The Case for Using a Paper Planner
“But when we interviewed experts for our planner guide, a lot of them noticed this tangible feel to paper
that people prefer.” In her in-depth review of paper planners for Wirecutter, Ms. Reeve discovered a commonly cited perk of using a paper planner: the ability to keep everything in one place, instead of bouncing from app to app.
“And then see what checks off the boxes that you need.” To give you a guideline, Ms. Reeve said that planners typically serve one of five functions:
• Strict scheduling: Look for a simple business planner that comes in monthly, weekly, daily, or even hourly formats.
“If you’re using your phone, you’re going into different apps for different purposes,” Ms. Reeve said.
You can use it as a notebook, you can get grid paper for it, and you can add as few or as many notebook inserts as you want,” she said.
“Some people are going to find paper very frustrating,” said Jackie Reeve, a writer at Wirecutter, a New York Times company.
“Your calendar won’t do everything: You might be using a separate to-do list app, you might be using a separate app for notes.
• Bullet journaling: Look for grid-based paper planners that allow you to use the bullet journaling method.
“These are beautiful leather planners, but you may get it and find that you’re just not using it,” Reeve warned.
