Digital vs Physical Planners
Ahhh, the age-old errrr decade-old question facing us all: whether to use a digital or physical planner? There are so many varied types of planners out there: for students, workers, busy parents, teachers... for studying, exercising, shopping, meal planning, task-listing... you name it, there’s a scheduler or planning system for it. Digital planners might seem the obvious choice given their ease of use and constant accessibility, but claiming their universal superiority is not so cut-and-dry.
Place a couple of update silicone weeklys where the entire family can see what is on the schedule. This way no one is left not knowing what’s going on.
Digital planning apps are a great solution for an on-the-go fast-paced lifestyle. They’re easy to edit and access, and if your phone, computer, and tablet are linked up, you can create a plan on one device and it will appear across all. Apps also let you set alarms and reminders, so you can relax knowing you’ll be reminded about your spa day with your gal pals.Be aware, though: there’s a good chance you won’t be able to change an app's system to fit your specific needs, so you’re stuck with whatever the developer thought would be the best method of organization, which may or may not work for you. Look for apps with free trial periods so you’re not spending a small fortune in the process of searching one out.
Take a few minutes during your morning coffee to do a brain dump of all the things you need to get done for the day on a jotBLOCK bullet pad.
Let’s slow it down a bit and take a look at physical planners. There are good reasons why going “retro” with a planner is always in fashion. Yes: pads, notebooks, and dry-erase boards can be bulky or take up valuable space, they need to be close-by to reference, you can’t search or always edit them easily… not to mention the need for a pen or marker.
Pop a jotBLOCK edgy notes on the fridge and you can jot down quick reminders of things that you almost forgot about while you look in the fridge for your Netflix snacks.
But if you're the kind of person who enjoys the tactile experience of writing, who likes to embellish and personalize, or who benefits from seeing a tangible reminder in your physical space, then old-school planning is the way to go. You aren’t stuck with a one-way-fits-all system; you can adjust the planner to suit your needs. Writing something down, pen in hand, can also help improve your chances of remembering it on your own, not to mention that certain feeling of satisfaction when you cross a task off a list with a big ole' swipe of a pen... you just can’t duplicate that sensation on your phone.
Use a jotBLOCK long to do list pad to help keep the kids (and spouse) organized by creating a to do list that the can see their progress on when they mark a task as done.
Or better yet: crumpling up the paper to-do list or monthly planner and throwing it into the bin when it's done and dusted. Physical planners are in-your-face reminders, and can improve family communication: hang one on the wall or fridge for all to see, give each family member a different color pen for different tasks, have planning become a communal project in a common space.
A large dry erase board is the perfect place to write a quick note or reminder for someone in the house as well as a place to stash your keys.
And most importantly: planning on a pad or board is one less thing to do on your device, which means one less life task that has the potential of leading to yet more hours lost to all those adorable animal videos you just can’t stop watching.
An enLister board is the perfect catch all reusable and ecofriendly noteboard – to do lists, appointment reminders, quick little notes of encouragements can all be written down here.
In the end, it’s all a matter of personal preference. If you need constant reminders of upcoming appointments and events, digital might be the best option. But if you like the notion of shifting and changing systems, enjoy the pen-in-hand experience, or may benefit from an in-your-face reminder, then physical planners are the way to go.