Have you been thinking about buying a digital planner for a while, but are worried Goodnotes will be too much for you? Or maybe you've already bought the planner but haven't started using it because you don't know where to start? Don't worry, you're not alone—and that's exactly why we launched the Goodnotes Challenge! 🎉
In January, we shared 31 days of practical hacks on our Paperless Life Instagram channel. We started simple—by downloading your planner—and worked our way up to advanced features like password protection and Goodnotes AI. By the end of the 31 days, you'll not only be able to use your digital planner efficiently, but you'll also have all of Goodnotes' essential features under your belt! 💡
In this blog post, I'll show you the 31 best Goodnotes hacks for your digital planner – with mini-tutorials, personal tips, and tricks that will take your digital planning to the next level!
What can you expect in this article?
🌟 The best Goodnotes features explained – simple and understandable
📅 Learn how to get the most out of your digital planner
🖋️ Tips on how to integrate Goodnotes hacks into your everyday life right away
💡 Exclusive additional tips for more efficiency and fun in digital planning
31 days, 31 hacks - let's get started:
1. Your digital adventure begins: Download the planner and stickers and open them in Goodnotes
Welcome to the world of digital planning—a world where you're perfectly organized thanks to your calendar and guaranteed to never forget an appointment again! 🎉
It’s that easy to get started:
After your purchase, you can download the planner and matching stickers with just a few clicks. Follow our simple step-by-step video instructions to effortlessly import everything into Goodnotes:
🚀 Expert tip: Create a separate folder in Goodnotes for your planner and stickers. This way, you'll have everything organized in one place and can start planning right away!
2. Your magical toolbox: The various functions of the Goodnotes Toolbar
The toolbar contains everything you need for digital planning with Goodnotes: pens, erasers, the lasso tool, and more. Take a few minutes to try out the features – in the video, we'll show you the most important functions in detail:
💡 Bonus tip: Did you know you can save different colors for your pens? This allows you to use your favorite colors again and again and saves you a lot of time!
3. The Game Changer - Everything you need to know!
The Gamechanger is like your personal assistant—clearly structured and with enough space for all your important appointments and to-dos. The planner contains numerous pages for your life planning: From meal plans to financial planning to habit trackers—the Gamechanger has everything you need to stay perfectly organized! 🤩 Watch the video for an insight:
4. The variety of Goodnotes pens - something for everyone!
The great thing about Goodnotes: You don't have to give up your handwritten notes! With the various pens in Goodnotes, you're sure to find one that best matches your handwriting!
These pens are available:
✒️ Ballpoint pen: The all-rounder! Whether you're jotting down quick notes or writing longer notes, the ballpoint pen makes it easy to capture your thoughts!
✏️ Pencil: The creative one - perfect for drawings or sketches!
📑 Highlighter: The pen that guarantees you won't lose sight of anything important!
In the video we show all the pens in more detail:
💡 My tip: Use the ballpoint pen for quick notes, the pencil for your creative ideas and the highlighter to mark important appointments.
5. Inserting images made easy - This is how your planner really comes to life!
Who says planners always have to be text? Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words—and it adds a little extra creativity to your planner! With the photo feature in Goodnotes, you can quickly insert images and crop them as you like. Whether you want them square or free-form—you decide! In the video, we'll show you how:
💡 My tip: This feature is especially suitable for your digital diary - it allows you to easily capture all your memories!
🚀 Expert tip: Use our picture frame stickers to make your pages even more creative with photos!
6. Find the right place with just one click - the Goodnotes search function
Have you ever had to spend hours clicking through your planner because you made a note about an important appointment and just couldn't find it again? 🤔 This problem is a thing of the past with Goodnotes' search function! Whether you wrote your notes by hand (thankfully, it doesn't matter how illegible your handwriting is 😅) or typed them, Goodnotes recognizes both and finds exactly what you're looking for in seconds! 🎉
🔍 It's that simple: Enter a keyword into the search bar, and Goodnotes will show you all the relevant pages in your document. No more endless scrolling—you're instantly where you want to be:
💡 My tip: Enter terms as precisely as possible to find the right place at a glance.
