Planning To Plan With A Planner

Sometimes the simplest solution is best. That's a key point in my analog adventure. Yet most surprising for me is, despite being a tech geek and digital adopter, I recently started using a paper Planner for the first time in my 40+ years of living. This is new territory. There’s a Planner and planning rabbit hole that goes deep, with endless attractive stationery.

A Touch of Tangibility

I shopped at Office Depot on several visits over the last few weeks. There is so much physical goodness there. Pens, pencils, papers, accessories… It’s like I’ve been in a digital skeuomorphed virtual reality for many years and am now emerging into a world of tools you can touch and feel and connect with physically, sans abstractions. It’s refreshing if not somewhat liberating.

Currently, I’m trying a disc-based planner system. It’s TUL, exclusively at Office Depot (there are various other options too). I’m learning how to organize my thoughts and my time with a Planner, which I’ve never done before. Well, at least not the paper kind. And I might eventually settle on a different planner. Leuchtturm1917? Midori? Hobonichi? Happy Planner?

I’m slowly augmenting (or replacing?) my reliance on Apple Notes, Reminders, and Calendar (digital apps) to use a portable book that’s dedicated to planning. There’s something special about a single-purpose physical object; it’s grounding and refreshing. When I see it, I think, “Plan.” When I see my iPhone, I think about whatever the latest notification or distraction happens to be. The Planner helps me focus; the phone seems to fragment my thinking.

Spatial Awareness

I think my aging has something to do with this; maybe my brain needs to slow down. Maybe I need to unplug from my smartphone. In my understanding, humans are spatially aware in nature; we live in the context of 3D space after all. In a physical world, we’re naturally constrained to actual boundaries and limits. For example, when you have a piece of paper to file away (like a receipt), it can only go in one folder.

Whereas in the digital or virtual realm, a scanned receipt can be in one folder but also referenced or "appear” in other places via tags, or it can easily be copy/pasted to multiple folders. You can try to put files into folders and use tags, but the digital data piles up so high, you might as well just rely on a search feature to find your stuff. It’s abstract.

Back in the physical domain, as long as I’m conscientious about putting a file away, I’m likely to recall where it is just from memory since I took time to physically store it. Or I’ll at least use the simple system of folders, with labels on them, in a file cabinet for easy retrieval.

I digress. Back to the Planner.

A Plan(ner)

I’m learning how to use a Planner and am enjoying it so far. It’s so simple. I just write stuff down and my brain kind of remembers how it looked and where it was on the page. Of course, I often refer to my Planner throughout the day (like repeatedly checking a phone), and sometimes I highlight certain entries or words. As I practice with a paper Planner, I sometimes draw small icons (smiley face, star) to note things and add post-it notes of different colors to various pages. And checking off checklists feels great.

Also, a planner doesn’t need a wifi connection and never needs to be charged. It doesn’t feature AI; it uses NI (Natural Intelligence). This makes it more accessible and reliable. Paper isn’t water resistant though (coffee spills), so there’s that.

Monthly spreads, weekly views (horizontal or veritcal?), and day layouts: I’m trying these to see what works best for my brain and my routine. That said, I’m also still using my phone and computers to track certain calendars. I can see the utility in a hybrid digital/analog system and should use whatever works best.

One part of the planner I’m not settled on is how I’ve combined it with other types of books. I have it divided into sections: one for the planner pages, one for notes, and one for journal entries. It’s ideal to have everything in one book so it’s easy to tote around in my EDC bag. But part of my brain keeps thinking it’d be better to have separate books for planning, note taking, and journaling. I’ll figure this out in time.

There’s something special about a physical planning book and writing important things down by hand. I’m even thinking about journaling on paper instead of in a digital app. Now that would be quite a shift. What would be next, drafting blog posts on paper? Hmmm…I’m gonna need more stationery.