Latest / Online Business Tips: Mind Your Time / Paper Planner vs. Digital Planner - How to Combine Both Tools to Be More Productive

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Paper Planner vs. Digital Planner - How to Combine Both Tools to Be More Productive · Online Business Tips: Mind Your Time

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm gonna start by saying I'm a total planner junkie and I'm okay with that.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: I love having a paper planner, buying new pins, and of course buying pretty stickers and washi tape.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: However, my life has a lot of moving pieces, so just using the paper planner would be a total nightmare.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: Because if it's not with me, I don't have access to what's on it.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: That's why having a digital calendar is a must in my life.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: So my Google Calendar gives me peace of mind, and the paper planner is for my mind and my heart.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: The paper planner soothes my heart because I get to decorate it, which is relaxing for me, and it's good for my mind because I can see where my time needs to be spent.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: So every Sunday I make sure I plan out my week and that the tasks assigned and the priorities are focused on what I need to be doing, and I identify the tasks that are aligned with my goals.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: So today I'm going to peel back the curtain on my weekly planning process and my hybrid method of using a digital and a paper planner, and hopefully, what I share will help you develop a system of your own.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: That way you can manage your time better not by doing more, but by being more focused and organized.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: Well, that's enough small talk.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: Let's go ahead and dive into episode number 43.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to the More Than Capable Montpreneur Podcast.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Shannon Baker of Coffee Loving Montpreneur that started as a virtual assistant and turned into a total systems geek.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: And I want to help you shift your mindset and embrace your worthiness while creating systems in your business so you can be more productive and build success on your own terms without the mom guilt.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: Are you loving that?
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I hope you're ready for real conversations that will help you feed the perfectionist inside, rediscover your strengths, and up level your self-love in the mom cracks of time so you can stop letting fear hold you back because you are enough and you do enough.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: We are more than capable monpreneurs.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: So grab your cup of coffee, some sparkling water, or pour a glass of your favorite wine, and let's dive in.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: So the question everyone has, especially as one year ends and another starts, is should I use a paper or a digital planner?
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: These days many are also wondering if it's possible to use both, which is what I do.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: Now some people will say that you need to pick one and you can't use a paper planner and a digital planner together that it's too complicated and you need to simplify.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: But the bottom line is you need to create a system that works for you.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm going to tell you which paper planner I use and what information I also include in my digital planner.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: It sounds complicated, but really it isn't.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: And remember, take the bits and pieces of my system and play around with them until you figure out what works for you.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: You might think that using both creates double the work or is repetitive, but I haven't found that to be the case for me at all.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: Combining both a paper and a digital planner is actually my preferred method.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: Now I'll warn you that I absolutely love making the pages of my paper planner pretty and every week probably looks different most of the time.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: But the most important part of all of this is that I organize my schedule and it's easy to keep up with my priorities because of my system.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: So first let me tell you that I am a huge fan of the Passion Planner, and this is going to be my fourth year using it.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: I have tried other planners and I end up coming back to Passion Planner, so I'm just going to stick with what works.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: So passion planners come in three different sizes.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: There's a small which is 5.7 by 8.3.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: There's medium, which is the size that I use, and it's 6.9 by 9.9.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: And then the large, which I've also used in the past, is 8.5 by 11.3.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: So about the size of a full sheet of paper.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: Now let me tell you about some of the features that I love, and that's why I keep coming back to them.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: When you open up the passion planner, there are pages for what is labeled the passion roadmap.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: It's a two-page spread that you can use to map out your short and long-term goals and then break them down into smaller steps.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: And the great part is there are number instructions to help you complete this exercise.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: And there's also a monthly layout so you can see your month at a glance, set your focus for the month based on your goals, and then break them down into actionable steps with deadlines, which is what I absolutely love.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: And at the bottom of the monthly spread is a checklist type set of boxes where you can list your personal and work projects for the month.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: Then there's the weekly breakdown, which starts on Sunday, which that's perfect for me because I plan my week on Sunday.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: Now, this is also a two-page spread, and each day there's a box where you can write your focus for the day, which in my planner is a space that I use to do my gratitude reflection every day.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: Now, you know I'm a big time blocker, so I love the way the weekly pages are laid out.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: The vertical time blocks are great because I literally draw colored squares around the time blocks in my schedule and identify what the block is for.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if you would like to know how I time block my schedule, make sure you go back and listen to episode four because I break my process down in that episode.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: Now, a few other features that I like on the weekly spread are the focus for the week box.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: There's also a nice motivational or inspirational quote, and there is a checklist there for your personal and work tasks.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: One other thing that I like on the weekly pages is a nice space called the space of infinite possibility.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: You can literally use that area for anything extra you want to track, like your daily steps, how much water you drink, or even meal planning.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: Basically anything you want.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: Your only limit is your imagination.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: Now, the end of every month, there's a two-page layout for reflection, and this has been a valuable tool to help me see the progress that I make each month, even if it's just little steps.