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Hello everybody! If you are considering making the switch from paper to digital, you may be feeling a bit overwhelmed. Especially when you hear stories about tablets breaking and apps crashing. Today I am going to be helping you decide if you want to take the leap into digital planning, and what you need to do to make sure you never lose your planner due to technical difficulties.
Hardware:
First, you will need a touch-screen device to plan on. If your touch-screen device does not come with a stylus, you will need to purchase one. I have a Samsung tablet and a Chromebook with a built in pen, so I never needed to purchase a stylus. But if your touch-screen device does not come with a stylus, you will need to purchase one. However, I recommend getting a device that comes with a pen. I am a Samsung girl, and my favorite devices are listed below, but Samsung has many products that come with an S-Pen. I prefer them because they usually have a built in slot to store the pen. The only downside is that the pens are usually very narrow. Obviously, you can use any device that comes with Google Play Store.
After you have your device, and stylus if needed, you may opt in to get a keyboard. Many digital programs allow you to download and import fonts and type into your planner. It is not a necessity, though.
Apps:
After you have your device picked out, you need your app. I highly recommend Xodo, especially if you are envious of GoodNotes. It's the closest thing us android users have. Some other common apps are OneNote, MetaMoji, NoteLedge, and LectureNotes. They each have their pros and cons, so try them out if you are still having a hard time with Xodo after using our tutorials. I recommend giving it two weeks, and using a free planner to get the hang out it before making a purchase. This way, you can be certain that digital planning will work for you before spending any money. You can try out some of our free planners and other digitals by signing up for our newsletter at the bottom of this post and heading over to our freebies section!
Planner and Stickers:
The best place to find Digital Planners is right here! However, if you want to get an idea of all the options you have, I would head over to Etsy. You can also just browse the web for "Free Digital Planners" and "Free Digital Stickers". You can also get some planners and sticker from Facebook Groups. Many of them have a files section that is regularly updated, or even just people who post links to their Freebies.
Fonts
Xodo allows you to import fonts to use in your planner. If you don't like your handwriting, or feel that it doesn't translate well to digital, fonts are an excellent option. I also prefer to use fonts because they are easier to drag and resize to fit where you need them. You can find free fonts in a variety of places, but I get most of mine at DaFont.com. To use the fonts, you will need to save the file in your xodo folder that was downloaded to your drive when you downloaded the app. If you are having problems, you can check out a detailed tutorial HERE.
Getting Started
Once you have everything you need, you are ready to begin. With Xodo, I use my google drive to save everything. You can create a folder in your drive for Xodo, so you always know where your Xodo documents are. I would save a copy of your planner to a different folder, that way you will always have a blank version if you decide to reuse an undated planner.
Once you have imported your planner and fonts into Xodo, you are ready to begin to learn the ins and outs of digital planning. The basics will be learning how to use stickers, handwriting, and text. For more details, check out our other tutorials!
Happy Planning!