7. From “What does it say?!” to “Wow, so neat!”: Convert handwritten notes into typed text
Do you sometimes feel like your handwriting just doesn't fit into the overall look of your perfectly organized planner? Or can you barely read your own notes anymore? 🫣 Goodnotes has the solution: With just a few clicks, you can transform handwritten notes into neat typed notes! 🙌🏼
🖋️ Here's how it works: Simply highlight the text you want to convert, and let Goodnotes convert it into perfectly readable, professional text. In this video, we'll show you step-by-step how:
8. Everything at a glance: The Goodnotes tile view
With Goodnotes' tile view, you can see all the pages in your planner at a glance and jump to the right place with just a glance. 🎉 In this video, we show you what you can use the tile view for:
Use the three practical tabs for maximum overview:
📑 Thumbnails: Quick preview of each page.
🔖 Bookmarks: Your most important pages always at hand.
📚 Outline: Structured overview of your document.
With the tile view, long searches are a thing of the past – one click, and you have everything in view! 🤩
9. Order is a must: Adjust levels of stickers and texts
You know that feeling? You add text to a sticker, and whoosh – the text disappears behind it. 🤯 With the layers feature, you can put an end to this chaos! With just a few clicks, determine which element should appear in front and which should appear behind. Move stickers, text, or images as you wish and design your planner pages exactly the way you want – in the video, we show you how it works:
💡 My tip: I like to highlight important notes or stickers using Goodnotes' layer feature—this makes it much easier for me to keep track of appointments and to-dos! 😍
10. Convert spontaneous notes digitally: Goodnotes makes it possible
A spontaneous idea during your coffee break? Or a quick note during an important meeting? No problem! 🙌🏼 If you quickly jot down handwritten notes in your planner, you can still have Goodnotes convert them later – and not just for short sentences, but also for long, handwritten texts!
🖋️ Here's how it works: Just start writing – without worrying about legibility. Highlight the text later and let Goodnotes convert it to typescript – this video shows you step-by-step how to do it:
💡 My tip: I like using this feature for spontaneous brainstorming sessions or meeting notes. I can capture my thoughts immediately and know I can easily organize them into a structured, readable format later without having to laboriously type everything out! 🤩
11. Favorite font? Make it your default.
Save your favorite font in the right size and with the correct line spacing – and voilà: Your text will automatically appear the same next time! This not only saves time, but also nerves (Because let's be honest: How many times have you struggled to set the perfect line spacing? 🙄)
💡 Tip for perfectionists: Save not only your favorite font, but also your favorite colors. This way, you can create a stylish, consistent look for your planner in no time – without constantly searching! 🙌🏼
12. Goodbye sticker chaos – the split-screen function makes it possible!
Are you also a sticker fan and can't get enough of them in your digital planner? 🤩 Then you'll love the split-screen feature! Simply open your sticker file next to your planner and drag the stickers directly into the right place. No more unnecessary clicks, no more cumbersome switching – everything you need is always right there. This not only makes planning faster, but also much more creative and fun!
