I have an iPhone and an iPad and have been using that combination for the past three years. During that time, I’ve tested many digital planner solutions. It’s not that they don’t work per se. Instead, I like the connection by brain makes by putting pen to paper. That’s why I am going back to paper for my personal and business planning.
Digital Journey Background
I bought my first DayTimer (mail order, mind you!) in 1988. I was hooked. The paper was lovely and stood up to heavy use. I stuck with DayTimer until 1999. At that time my current employer was espousing Franklin Covey and offered substantial discounts. Plus, they had a store in the mall! Both companies had their methodology for goal setting and planning. I quickly learned how valuable it was to document my goals and then go back and measure my progress.
In 2001, I got bit by the digital bug. I bought a Handspring Visor Pro with a whopping 16 Megabytes of memory! Look at me – I had a binder that held my PDA and my paper planner pages! Once upgraded to the Treo, which was my first SmartPhone, I quickly ditched the paper planner.
I migrated to a Windows Mobile device, then an Android device, and got my first iPhone in 2012. In that time span, I went through many programs to find the best solution to plan, track my goals, etc. Nothing worked for me the way I envisioned.
My Steps for Going Back to Paper
Fast forward to late 2016, I made the decision to go back to paper. I follow the blog of Charlie Gilkey “Productive Flourishing” and in January 2017 I purchased Charlie’s Momentum Planner. It’s a set of PDF files that you can fill out on your computer and print. I was hooked! To keep it all together, I use the Arc customizable notebooks from Staples. I splurged on buying the punch so I could easily insert my printed planner pages.
Wrapping It Up
What are your thoughts? Do you prefer paper or a digital solution for planning? Let me know in the comments and be sure to sign up for my email list and follow me on social media for other great tips and solutions!
Image credit: Marten Bjork