I don’t think I’ll ever be parted from my paper planner with its pride of place on my desk. But if there was competition for my attention with a serious chance, it would be the idea of a digital planner. Being a desktop-focused person who also owns an iPad, there’s definitely an attraction.
But what is a digital planner and how do you use one? Let’s take a look.
What is a digital planner?
A digital planner looks very much like a normal planner apart from the fact it is based on an app rather than being on paper that you print or buy. It is a combination of a calendar app like Google Calendar and a note taking app like Notes or Evernote.
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How does it work?
The key with digital planners is that you need a particular type of app in order to get started. These apps aren’t specifically designed for digital planners but they work perfectly for them.
Goodnotes
Goodnotes is the app that I have on my desktop and iPad for digital planners. It is a note-taking app that gives you a ton of useful features. You can write on the notes, search for terms within the notes and even use folders to organise them.
You can also upload digital planners that are Goodnotes compatible (which almost all of them are) and use those same features with the planner. It also syncs across devices so everything is up to date.
There is a single one-time cost. When I bought it, the price was around $8.
Notability
The other app that gets the most mentions for digital planner use is Notability. This is very much like Goodnotes but also works with Android devices, whereas Goodnotes is Apple only. Again you can take notes, type, search and organise your files with it.
It is a little less expensive than Goodnotes with the current cost being around $2.
Other apps
There are also a few other apps that will also perform a similar job. I’ve not tried them myself but if you are looking for options, these are worth checking out:
- Noteshelf 2 (Apple only)
- Zoom Notes (Apple only)
- Xodo
- Metamoji
What kind of planners can you get?
Once you have your app in place, you can dive into the fun stuff – finding the perfect planner. There are some great free digital planners out there but the paid ones are very budget-friendly and you get a certain level of quality guarantee, especially if you get them through somewhere like Etsy (where I got mine).
When looking for a digital planner, I’d think about what you would want from a paper planner. Do you like lots of room to make notes for each day or are you more of an at-a-glance planner? Do you just want a calendar system or do you want something that has extras such as habit tracking or goal planning?
My digital planner
To give you an example, here’s the digital planner that I have. This is the Amethyst Garnet All-in-One Digital Planner and it is available from Etsy for an instant download.
The planner is a comprehensive style. It contains:
- Daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly spreads
- 3 different weekly layouts
- Wellness sections such as mood tracker and monthly sleep patterns
- Finance spreads including monthly and yearly finances
- Nutrition trackers
- Project management
It is super easy to navigate because it is set up with lots of linked tabs. So the tabs along the top of the screen all click to the relevant places, dates in the yearly, monthly, and weekly spreads lead to the next level and you can also use the tabs along the side to jump to a month.
I use mine on the desktop and also on the iPad with no problems. It is great value and there are also over 400 stickers in the pack!
How does an iPad digital planner work?
The process to use a digital planner is much the same on iPad and desktop, as long as you have somewhere to upload your planner from – iCloud is a great storage option, or somewhere like Google Drive.
Open the digital planner app (in my case, Goodnotes) and press the ‘new’ section. Find the planner and select it to upload it to the app.
With the Amethyst Garnet planner, there are different options to choose from based on the layout you want. I picked the one I like best but you could add them all and decide from there.
You would also then upload any sticker sets that came with the planner. These will show as separate entry.
Click on the planner and it will open on the main page. Once you have started to use it, it will open on the page you were last on.
Let’s say it is January and you want to start making some notes for the first week of the month. On the yearly calendar, either select Jan from the side for the month view. Or just tap on January 1st and see the day view.
App modes
There’s one quick thing to understand about Goodnotes, which may be the same with other apps. There are two modes that you use to navigate and annotate. You can quickly switch between the two via the pen icon in the top right corner.
What’s the difference? When you are in navigation mode, all the links work to move you around the planner. But you can’t edit the planner, type or write stuff. When you select the icon again and switch to edit mode, there’s a new toolbar appears that gives you all the things you need like text boxes, pens, and highlights to edit your planner.
Can you use stickers on digital planners?
The final part of the planner experience is using stickers and other embellishments with your planner and you can still do this in clever ways with a digital planner.
You can buy loads of standalone stickers as well as receive some with digital planners as I did with mine. You upload them to Goodnotes or the app you are using then the lasso tool to highlight the sticker you want to use. Tap or right-click to copy the sticker then go to the planner page.
Hover where you want to put it and tap or right-click to paste. Then you can move it around as needed. That leaves the original image in the sticker book but gives you a copy to use on your planner sheet. Even better than a one-time use sticker book!
The perfect digital solution
There are lots of reasons to try a digital planner. They are cost-effective and easy to use, there are tons of styles that can work for any routine.
Plus there are fun things like stickers that can be used to personalise it. And with the apps syncing between devices, you’ll always have your planner with you, without the need for a bag big enough to carry it!
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