So, you've found the wonderful world of digital planning and aren't sure if you want to make the switch to digital planning.
While there are tons of similarities between paper and digital planning, there are plenty of differences to consider when figuring out if digital planning is a good fit for you or not.
Pros of digital planning
There are tons of pros to digital planning!
Clutter free
You no longer have to worry about lugging around a bulky planner! You can also easily have multiple types of planners without having to worry about where you will keep them and how you'll take them on the go.
Duplicate pages over and over
This is probably one of my personal favorite aspects of digital planning. Many digital planners come with extra planning page templates that you can use anywhere in your planner over and over again! You no longer have to worry about running out of any page in your planner!
Easily move pages around
Similar to duplicating pages, you can also move any page around your planner to better suit your needs.
Easily customize to fit your needs
There are so many ways to customize your digital planner to better fit your needs. Whether this is customizing a page layout, creating a custom tab to organize page inserts or notes, or duplicating and moving pages, there are so ways to customize your planner!
Undo button/eraser
This is one of the best features of using a digital planner! You no longer have to worry about messy handwriting, misspelling a word, writing something in the wrong place, etc.
Unlimited digital sticker use
Never run out of your favorite stickers again! When you purchase or download digital stickers, you'll never run out of them and have to repurchase them like you would paper planner stickers. You simply just copy and paste a sticker whenever you want to use it!
Use undated planners year after year
If you choose to purchase and use an undated digital planner, you can use it year after year if you would like to! Simply download a clean copy of the planner the next year and you're good to go!
Use any pen color without having to buy pens
You'll never have to buy tons of different colored pens to add color to your planner if you use a digital planner! You can set your pen color to anything you want in the app you use with your digital planner.
Sync across devices
Many PDF annotation apps have desktop and mobile versions of their app so you can access your digital planner on the go! While I recommend using your digital planner mainly on your tablet or iPad, it is extremely helpful being able to access it on the go on your phone or computer.
Affordable
Digital planners are extremely affordable, especially when you compare them to what the equivalent of a paper planner would cost. While a paper planner will never give you all the features a digital planner gives you, even the most high-end paper planner will cost much more than a digital planner.
Convenient
The hyperlinks in a digital planner makes planning so easy and convenient to navigate around your planner in just a tap or two.
Portable
If you're going to school or work, odds are you'll be taking your iPad or tablet with you anyways. This makes using a digital planner super portable since you're not having to lug around an extra thing in your bag like you would a paper planner.
Cons of digital planning
Now I know I just went over all the amazing pros of digital planning, but I do want to give you some cons to think about, because I know that even though most people love digital planning once they get the hang of it, some people are just tried and true paper planners.
Slight learning curve
Since you have to use a digital planner with a PDF annotation app, there can be a slight learning curve, however, once you get the hang of it you'll be a digital planning pro in no time. Just be patient when learning how to use the app you decide to plan with!
Can be a high up front cost
If you don't already own an iPad or tablet and you are solely buying one to be able to digital plan, then you'll be paying a steep up front cost to start digital planning. However, if you already use an iPad or tablet, switching to digital planning is just another way you can utilize your iPad or tablet to get the most out of it!
No physical paper
Now, I know for many this is more of a pro because they don't want to have a bulky planner. But I wanted to list this as a con because some folks are just paper lovers, and that's okay! If you just can't fathom not being able to physically touch and turn pages, then digital planning may not be the best fit for you.
Try out digital planning first!
If you've never used a digital planner before, I know it can be a little intimidating buying your first digital planner without knowing if you'll actually like it or not.
That's why I have a free sample digital planner you can download to get all the insight you need to decide if digital planning is right for you!
You can also watch the below video to get an in-depth intro to using the free sample digital planner!
Don't hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have about getting started with digital planning!