So much of modern life requires that we engage with a screen. Everything from ordering groceries to keeping in touch with our loved ones has been made easier than ever through apps on our devices. But most of us know that these modern conveniences have a real cost—on our attention, our focus, and our overall mental and emotional wellbeing.
When it comes to the necessary act of planning and organizing your day, digital tools like online calendars and notes apps can be convenient, but they only increase our screen time. The answer? Go back to basics with analog, pen-and-paper planning. Journaling, tracking hobbies, or anticipating and planning for milestone events and goals are even more fulfilling when you bring them offline.
Read on for the top four reasons you should consider ditching digital and embracing paper planning and journaling tools.
1. Boost Focus
In a world constantly buzzing with digital notifications, sometimes the best way to find clarity is to disconnect. Organizing your life with a paper planner instead of on your device or computer helps you really focus on the task at hand. Making a daily to-do list? It may be tempting to open your notes app, but how many times have you found yourself mindlessly checking your email, or (worse yet) ending up trapped in an endless scroll. Using analog tools helps you avoid the pitfalls of modern technology created to keep you clicking and scrolling, putting you back in control of your time and focus.
Say your work or family life requires you to keep a digital calendar—no problem. Transferring high-level appointments and schedules to your planner only takes a few minutes per week, and devoting this time to going analog will improve your focus tenfold when it comes to brainstorming to-dos and setting your priorities for the week. So how do you do it? Take five minutes each morning to make a list of priorities and tasks for the day, review your schedule, and mentally prepare without distractions.
2. Improve Memory
Writing things down is proven to help you remember them—so you can recall important dates and to-dos. The simple act of taking pen to page aids in memory, organization, and productivity. Ever forgot a friend’s birthday, doctor’s appointment, or important due date even though it was noted on your digital calendar? Writing tasks and important reminders down by hand codifies them in your memory in a way that cannot be matched with digital tools. Plus, using a weekly planner (like our best-selling Year Task Planner) ensures you’re only looking at the week at hand, and writing down your schedule at the start of each week.
Writing may help you remember the small details—but it can also be the first step in making your biggest goals a reality. Try writing down your goals somewhere you’ll see them daily—whether it’s on your calendar, vision board, or even an adhesive note on your desktop.
3. Mindful Creativity
Keeping your planning offline lets you truly engage with your ideas. Physically writing down your tasks, priorities, ideas, and sketches is a more organic and free-flowing method than using your desktop or device, making it easier to explore new perspectives. Plus the tactile and distraction-free medium of pen and paper makes the act of planning and note-taking even more enjoyable. Embrace the flexibility to sketch, draw, or map out thoughts when inspiration strikes.
Using a paper planner also serves as a visual representation of your progress, allowing you to revisit tasks, notes, and ideas from previous pages or weeks easily with the flip of a page.
4. Achieve Your Goals
We’re planner-obsessed, and designed our planner layouts to help you lead a more organized and creative life. The key is to make your planner system work for you. Whether it is color-coding your schedule, adding a simple yes/no checkbox for whether a habit was completed that day, or utilizing the tasks and priorities sections of our planners for ultra-organized project planning, there are endless tools at your disposal for finding what works for you. Plus, keeping a visual record of daily routines illuminates progress, providing you with the motivation to keep going and achieve your goals.
Here’s to going analog and embracing pen-and-paper organization. We hope that the simplicity and elegance of Appointed paper goods and planners help you enjoy the small moments more fully, while planning and organizing a better life.
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