Many people ask me why I switched from paper to digital planners. First, I had NO intention of ever switching. I didn't "get," how anyone could be interested in digital when paper is so lovely.
Well, I made a digital self care planner to sell. That was my first one. Buying clip art was fun! (...and dangerous!)
Then I bought digital notepads and other people's digital planners, and digital stickers.
Why I like it more: Perfection. I can move that sticker around until it's in the perfect spot. I can hand letter and 1 key stroke erases the last letter I messed up.
I can even change the size of the type or hand written words, and the color of ink.
The money saved because you do not need the actual "things." No ink. No pens. No printing paper. No sticker paper. No crayons. No washi.
It's all available in digital form and for a fraction of the price! Which means you get more! Without more clutter!!!
My office looks like a kids craft room. I have anxiety looking at my piles of papers, planners, stickers printed but not cut or used yet. The clutter!!! The space it physically takes up.
Now, I am disabled. So I often found myself unable to grab a planner (I am in a wheelchair) so they didn't get used. It was to much effort to get the well intended Budget Planner or Wellness Journal out, or to find all the supplies I needed: stamps, ink pad, washi, felts, stickers... too much work, and too much time taken to prep and then put it all away.
With my iPad it's one click. I have everything I need on the iPad; I have all the pens, felts, paint, calligraphy ink I need on my stylus. I no longer have to get up. It's so real looking too.
My only complaint is that the iPad battery only last 10 hours. I have to recharge it. I am on it all the time planning. I have never been so happy: it just fills me with energy and being creative is such an outlet for me for stress relief.
I "cut," images from anywhere and collage them into my planner. I screenshot, crop and edit stuff and add it. IG posts, posters, something I like and want to buy but a photo would be just as good. Boom. Money saved.
No glue. No sticky fingers. No cutting out with scissors and having my hand hurt the next day. Yes I love cutting, the sound and feel. But not the payment in pain I pay every time I do.
No lost favorite pens. No being out of ink. Having more colors than you can name, literally.
A brand new iPad cost about $350. You know you pay that in stickers and planners probably every 6 months, right? Or maybe every season! Never mind new launches.
I have to stress I said I would NEVER use a digital planner. I had zero interest. You have to try it. It's only because it is so new and strange that it seems foreign to you. I have zero computer skills and figured it all out; it is very intuitive. Easy. If I can do it, anyone can. Really.
I have never had so much fun with a hobby ever.
I have paper planners I will "use up," too many undated to count. But for pleasure, my heart it with digital. I have not touched a paper planner now for 6 weeks. I don't miss a thing. Digital gives me things paper just can not do.
Oprah was right, Ipad's are the greatest invention ever. I got mine cause I want to draw stickers to sell one day. I never thought I would become a digital planner! I haven't even started the process for learning to make stickers yet! I've been to busy making more spreads in more sizes than I have ever used in my life.
Now I can try out as many different planners as I want. Weird sizes: tall, slim, wide, short, mini. BuJo's. TN's. Hobochi- whatever it's called. All of it. I would never go buy physical stuff just to see if I might like it. Now I can get it for a fraction of the cost, digitally. I've tried it all. There is also a LOT of free stuff out there, and you can turn many of your physical things like dashboards or stickers into digital form. Anything that starts as a PDF works in GoodNotes, a cheap easy to use app. Images work even better, by that I just mean easier/faster to use!
It's cheaper because there in no physical item they are selling. In business terms, there is no, "stock," to invest in. No washi piled up, no stickers to print cut and package; someone has to hand stuff an envelope and mail it. No shipping! Often no taxes added to prices. You can buy from all over the world, places where people sell digital stuff cheap, and get it instantly. No waiting for happy mail to come. No lost packages. No damaged items arriving. You can also use it over and over, so no more saving your favorite sticker, or paper (yes there is digital paper) and never using it cause it's too pretty to use!
There is an, "undo your last action," button that is a savior. Anything you do, if you mess up, you can go back. As many times as you want. Then forward if you decide you do in fact like it. You can not do this with paper!
Lastly, the iPad is the only way I know of to have truly secure, private journal writing. If you don't want someone to read your personal inner thoughts, you do not want to write it in a traditional book. Being able to vent or worry without fear someone will read what you wrote is a great release. Password protected! ✔️
This is just my first list of why it's awesome.
Give digital a try! Happy planning!