💡 Additional tip: Use the split-screen feature for true multitasking! For example, open your monthly and daily planner side by side to keep track of all your goals, or place your shopping list right next to your meal planner – this way you have everything at a glance and save a ton of time! 🙌🏼
13. The Goodnotes Lasso Tool: Flexibility in planning redefined
Maybe you're familiar with this situation: Your planner is perfectly organized, all your appointments are entered, and suddenly one of them gets postponed. With a traditional planner, all you can do is cross everything out and write the new time next to it. Chaos is inevitable! 🤯
With the Lasso tool in Goodnotes, this is a thing of the past. Simply circle the appointment or note, move it to the new location, and your planner stays organized – without the need for a strikethrough or eraser! This way, you can stay flexible and keep your planning organized:
💡 My tip: Use the Lasso tool to quickly copy recurring tasks, appointments, or notes and paste them wherever you need them. This saves a lot of time and helps maintain structure in my planning! 😍
14. Better safe than sorry - Set up automatic backup
Imagine it's Sunday evening, you want to plan your week, and you reach for your iPad... only to realize it's not there. 😱 Your faithful companion, with all your perfectly organized to-do lists and notes, has disappeared without a trace... Or did you just misplace it? 🤔
With an automatic backup, this nightmare scenario is a thing of the past. Your data is securely stored and accessible at any time – no matter what happens. Here's how:
💡 Bonus tip: Google Drive offers 15 GB of free storage. Use this space to securely store your planner and note files in the cloud. This way, your planning is always protected—and you have access to everything you need anytime, anywhere! 🤩
15. The wow effect for your planner: How to change the cover
Did you know you can customize your planner's cover? Simply drag the image to the top of the planner, and voilà—your planner will look completely different! 😍
🎨 Additional tip for creatives: With apps like Procreate or Canva, you can also create your own covers. Save the image, insert it into the planner, and drag it forward—and your planner will become your very own eye-catcher! 🙌🏼
16. Sharing made easy: Export pages as PDF
Want to share your favorite recipes from your digital recipe book with your friends or send your partner your shared to-do list? Export pages as PDFs and easily send them with just one click:
‼️ But be careful: If you only want to share individual pages, be sure to select "Export only this page." Otherwise, you might end up sending your entire notes—and you certainly don't want that, especially if you want some of them to remain private! 😅
17. A custom toolbar, just the way you want it
We've already introduced you to the toolbar, but did you know you can customize it completely? Simply remove everything you don't need and drag your favorite tools to the front. This makes your planning super efficient and keeps your planner organized. No more searching for things—just everything you need at a glance! 🤩
And this is how it works:
Your toolbar, your rules – customize them the way you need them! 🎉
18. From chaos to clarity: Everything under control with colored folders
Are you constantly searching for the right document? 🤔 With this Goodnotes feature, that's finally over! With Goodnotes, you can now easily create folders and organize your files so you can find them in a snap.
Here's how it works: Tap the folder, select "Change Color," and choose your desired color, and voilà—immediately more structure and clarity:
💡Additional tip: To save yourself the long search for the right document, you can also click "Search" in Goodnotes – all recently opened documents will be displayed! 🎉
19. Hiding made easy: The Goodnotes Tape feature
Have you ever wished you could temporarily make something "invisible"? 😅 With the tape function, this becomes a reality – digitally, of course! Imagine: You're studying for your next exam and want to quiz yourself without seeing the answers right away. Or you're a teacher and want to cleverly conceal the results when projecting your teacher's calendar . Maybe you just want to discreetly cover passwords or private notes? With a digital tape, it's child's play:
Here's how it works: Simply select the Tape tool, place it over the desired text or area, and the content is hidden.
🎨 Tip for creative minds: Use different colors or patterns for your tapes. This way, everything will not only be functional but also visually striking!
20. Insert templates into Goodnotes - How to make your planner unique!
Want your planner to look exactly the way you need it? 🤔 Then you'll love this feature: With Goodnotes, you can easily import templates and customize your digital planner . Whether it's practical to-do lists, personalized fitness plans, or clear project pages—the possibilities are endless! 🙌🏼
💡Additional tip: Create a collection of your favorite templates. This way, you'll always have everything you need for your weekly planning or new projects at your fingertips – flexible, practical, and perfectly organized.
🎨 Tip for creative experts: Create your own templates with tools like Canva or directly in Goodnotes, upload them, and integrate them into your planner. This way, you can make your calendar unique and just the way you want it! 😍
21. The Elements tool: Your personal sticker archive
Attention sticker fans: With the Elements Tool, you'll never lose track of your stickers again! 🤩 Because let's be honest: Over time, so many stickers accumulate, and it's easy to lose track... 🙃 With the Elements Tool, you can organize your stickers into collections by theme—not only does this save time, but it also gets you to your favorite stickers in seconds! We'll show you how it works in the video:
🚀 Expert tip: Sort your stickers into categories like “Work,” “Motivation,” or “Leisure” – this way you can quickly find everything you need and save a lot of time planning!
22. Create your own stickers in Goodnotes - It's that easy!
Have you ever wished you had a specific sticker in your collection that perfectly fits your everyday life? 😅 With this feature, you can create exactly that sticker yourself – easily in Goodnotes:
5 creative ideas for your own stickers:
📋 Personalized To-Do List – Create a sticker with a pre-made to-do list that you can easily reuse every time.
