads in a separate Goodnotes notebook
- Small screen size. If you want a decent amount of space to plan each week you’ll probably use 2 pages which will require flicking back and forth on your iPad screen
So am I sticking with digital planning?
Even after trialing digital planning for 4 consecutive weeks instead of a week here and there, I still prefer pen and paper. I like being able to use different supplies and my spreads have more variety on paper. I can use stencils, washi tape, stamps, colored pens etc. I think there’s more ways to customise spreads on paper than digitally.
I have my master task lists in Excel (which can be opened in Google Sheets if you’re on an iPad) so it would be convenient to switch between the two… However I like having one open on a device (computer or iPad) and being able to see my paper planner at the same time.
I like digital planning and will probably use it occasionally, but I won’t be making a permanent switch to digital weekly planning.
Past digital planning spreads
- Drawing bullet journal spreads on paper versus digitally on an iPad: which is faster?
- 10 Useful Tips for Digital Planning using Goodnotes
- How to resize any printable PDF and add it to your digital planner (in Goodnotes)
- Digital habit tracking in Goodnotes versus habit tracking on paper
Planning tips
- 15 Productive Things You Can Do In 15 Minutes or Less
- 50 Reminders to Put in Your Planner or Bullet Journal
- 10 Different ways to do a monthly goals review in your planner
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Have you tried Artful Agenda? I discovered this web-based planner by accident back in January and have been using it exclusively all year. Artful Agenda looks and works like a paper planner. It’s fairly customizable (my planners are more functional than pretty) and ever since Artful Agenda added the ability to make tasks recurring it’s been my only planner this year. Best of all are the IOS and Android apps that allow all of my planner entries to sync across all of my devices. And no, I’m not being paid to plug them…I’m just a big fan. The downside: you have to pay an annual fee ($35.00 USD) but it’s cheaper than a high-end planner like Erin Condren (which I also like but can’t really afford). I’m curious to hear your thoughts on it.
The rule I try (with varying degrees of success) to stick to is: anything that comes to me or that I create electronically stays electronic; anything that comes in or that I create in hard copy stays analog; except calendar items, which are duplicated in both my paper planner and Outlook calendar.
The only digital tool I really use is Outlook – I have created “Action Items” and “Waiting on Someone” folders in my inbox, flag e-mails with due dates so they show up on the Outlook To Do list, and create folders for every project for archiving completed (or “for information only”) e-mails. I rarely add items to the Outlook To Do list other than flagged e-mails – these almost all go in the paper planner (which is where the digital->digital/analog->analog “rule” tends to break down).
I kept being put onto Coverta which looked like another site. All I want to do is download your free Excel lists!! I am already a subscriber, so find this so frustrating. Thanks. Enjoy your blog normally, but not this time. xx
Hi,
All free printables and downloadable templates e.g. for Excel, are in the free printables library. Each time I release a new freebie it is added to the library. Existing blog subscribers can login here: https://allaboutplanners.com.au/free-printables/free-printables-library/ (the password is sent in the initial subscriber confirmation email and is at the bottom of every email I send).
Once you’ve subscribed once you don’t need to keep entering your name and email address for each resource within my blog posts – go directly to the free printables library login page and all of the resources are in there.
If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do so using the form on this page: https://allaboutplanners.com.au/free-printables/
If you need further help please email me / send me screenshots to [email protected]