Paper goes digital - The path from analogue to digital planner

"How did you manage to integrate digital planners into your daily routine? I already have a tablet and a pen, but it's still so difficult."

I've been asked questions like this many times. My answer: It's like any other habit we want to learn. New habits take time! Always keep at it and don't give up if it doesn't work right away. After all, the brain only knows how to touch paper. And write on paper. And the feel of paper. So your brain is practically screaming "PAPER!" and you want to take that away from it? Go get a coffee—it might take a while.

Habits simply exist to reduce the amount of energy the brain has to spend on decision-making. Routine actions are stored subconsciously to make everyday life easier, like the commute. If we had to consciously think about the exact route we were taking every time we got to work, we'd be pretty exhausted at the end of the day—phew. You first have to teach your brain that "there's no more reaching for paper" and instead make reaching for your pen and tablet a firm habit. The brain needs an average of two months—about 66 days to be precise—to form a new habit. It's not fair to generalize; it could take longer or shorter, but this knowledge can still help you catch yourself more quickly when you want to reach for pen and paper again. If reaching for your tablet is a given, you've already achieved a great deal. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Why do I want to plan digitally?

2. Which areas do I want to plan digitally?

3. What technical equipment do I need for this?

To test the apps and make getting started with digital planning as easy as possible for you, I've developed a digital planner specifically for beginners and newbies that's very intuitive and easy to use. I've included a link to it at the end of this blog post.

Find your why

When I discovered digital planning, I was still a student, and it really annoyed me that I always had to lug everything to university. I wasn't a particularly organized student, and my entire studies took place in my notebook. People who use notebooks as a filing system will certainly be familiar with the problem, but my paperwork was already extreme. It also annoyed me that so much paper was wasted. After finishing university or even school, you were faced with a huge mountain of paper that you simply didn't know what to do with. For years, I kept telling myself that I would need the notes again at some point if someone asked me about the cosine function. Unfortunately, that never happened. That's precisely why I think digital planners are so great—they connect the analog world with the digital world, and all without paper! To put it briefly: I'm extremely motivated to work with digital planners because I know that they save paper and that I can contribute to environmental protection. The digital planners make my everyday life so much easier and are so much fun that I am highly motivated to work with them every day.

Asking yourself why you want to plan digitally and becoming aware of the reasons can help you successfully implement digital planning into your everyday life. Because when we know the reason behind our actions, it's easier to muster the motivation needed to do something. So: Why do you want to plan digitally? Ask yourself what you'll get out of it and how you can benefit from it. If you know why or what you're doing something for, you're more likely to be less likely to stop doing it because you've recognized a positive benefit for yourself.

Which areas can be well planned digitally and which cannot?

When I held my first digital planner in my hands, I thought I could change the world. Or the planner could change my world. Whatever. I was so euphoric that I wanted to plan everything digitally. Of course, that completely backfired. Some areas simply aren't easy to plan digitally, or rather, not with a digital planner. Projects that require coordination between multiple people, appointments with deadlines that absolutely require a reminder function, and a few other things.

Over time, I realized that I couldn't plan most of my freelance work digitally. Paper was still a constant, and I gradually converted my workspace to digital planning. All of this simply took time. There are new processes to learn, and you first have to understand how to use them to their best advantage. Start by digitizing smaller areas of your planning. For example, if you work with a scratch pad, you can download a note-taking app and create your own notebook. You can then keep this digital version of the scratch pad handy on your desk, and when an idea comes to you that you want to write down, you can reach for the digital notebook instead of paper. In your everyday professional life, you can start taking digital notes, for example, for phone calls or meetings. As a student, you can start using your iPad/tablet for school or university. If you enjoy cooking, start digitally documenting your culinary skills. Write shopping lists and send them to your smartphone. Digital planners can be used across multiple devices, meaning you can access them from anywhere. First, get used to using your tablet regularly in your daily life, and then gradually consider which other areas you can and want to digitize.

These areas have prevailed for me:

I also plan the organizational aspects of my freelance work digitally, but with a different software program and not in a digital planner. Certain areas, however, are ideal for use in note-taking apps. Especially when it comes to quick sketches, projects that require visual presentation, coordinating freelancers, and many other tasks, I use GoodNotes – and I wouldn't want to be without it!

My self-employment is therefore the only area that can't be fully outsourced to a digital planner. Otherwise, I plan my daily life exclusively digitally. Cooking, taking notes while reading, tracking routines, keeping a travel diary, taking notes, writing shopping lists, daily journaling, or even just painting when I'm stressed 😂

I can only emphasize this again and again: Once the processes have proven successful in your daily life, you're more likely to establish them sustainably. Of course, it must be acknowledged that digital planning may not appeal to everyone. That's perfectly fine. But at least try it out over a longer period of time and take the time to get to know it.

What do you need to use a digital planner?

A digital planner is not an app, but a PDF file that works with hyperlinks. To use a digital planner, you need a note-taking app compatible with your operating system. It's very important to understand that the planner only works as well as the app you use it with. In other words: It's no use if you have a nice sports car parked in front of your door but don't have a driver's license. Only with a driver's license can you enjoy the car to its full potential, and the same applies to the note-taking app and the planner. If you have a note-taking app that you enjoy, you'll definitely enjoy the planner more. While some note-taking apps aren't free, you can get a very good app with a wide range of features for under €10. If you'd like to learn more about its use and requirements, feel free to read my blog article "What is a digital planner?"

I generally recommend using it on a tablet in combination with a pen for handwritten notes. A pen isn't absolutely necessary, as you can also work with text fields, but the pen is still the icing on the cake. In summary, you can say:

Tablet + pen + note-taking app = best possible use 😍

Take action!

The most important point, I think, is that you have to take action. I often read messages from people who write to me saying they've been thinking about switching to a digital planner for years (!) but still haven't done it. Mep. Go for it! There's no such thing as a "perfect" time. Especially since digitalization will gradually penetrate more areas of life. It's better to start now of your own free will, rather than having the decision made for you sooner or later when your (work) environment goes digital. A digital planner is also an ideal introduction to the digital world – the tactile components you already know from your analog planner aren't lost in a digital planner.

Digital planning checklist

I've summarized everything in a checklist. It serves as a short guide to get you started with digital planning.

Paperless Life Starter Kit

To make getting started with digital planning as easy as possible, I've developed a digital planner especially for beginners. This will help you learn about digital planning and how hyperlinks work. Don't worry, you can download the planner here for free and try it out for yourself in your everyday life. If you already have a note-taking app like GoodNotes installed on your tablet, you can use the test planner with it. Otherwise, there are also free note-taking apps. The pre-installed Notes app on the iPad is not recommended for using a digital planner. The hyperlinks don't work reliably, and saving notes is also error-prone. You can't use the planner with OneNote because the app doesn't support hyperlinks.

The digital test planner is a monthly planner with a monthly overview and linked daily views. You'll also receive a set of digital stickers for you to use and helpful beginner tips. If you'd like to learn more about new features, feel free to join my Facebook group . I regularly share usage tips and give away cool freebies there.

Finally, I would like to comment on your first steps towards paperless planning with the following words:

"Just do it. It might turn out well."

GoodNotes in my everyday life

If you're interested in how I use GoodNotes to better organize my daily life, feel free to check out my Gamechanger Calendar 2023 or my beloved recipe book 😍