Why I Use a Paper Planner

It sounds crazy, I know, but I have found that I can be more productive using a paper planner instead of an electronic one. I love my iPhone because I can have my calendar with me wherever I go. But, after years of trying to come up with an electronic system of tracking my calendar and to-do lists all in one place, I have decided to switch back to my faithful paper planner.

Call me old-fashioned, it’s ok, really! 🙂 While I love the convenience of e-books, there are just some books of which I would prefer the hard copy. Especially books of reference where I highlight things I want to remember or place sticky notes on the pages that have information to which I may want to refer again. There is just something about the feel of paper that makes me want to read or be creative.

So, a few months ago, I came across an amazing half-price sale at Franklin Covey. I found a planner binder in the color and size I wanted for an awesome price. The picture does not do the color justice. It’s actually a deep teal color.

But, then I faced the dilemma of what kind of pages I would get for my planner. There are so many options out there to choose from. It’s important to understand your organizational style before choosing one.

Years ago when I used a paper planner exclusively, I would always buy the one page per day option. I felt that I needed to see only one day at time. So, I would list all the things I wanted to do that day along with my appointments. However, I found myself carrying over too many to-do items to the next day. Then the next day would roll around and I’d not get as much accomplished as I had hoped, so I would have even more to-dos to carry over.

Earlier this year I found the perfect solution for me. While watching YouTube videos, I discovered a planning system that showed a week at one time. But this planning system was different than any other system I had seen before. It not only offered spaces to list to-do items for the week, it also provided spaces to divide those to-do items up into categories.

Arienne from Life is Crafted is the designer of these pages. While I have no official connection with her, I encourage you to check out her website.

Finally I have a system where I can see my entire week at one time, both appointments and to-do items. I want to share more about my time management system, but there is so much to talk about I’ll have to do it in a blog series or possibly an e-book. I encourage you to find a system that works for you. Having an effective time management system will do wonders for your productivity.

How do you keep track of your appointments and to-do lists?