If you are thinking about purchasing your first digital planner, you may be feeling a bit overwhelmed. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of options. They come in a variety of colors, orientations, and formats. There are also extra things like budget planning or meal planning to consider. On top of that, there are not only planners that keep track of your life, but also your home, workouts, blog, and more.
Today we have compiled a list of 9 questions to consider before purchasing your first digital planner.
1. What Device will you be using for Digital Planning?
The device you will be using will slightly affect the apps and files you can use. You also need to consider whether or not you will be using your own handwriting or just text. Touchscreen devices with a stylus are best for handwriting, and laptops or PCs will be best for typing everything.
2. What App are you Going to Use for Digital Planning?
If you are an Android user, you will most likely want Xodo. If you use iOS, you will most likely use GoodNotes. Different files will work differently. PDFs will work in both Xodo and Goodnotes, but .goodnotes files will ONLY work in GoodNotes. The same is true for OneNote files. They will only work in OneNote.
3. Do you know how to work the App you plan on using?
If you purchase a planner and can't get it to work because you don't understand the app, you're gonna be pretty upset about wasting money. Make sure first that the app can support the file-type you want to use, and has the functionality that you need. Not all apps support handwriting, font imports, hyperlinks, and so on. I would recommend finding a freebie to practice with before you make a purchase.
4. What do you intend to use the planner for?
If you are trying to keep track of your household information, such as babysitters, vets, medications, bills, etc. You won't want a health/workout planner.
5. Do you want dated or undated?
It takes a little more time to go through and date your planner, but undated planners are also reusable. Dated planners reduce the time needed to set up your week.
6. What kind of spreads do you want?
Most digital planners come with monthly, weekly, and daily spreads. If you're like me and don't use daily spreads, you may not want a planner with daily pages, especially when those extra pages require more space. You should also consider whether or not you want your spreads to have a Sunday or Monday start.
7. What do you need on each spread?
Weekly spreads can come with a meal planner, mini habit tracker, to-do list, and more. Monthly and daily spreads can also have extras put in.
8. What special pages do you need?
If you need to track finances, bills, appointments, or similar items, you will want a planner that has those pages or places to insert extra pages.
9. How much are you willing to spend?
If you want a more detailed, premade planner, you can expect to pay a little more. If you have the time and desire to build it yourself, you can purchase a cheaper, less complex planner and insert your own pages. You also have the option to make your planner completely from scratch using Powerpoint, Google Slides, Keynotes, or similar presentation-style programs.
Once you have thought about these questions, you may begin your search for the perfect digital planner using the keywords of the things you need. I would recommend Etsy and Digital Planning Facebook Groups. The members of Facebook groups can usually direct you to the right planner when you share what you are looking for.
Now that you have carefully thought about what you need from a planner, make sure to tell us what planner you can't wait to purchase in the comments below! Also, make sure to subscribe if you want to get updated about new posts and freebies!