🌅 Morning Routine Sticker – A sticker for your perfect morning routine that helps you keep track of your daily start habits.
🎓 University Lecture Sticker – A sticker specially created for recurring university lectures or courses to make your weekly schedule in your digital study planner even clearer.
🧘♀️ Fitness Tracker Sticker – A sticker that allows you to quickly record your daily workouts or sports progress.
📚 Study Plan Sticker – A sticker that helps you track your learning progress and plan fixed study times.
🏫 Stickers for teachers - Create individual timetables for your teacher calendar or feedback stickers for correcting - this makes work much more fun!
23. Your planner, your shortcut – Create internal links in Goodnotes
Have you ever gotten lost in your planner while trying to jump from a monthly overview to a detailed daily schedule? 🫣 Don't worry, with internal links, that's now a thing of the past! You can create custom buttons in your planner that will take you to the right page with just one click! 🙌🏼
Wondering how to do it? 🤔 Then be sure to watch this video:
💡Additional tip for digital experts: External links are also possible - for example, you can add a link to your duty roster, a digital meeting, or your school's substitute teacher schedule to your planner!
24. Keyboard too small? Make it bigger – it's that easy!
Have you ever had the problem that your keyboard in Goodnotes was way too small and you kept typing the wrong letters?🤯 That doesn't have to be the case! In Goodnotes, you can easily customize your keyboard—and thanks to this feature, you no longer have to worry about annoying typos! 😅
Instead of opening the keyboard with the stylus, try using your finger. This opens a keyboard that you can resize to suit your needs:
25. Download fonts from DaFont and import them into Goodnotes
Don't have beautiful handwriting? No problem! 🙌🏼 At DaFont, you'll find a large selection of fonts that you can download and import into Goodnotes! Whether you're looking for ornate fonts for special notes or simple designs for everyday use, there's something for everyone here.
You can find step-by-step instructions in the video:
VIDEO
These are my favorites:
🌞 A Little Sunshine
🖋️ Amsterdam Handwriting
✨ Dream Regular
💡Additional tip: On our Instagram profile @paperlesslife, we regularly share great, free fonts that you can download directly from DaFont. So check it out—it's worth it! 📲
26. Pick up colors with the Goodnotes eyedropper
Maybe you know this: You see a color and immediately know: "That doesn't match perfectly!" 🫡 If you're also a perfectionist and it bothers you when colors are only slightly different, then we have the solution for you: The Goodnotes Eyedropper! It lets you pick up colors from notes or images and match them perfectly:
27. Future meets planning: Using Goodnotes AI
Do you notice how you're slowly becoming a real Goodnotes pro? 🚀 And now we're taking it up a notch! Use Goodnotes AI to make your notes even smarter!
Use AI for example for:
💬 Text suggestions and quick formulations
📝 Summaries of long notes
📚 Research ideas for your projects
💡 Creative inspiration and brainstorming
Here's how it works: Open the AI using the speech bubble icon in the left bar - and you're ready to go:
Prompts you can work with:
- Give me ideas about what I can write about in my diary.
- Help me to better formulate the following text for university:
- Briefly summarize these notes for me.
28. Protect your plans: Goodnotes password protection
Do you write in your Fivory or digital mindfulness journal every morning and don't want anyone else reading your entries? Or maybe you have important work notes that are meant for your eyes only? 🤔 No problem! With password protection in Goodnotes, you can ensure that only you have access to your personal data:
‼️ But be careful: Be sure to keep your password safe! Goodnotes doesn't offer a way to reset the code—don't accidentally lock yourself out of your planner… 😅
29. Insert images in no time - with the Handoff function
This hack is one of my absolute favorite features for my planner! 😍 It only takes a swipe and a few seconds to insert photos from my phone directly into my journal. How does it work? 🤔 We'll show you how in the video:
Follow these 3 simple steps:
➡️ Turn on Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Handoff
➡️ To copy: Zoom in on the image on your iPhone with 3 fingers and then zoom out again
➡️ To insert: zoom in with 3 fingers on the iPad
Important: Both devices must have the same AppleID for this trick to work!
