A LOOK AT THE PROS AND CONS OF PAPER AND DIGITAL PLANNING

Are you wondering whether you should go all digital or all paper when it comes to having a planner?

Maybe you're a planner lover who feels like you'll be left in the dinosaur age if you don't go digital or something....

Or maybe you've been using all the apps and are still having a hard time actually getting 👏 things 👏 done 👏!

Well, I have good news for you my friend!

I've used tons of apps and had (far too many) paper planners and I've been round the block a few times when it comes to creating planning systems.

And from my experience, and from numerous studies on productivity by researchers and universities, I can wholeheartedly say that....

You don’t have to choose between either a paper planner and a digital planning system.

You can (and probably should) use both!

If that's not the answer you were looking for, give me a moment to show you why having both is actually better than choosing one or the other.

The Hybrid System

I love my paper planner, but I also use a digital tool to help me plan.

It’s called having a hybrid system, and it has a ton of benefits.

For one, having all of my tasks and goals mapped out in my digital system makes it easy to pull the important tasks into my plan for the day.

Secondly, using a paper planner for my day helps me to stay focused on what needs to get done and not get distracted by notifications.

Studies have shown that the physical act of writing (pen to paper) creates stronger neural pathways in the brain, allowing students in university to remember their lectures better than the students who took notes on their laptops. (1)

Studies have also shown that writing on paper gets your brain fully engaged on the task at hand, allowing you to think better, more creatively and be more focused on the task. (2)

Being able to see my plan for the day always in front of me on my desk helps me to stay productive because it’s a constant reminder of what I said I get done that day.

And having a digital system for my tasks makes it easy to re-assign tasks to another day if I don’t manage to get everything done that I wanted. A digital system also ensures that there's a backup of my tasks and goals should my planner go missing. You only have to misplace your paper planner once to realise how much of a pain it is to not have a back up!

How a Hybrid System Improves Your Productivity

If you're worried that having a hybrid system will waste your time because you'll be copying things, I can’t say that things won’t get duplicated. But what I will say is that you’ll WANT them to be duplicated!

Huh?? Why would you ever want that?

Well, this is why...

So, I’ve already outlined how I have all of my tasks and goals inside my digital system. And that makes it easy to see at a glance what I’ve got on my plate for the week and what tasks I’ve chosen to get done each day.

But writing out my tasks for the day again in my physical planner does a few things:

1. Solidifies my intention

It makes me re-commit to my daily actions and sets my intention on getting those tasks done. The physical act of writing out a goal or task increases your ability to achieve it by 42%! (link to blog post where I talk about this)

2. Forces me to prioritise my tasks.

I may have multiple tasks to get done in a day, but when I’m writing them out in my planner, I have to decide what my Top 3 actions for the day are. These are the actions that, if I complete them, I can say that today was a successful day. Doing this forces me to look at all of my tasks for the day and identify which tasks are going to help me to move my goals forward or make the biggest impact in my life right now. I can’t tell you how crucial this is to making progress in your life. Most people have a list of tasks and, if they’re lucky, they might start trying to work their way through them (often opting the easiest ones first and often leaving the most difficult, and the most impactful, to the end of the day when they have no more energy and end up rolling those important, but difficult tasks from one day to the next). This is why so many people feel like they’re constantly busy, but they’re not really achieving much. It’s because they’re not taking the time to prioritise their tasks and reflect on what the most important things to get done each day are.

3. Allows Focus

It ensures that I only focus on what’s important for the day because I’ve only got space to write down so many tasks. That seemingly endless list on my digital system has a definite end in my paper planner. I can’t just click a button and “load more” tasks into my day! I’ve got to be selectively about which tasks I’m working on for the day, and that means that there are fewer tasks vying for my attention.

4. Allows me to create a practical plan

Writing out my tasks for the day in my planner also helps me to schedule when I’ll get them done. My paper planner has time slots and I put my tasks into various time slots so that I can be more realistic about how much I can get done in a day.

With a digital list of tasks, it’s not easy to see how little time you ACTUALLY have to get things done! I’m guessing that, like me, you don’t just have completely activity-free days every day of the week, am I right?

You have appointments, activities, events and possibly other people taking up your time. Which is why, being able to block off time to work on your tasks helps you to accomplish more.

Firstly, because you can tell others “I’m busy at 10am, but I can have a look at that at 2:30pm”, or “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to come back when I’m free at 4pm”. Blocking off time for your tasks means prioritising your goals and actions so that you can move your goals forward.

Now, don’t get me wrong, these aren’t things you’d say to your two-year-old! Getting things done with toddlers and babies is a whole skill in itself! But doing this can mean that your day is not at the mercy of everyone else.

If you’re looking to level-up your productivity, then you’ll want to join our club and get your pretty paper on autopilot! Pretty paper is motivational to use and means that you are more inspired to get organised and take action! So what are you waiting for? Join our club today!

References:

1. Study of university participants by Muller and Oppenheimer linked here.

2. Why Writing by Hand Is Better for Your Brain (Psychology Today article) linked here.

Other posts you may like:

• The Stationery Advantage - Using Stationery to Build Successful Habits

• How to Prioritise and Conquer Your Tasks for Success

• How to Increase Your Goal Achievement