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: There's a series of questions and an end-of-month checklist.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: It's just great to help you reflect on all the good things that you've accomplished.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: Now at the end of the planner, there's an end-of-the-year reflection, which is similar to the one at the end of every month.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: And then there are blank pages and grid pages that can be used as creative space.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: So I use some of the blank pages to determine my word of the year, and then I can just turn to it throughout the year and make sure I'm staying on track.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: Then there's a cute little pocket in the back cover where you can store stickers, post-it notes, slips of paper, whatever you want.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: Now I admit again I'm a planner junkie, so I have a pouch for my pens and a pouch for all of my planner stickers because it's just too much for the back of my planner.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if you're interested in checking out the Passion Planner, I'm gonna put my affiliate link in the show notes.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: Now that I've introduced you to my planner, I'm going to tell you a little bit about my process for planning my week.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: So I block out my time that I need for my morning routine, my work schedule for my day job because that really changes.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I also create a Friday block for my podcast task because that's going to be the same every week.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: Then I look at my family calendar and my Google Calendar and see if there's anything like doctor's appointments, lunch with my parents, etc., that need to be added to my week.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: This helps me determine what my priorities for the week are.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: Then I can write those priority tasks for my personal life and my business in my paper planner, but I also can see priority tasks for my business, which are any client appointments, discovery calls, coffee checks, etc.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_00: And then I can look at the time that I have left to determine what other tasks I can work on based on my current goal.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: So how do I pick my priorities?
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: Well, it's based on my 90-day goal and the action plan that I've created ahead of time.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: I break tasks down into bite-sized chunks and then I assign them to the time blocks that are on my paper calendar.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: But I do not assign more than three tasks to a day so I don't get overwhelmed.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: And here's another tip: identify the time of day that you are most creative, and then when you're least creative, that helps you determine where to place certain tasks.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: So when you're most creative, work on things like content creation for social media posts, blog posts, podcast episodes, etc.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: And when you're least creative, do those not so fun tasks, but they're necessary.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: Things you don't enjoy doing like sorting receipts, checking your social media stats, cleaning up your inbox, those types of things.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: Administrative tasks.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: So now how do I use both the paper and the digital planner together?
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: Well, again, I use Google Calendar because it's connected to my online scheduler in Acuity.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: I also use that Google Calendar to schedule everything, whether it's for work or it's personal related.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like my Master Life calendar.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_00: The two are combined in one place.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: The great thing is we have a shared family calendar and my daughter enters all events and appointments that the family needs to know.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_00: This is very helpful because when I'm planning my week, it keeps me from double booking myself.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: I check and see what's on that family calendar, transfer it to my paper planner, and then I can see what other tasks I can fit into my schedule.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: Now, again, my Google Calendar closely resembles my paper planner.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_00: Those time blocks that are the same each week in my paper planner are already entered as recurring events in my Google Calendar and the colors in both match, of course.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: Then each week I go in and I write specific actionable tasks into the time blocks in my paper planner.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: Now here's one thing that really helps me.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_00: I only take business calls two days a week, and Friday again is specifically for podcast interviews or podcast tasks.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: Now, since my acuity account is synced with my Google Calendar, I don't have overlapping appointments if I've done my due diligence and kept my calendar updated.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: So many times I can just start by looking at my digital calendar to complete my paper planner.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_00: If you don't already use an online scheduler, this hopefully convinces you that you need to start using one as soon as possible.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_00: But the main point I want you to take away from this is that if you like putting pen to paper, a paper planner is great for you to have if you're going to use it.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: But you have to have the digital part of your schedule figured out to make your calendar work.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: Make the two tools complement each other if you decide to go with both like me.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_00: But if you have to choose one or the other, please go digital and make sure it's synced with your online scheduler.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_00: Planning is personal, but this method that I've used for years has really helped me to stay organized and get a lot of things done.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_00: It really works, at least my method works for me.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: Now combining paper planners and digital planners has helped me to stay focused and to be more productive.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_00: But more importantly, it has enabled me to take small steps every day to reach my goals.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_00: Since adopting this hybrid method, I have rebranded my business, launched this podcast, created multiple income streams in my business, started working on my health and fitness goals, including creating a morning routine that works for me, and I've created a life that I'm excited to wake up to every day.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_00: I want the same for you, and I know you want that too.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: So I hope the information that I've shared with you today helps you create some kind of system that works for you so you can be more productive and get all the things done without being overwhelmed.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: So thank you for joining me for this week's episode.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_00: And again, you can find a link to the episode on time blocking in the show notes and the other tools that I've mentioned as well.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_00: If you enjoyed this episode, please let me know.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_00: Take a screenshot, post it in Instagram stories, and tag me at the underscore Shannon Baker.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: And remember, you are more than enough.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_00: So until next time, keep calm and streamline.