Paper Planners vs Smart Devices

So my phone crashed, its stuck on the apple logo.  I googled it and tried to troubleshoot it myself but nothing worked.  So I am left with having the factory settings restored and lose everything in it.  I was upset because I was going to lose all of my files!  The recent pictures that I took at the beach and when I was out of town - just petty stuff really.  But seriously... I am going to lose my updated schedule/to do lists for the remaining days of the year which I was not able to back up recently!  I remembered a couple months ago someone told me to write down my schedules when I thought that I accidentally deleted one category on my calendar, but what I actually clicked was just the hide button.tsk  Yep!  I'm a bit of a klutz.  Okay, maybe a big one.  I'm just hoping the phone isn't dead yet though the thought of it dying is already there.

So I thought... What about going back to using old school paper planners?

The planner that I used for 3 consecutive years was the Belle de Jour Power Planner. Aside from the usual planner pages, they also have other useful pages such as the goals page (which is basically at the front portion of the planner where you write down your major goals for the year), a page to plan your vacation (what to bring, how much money you need, who you are travelling with,), bills/cash flow tracker, a sort of bucket list or checklist page, menstrual tracker (which I find very helpful as I used to have bad menstrual cramps back in college) and tons of discount coupons!  I actually got it for the discount coupons because I don't like spending too much (my friends know how kuripot I can get 😉).  It was fun having a planner for many years, jotting down notes using my colorful pens. ✒️ Yep, I had tons of them!  I had this "system" where I categorize my schedule/to do lists by using those different colored pens (ex:red-urgent matters, blue-personal matters, green-school, violet-work, and black - for doodling or what not).  At the start of each month, I was able to basically see a snapshot of all the things I needed to do/get per category.  The pages after that would be the details per week.  And I would place different sizes of sticky notes either to emphasize the urgency of something or just to show the quote that I recently like.  I also doodle a lot, so there are a lot of random notes all over the place.  There are also days when I would write down what happened during the day.  Simply put its not just a planner for me but a journal as well.  What I don't like about using planners: a bit heavy and bulky to carry everyday.  Or maybe I just needed to work out. 😜

Dear Diary: embarrassed in 2013 and tired in 2014.
Its nice reading what you wrote down years ago when you barely even remember what really happened.
Its like the "memories" in facebook nowadays.

I decided 2 years ago that I no longer need those paper planners because I didn't find it necessary anymore compared to just typing all of your schedules down on your smart phone or tab which will remind you of the things you needed to do/get.  What I really like about it is that you can repeat these reminders/alarms on your calendar in a jiffy!  You can also group your activities per category using different colors as well.  For Apple Calendars, I like that I can put labels on different colored categories.  I tend to forget what certain categories are for so the labels are a plus for me.  On Samsung's SPlanner, I like that there is a function where you can enable the country's holidays to appear.  So you don't have to put it one by one.  Both things didn't appear on both devices though, or maybe I just don't know how to.  I can sync my gmail account (or even Facebook) to my phone as well (both Apple and Samsung).  So any birthdays or what have yous on your gmail account will also appear on your device as well.  Aside from that, they don't take up much time inputting new activities and you could share your calendar with family/friends!  I used to have this school app on my tab so I can be reminded on the exam schedules especially when I get too busy at work.  Its funny now that I remember it, I actually uninstalled it after one semester.  Do you really need different apps when basically it provides the same purpose - to help you plan, organize and be reminded.  What I find very useful was this savings/expense app that I had which allowed me to track my expenses from my daily transport to monthly bills.  So at the end of the month, I would know where I would need to cut down costs (if any).  What I love about planning/organizing on a smart phone/device is its convenience - I take it anywhere with me and it doesn't give you additional weight.  What I don't like about it is the fact that your phone or device could get corrupted - but you can always back it up... which I didn't. zzzzzzz

So here are some links to help you organize your Apple Calendar/Samsung SPlanner just in case you are having trouble with it.  I just couldn't find anything that is more updated for Samsung.
https://support.google.com/a/users/answer/138740?hl=en
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202337
http://www.macworld.com/article/2928281/10-gotta-know-calendar-tips-for-ios.html
https://www.gadgetdaily.xyz/how-to-use-the-s-planner-app/
https://www.gadgetdaily.xyz/s-planner-tips-tricks-and-troubleshooting/

I tried looking for my 2012 one, but I couldn't find it. 

So which one do you think is better -  paper planners or smart devices?  Or is it both?  With all of these things in mind... I prefer this time around to use both side by side.  I think I just found the "perfect" planner and then maybe I can frequently back up my devices so I wouldn't have to worry if it bugs down 😉

Check out my previous blog post about 2017 Planners that are under Php 600.00 (USD 12.25). 😉

**I am no expert on planning/organizing.  Well...  I am no expert on anything! hahahah  These are just some of the things that worked/works for me and I hope that you find it helpful :) 



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