One thing people often ask me is whether paper or digital planners are ‘better’. The answer, of course, is that whatever works for you is the best option of them all!
In all seriousness, there’s no need for an ‘either/or’ approach to planners. Those who adopt a strict paper-only approach are overlooking the efficiencies of digital planners, and people who turn up their nose at digital planners have obviously never felt the power of a pen and paper planner beneath their fingertips.
The good news is that there is a middle ground. If you’re wanting to combine paper and digital planners but don’t know if that’s an effective way to do things, read on! I’ve put together 7 reasons why it makes perfect sense to combine paper and digital planners.
1. Combine Paper and Digital Planners To Keep Everyone On The Same Page
If you’re a fan of paper planners but want to share notes or parts of your schedule with other people in your family or organization then you’ve already cottoned on to one of the key motivations for blending paper and digital planning.
Even if planning on paper feels like the best fit for you, backing your planner up digitally or creating a scaled-back digital version is a fantastic way of keeping others on the same page as you. It will save you constantly telling others the details of your schedule and you’ll find it easier to get help with collaboration-friendly tasks if others can actually see what they are!
2. Combine Paper and Digital Planners To Keep Your Planning Front Of Mind
It’s the problem of planners the world over: Your planning success rides on you actually *checking* your planner. Ouch.
If you’re not the type to carry your paper planner around everywhere with you, then combining paper and digital planners will double your chances of keeping on track with your to-do list and actually following through with all the great plans you make.
Having both a paper and a digital planner means you’ll be reminded of your goals and plans from two different angles, keeping your planning front of mind, actionable, and effective.
3. Combine Paper and Digital Planners To Separate Personal From Professional
So much of our work is done online these days, and for many of us that means our planners are digital ones. But all work and no ‘you-time’ can leave you stressed, strung-out, and personally unfulfilled.
If you are struggling to separate your professional life from your personal one then making use of both a paper and a digital planner is an excellent way to get a sense of clarity in the way you organize your life. Keeping your personal planning to a paper journal and having work-related tasks and appointments in your digital planner will help you give equal weight to your home and office lives, without letting the two worlds collide.
4. Combine Paper and Digital Planners To Fail-Safe Your Planning
We pour our hearts and souls into our planners and they carry every important detail of our days with them. But what if something happened to yours?
What if you dropped your phone in the toilet along with all your digital to-dos?What if your puppy developed a penchant for paper planners?
Combine paper and digital planners and get some peace of mind that if you accidentally stand next to a huge magnet or your morning cappuccino makes a bid for freedom all over your desk, at least you have another place to go to get your life back on track again. Unless of course you do both those things at once!
5. Combine Paper and Digital Planners For Practicality
Paper planners feel good to use. Picking up a pen (or pencil!) and jotting down your brainwaves and best ideas is quick, easy, and satisfyingly tactile.But carrying a paper planner everywhere isn’t for everyone. While there are certainly some among us who won’t leave the house without our paper planner, others prefer to travel more lightly through our days.
Doubling down on your planning efforts by combining paper and digital planners is actually highly practical. For those times when your paper planner just isn’t with you, you’ll thank your lucky stars for the digital version on your phone or laptop.
6. Combine Paper and Digital Planners To Soothe Your Structured Soul and Creative Brain
There’s a special kick of creativity we feel when we use our hands to write or draw. That’s why so many people love to use paper planners. On the other hand, digital planners often lend a greater sense of structure to our days with their built-in functions and reminders.
Using both a paper planner and a digital planner plays to the different needs of your organizational brain - the mix of structure and creativity will help maximize your efficiency.
7. Combine Paper and Digital Planners to Break Down Your Short and Long-Term Goals
One of the most important reasons to combine paper and digital planners is keeping track of both your short and long-term goals.
Many people I know find that separating their long and short-term goals into different planners helps them achieve those goals more efficiently. Often our long-term plans can be lost in the mire of everyday tasks and lifting them out of the noise can be a fantastic way to ensure they remain on your agenda.
Keeping your short and mid-term goals and tasks in your digital planner and saving your big-picture hopes and dreams for your paper planner will help you keep track of both, and give your longer-term goals a special, creative place to grow.
Be A Planning Boss with Paper and Digital Planners
Here at Boss Personal Planner, we’re all about doing things your way. That means offering all manner of digital and paper planners for you to mix things up to your heart’s content.
If you’re looking for the best place to start and want to combine paper and digital planners, check out our Digital Personal Planner and the Ultimate Personal Planner.
One more great thing about combining digital planning and paper is your can take advantage of all of the digital planner options we have, such as the digital budget planner.
Happy planning!