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Planning 101 : Paper Vs. Digital

Business , Crafting , Personal , Planner , Reviews • Jan 4, 2017

Making and selling planner supplies I’ve often been asked about my planning preferences are. The most common question is asking whether or not I use a paper planner or do i go digital? I’ve always struggled with planner peace to be honest and have spent years researching the topic. I’m a very tech savvy person but i’ve been drawn to the pen and paper method all my life.

In 2017 i’ve decided to really focus on digital planning. It’s a huge change for me but I think it’s one that I truly believe will benefit me, my business and even my career. Keep reading if your interested in the pros and cons of each method.

Paper Planning

This has been my preferred method for the past 28 years. I’ve really dedicated a lot of time in the past three years particularly to perfecting my paper planning. I’ve invested a great deal in tools to help with the planning process. I love the creativity involved! I’ve regularly used stamps, stickers and washi tape to really make it my own. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to find the perfect paper.

I would suggest Inkwell Press to anyone looking for the best paper planner. I can’t speak enough about how amazing not only this company but their product’s also are. They offer both A5 inserts if you have your own planner (such as a Filofax) and they have spiral bound planners. Both loose and prebound products come in two designs. Their products are available online at their website or at Office Max locations near you.

The biggest strength of paper planning is the paper and pen itself. Absolutely nothing can replace that feeling. It’s similar to reading a paperback book versus reading a book on a tech device such as a kindle. That feeling of a fresh piece of paper just can’t be replaced by a glowing screen.

The biggest limitation to traditional is the lack of convenience. I can’t tell you how many times I was talking with someone, sitting at a restaurant or even at the grocery store and needing to write something down in my planner (or pull something from it) but yet I didn’t have it on me. It was home, in the car, etc. It just was never where I needed it to be.

Another con for me was the obsession. Not to sound like a complete psycho but it’s easy to get caught up in all the extras. Michaels has even dedicated an entire section to their stores in late 2016 (of course when i decide to go digital). Etsy as well sells a ton of homemade and handcrafted supplies for your planner. Again, not good for the wallet, lol.

Digital Planning

I think the biggest benefit to digital planning is the convenience. I can use my Mac, iPad, Surface, iPhone or even iCloud.Com and be able to access my calendar, contacts, emails and to-do lists with ease. I run into the occasional sync issue (no wifi at work) but i’ve never had an issue with something getting lost or something getting overwritten. They all work together.

I’m a fan of Microsoft Outlook for managing my calendar, email and tasks. I’ve been using OneNote as well to capture various notes and items throughout the day. I purchased a surface from Groupon around black Friday. That along with the accompanying surface pen have been great. OneNote is smart enough to take my handwriting and convert it to standard text that can be searchable on any other device.

Another positive is the cost. Regardless of the planner your choosing it’s going to cost money every year. The accessories cost money as well. I’ve spent a lot of money over the past few years (oops) on things I truly love but i’m stuck with now that i’m going digital.

When your using a digital method you have everything in one place. Microsoft Office works on both a Mac and a PC. The programs can even work simultaneously across both systems. I use a Mac at home and PC at work so having them talk to each other is a great benefit. This goes with the syncing across devices but it’s a benefit worth mentioning if you user different platforms.

Did I mention recurring items? That’s the one thing that I never could get a grasp on with paper planning. Recurring items! I’ve tried anything from sticky notes to dry erase pages but I just can’t find a way to not have to write the same thing repeatedly each week. When your digital there are so many ways to have a task or calendar event repeat itself over and over again. It makes it impossible to forget!

The biggest drawback is the lack of creativity. I can’t color pages or add my own flair. Digital planning can be very boring but I think that’s what your trading off for efficiency. Sure, you can use color coding but it’s just not the same as the personalization you can get with paper planning.

I think cost could also be a drawback. I’ve got all of these tech items but if you don’t then it’s going to hold you back. I didn’t decide to go digital until I got the Microsoft Surface last month. That was the final puzzle piece to make me feel like I was ready to move forward.

In The End

The planning method that you choose will only be efficient if you actually use it. So many times i’ve bought a planner, i’ll use it for an extended period but then basically forget that it exists. I’ll take the time to color code a calendar and setup recurring items just to delete and move on. When i get a rhythm going is when the method i’m using becomes successful. I’m looking forward to experimenting more with digital planning and will continue to update this post with any future insights that I have on the topic.

What do you prefer? Digital or paper? I’ve read so many posts but always look forward to the feedback of those actually using the products and methods!

Christmas 2014 Is Coming!

Holidays , Personal , Project Life • Nov 22, 2014

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Seems crazy to even say that Christmas is roughly a month away. A MONTH! I am not at all prepared. I’m trying though so hopefully that at least counts for something. One thing that I really wanted us to do this year was make our own christmas cards. I spent a couple months slowly gathering supplies to create the cards and even signed us up for a class at Studio Calico. I wanted us to be ready.

Well, the class was a bust. Nothing against Studio Calico but i just didn’t feel like I had the tools to be making the cards that they were showing us how to make. I have A TON of craft stuff due to my Project Life obsession but I don’t have a lot of the more expensive tools such as a die cutter. I felt like a lot of those tutorials really focused on having a die cutter so that was of course of no use to me.

A lot of cards turned out beautiful. Their are a lot of really neat crafting supplies that come out during the holidays. My favorite line by far for every holiday is Martha Stewart. I just think that all of her crafting material is top notch. It tends to be a bit on the pricey side but their is always a sale and every craft store tends to constantly have some sort of coupon available (except for Pat Catans so I tend to avoid them :/).

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I went to Michaels and Pat Catans yesterday. Pat Catans sent me a 15% off coupon and their holiday merchandise was 40% off for a total of 55% off my holiday purchase. As much as I avoid going to Catan’s due to the sending out coupons-once-per-year policy they always have all of the Martha Stewart products. Above is about half of what I actually bought (but the only Martha products).  I only spent around $17 total and got a ton of stickers. I’m good on just about everything else but I tend to use a ton of stickers so it was worth the small hall in the end.

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I mean.. honestly.. how amazing are the stars above?! I just couldn’t pass that up. During Valentines Day one thing I really enjoyed using where some postage stamp-style stickers she released. I saw them (below) for Christmas and I could not pass them up. We have a couple of more Christmas cards to make and I can think of a million ways to use them. You get A TON in each package so i’ll have enough left over to use them in my Project Life book. The stickers (above) are also a bit raised so you get that three dimensional look to the photos in Project Life. A bit more appeasing to the eye!

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One other thing i’m working on is a December Daily book for this year. I haven’t really put anything together because i’m debating on how I want to make it work. Their are so many options but I struggle because I feel like we don’t always have enough to document on a regular basis. For example – I know that a lot of people due two pages in their Project Life book for each week. I generally tend to leads toward one unless something significant is happening. Aside from work their isn’t too much that goes on every week of the year. I don’t have kids so their just isn’t anything to document.

Speaking of work, the holiday events are all starting! I LOVE IT! So many great things that go on from parties, cookie baking, and of course just the overall end of year celebration (i work in finance, you must celebrate the year-end). I work as an administrative assistant so I get to assist with a lot of the planning. Looking forward to every last bit of it!

We got a good dropping of snow this week! Enough to cover everything but still keep the roads clear. I don’t remember all to much snow coming in November in past years. I saw on the weather forecast that the majority of the snow will melt before Thanksgiving and then being to snow again on Thanksgiving DayGreat… just what we want for Black Friday shopping! Madness, crazy people, and snow covered roads, what a great combination.

Anybody have any exciting plans for the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday? Do you do Black Friday shopping?