So in this day and age we here the term “paperless technology” all the time. And the use of various online diaries are becoming more and more commonplace. But does this now mean paper planning is becoming a thing of the past? Is there still a market for it? I would argue YES there most definitely is!

Paper planning…

Paper planning is still very much a huge part of today’s society, and the the diary industry booming I doubt it is going to disappear any time soon! I personally couldn’t be without my paper diaries! And that isn’t just so I can make them look pretty; in fact my work diary is just full of scribbles!

Why paper?

For me the beauty of paper planning is that I can clearly see what I am doing in the coming week or month. Everything is there and I can write daily “to do lists” to keep me focused and on target. And though all of this is possible in electronic format, you tend to have to go to various sources or screens to achieve the same result. For me this makes it much harder to see clearly what I am doing for the day/week.

Electronic planning…

Electronic planning comes in various different formats. The main ones I personally use is an app for the family and then outlook for work. Most mobile phones come with calendars and there are a variety of different ones that can be downloaded or purchased which offer various different planning styles, even some which allow you to make your diary look as pretty as a paper one with on line style stickers!

Why electronic?

Personally the only reason why I use any form is electronic calendar is when I have to share details of my daily life with someone else. This is one thing where a paper diary will always fall down, as it would literally involve getting everyone’s diaries out and putting an appointment in all of them! That would be a very boring and pointless task even for me. With electronic planning everyone who has access to that particular calendar will be able to see what I am doing and when. And I can see their activities as well.

What I will say that I do love about electronic planners is they always block time. This is a planning style which I am finding is a brilliant way to stay as productive as possible. Though it may sound a little unrealistic to literally plan every second of each day into a block of time, but by doing this I have been able to achieve so much more than I thought would be possible in a day!

Combining the two…

This for me is the ideal method. I still like having a paper diary that I can scribble all over. And one to make look pretty and put stickers in. I don’t think I could ever be without a notebook of some description! However, being able to easily share what I am doing with others through electronic planning is super helpful and a tool that I definitely could not be without anymore.