30. Magical text transfer: From photo to planner
Do you also have all those loose pieces of paper with recipes or notes floating around everywhere at home? 🙄 With this ingenious trick, you can digitize your favorite recipes (or anything else!) in just a few minutes and easily store them in your planner!
Here's how it works: Take a photo of the recipe with your iPad and copy the text. Paste it into your digital recipe book , and voila—your recipe is there! 🙌🏼 You can find step-by-step instructions here:
💡My tip: This trick isn't just a game-changer for recipes—it was a real lifesaver, especially during my time at university! 🤩 Whether it was handwritten notes from classmates or when I left my iPad at home on a stressful morning—this feature allowed me to digitize everything in a flash. And anyone who's ever survived an exam period knows: every second counts during these times! 🤯
31. Quick, quick, shortcut: Put your planner on your home screen
How great would it be if you could access your favorite planner directly from your iPad's home screen with just one click? 😍 That's exactly what you can do! Create a shortcut for your planner that lets you open it with just one click from your home screen! We'll show you how:
💡Additional tip: Use our free mini covers to create a beautiful home screen! 😍
Conclusion: Become a real Goodnotes pro in just 31 days!
So, how does it feel to suddenly be a Goodnotes expert? Now nothing stands in your way to take your digital planning to the next level! 🙌🏼
Here is an overview of all the functions:
1. Your digital adventure begins: Download the planner and stickers and open them in Goodnotes 📥
2. Your magical toolbox: The various functions of the Goodnotes Toolbar 🛠️
3. The Game Changer - Everything you need to know! 🚀
4. The variety of Goodnotes pens - something for everyone! 🖊️
5. Inserting images made easy - This is how your planner really comes to life! 🌟
6. Find the right place with just one click - the Goodnotes search function 🔍
7. From “What does it say?!” to “Wow, so neat!”: Convert handwritten notes to typewritten notes ✍🏼
8. Everything at a glance: The Goodnotes tile view 👀
9. Order is a must: Adjust the layers of stickers and texts 📌
10. Convert spontaneous notes digitally: Goodnotes makes it possible 📝
11. Favorite font? Make it your default. 🖊️
12. Goodbye sticker chaos - the split-screen feature makes it possible! 📱
13. The Goodnotes Lasso Tool: Flexibility in planning redefined 🔄
14. Better safe than sorry - Set up automatic backup 💾
15. The wow effect for your planner: How to change the cover 📔
16. Sharing made easy: Export pages as PDF 📤
17. A custom toolbar, just the way you want it 🎯
18. From chaos to clarity: Keep everything under control with colored folders 🌈
19. Hiding made easy: The Goodnotes Tape function ✨
20. Insert templates into Goodnotes - How to make your planner unique! 🖇️
21. The Elements tool: Your personal sticker archive 🗂️
22. Create your own stickers in Goodnotes - It's that easy! 🎨
23. Your planner, your shortcut – Create internal links in Goodnotes 🔗
24. Keyboard too small? Make it bigger – it's that easy! ⌨️
25. Download fonts from DaFont and import them into Goodnotes 📥
26. Pick up colors with the Goodnotes eyedropper ✍🏼
27. Future meets planning: Using Goodnotes AI 🤖
28. Protect your plans: Goodnotes password protection 🔒
29. Insert images in no time - with the Handoff function 📸
30. Magical text transfer: From photo to planner 🖼️
31. Quick, quick, shortcut: Put your planner on your home screen 🚀
Be sure to try out the Goodnotes features in your digital planner! And even though it might seem like a lot at first glance, I can assure you that it will get easier with time (and our mini tutorials)! 🎉
For even slower, step-by-step instructions, be sure to check out our Instagram profile @paperlesslife! There you'll find not only all 31 Reels, but also a highlight with detailed step-by-step instructions for each individual Goodnotes hack! And if you're now really motivated to become a digital expert: We regularly post hacks on our Instagram channel that will help you further optimize your Goodnotes skills! 🚀
Now all you need is the right planner for 2025? 🤔 If you've mastered all the tricks, the Gamechanger is the right calendar for you: With all its extensive pages, it's a true life planner! If you're just getting started with digital planning, the Minimalist , Monthly , or Weekly Planner are perfect! 🙌🏼
