The Case for Using a Paper Planner<br />“But when we interviewed experts for our planner guide, a lot of them noticed this tangible feel to paper<br />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.<br />“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:<br />• Strict scheduling: Look for a simple business planner that comes in monthly, weekly, daily, or even hourly formats.<br />“If you’re using your phone, you’re going into different apps for different purposes,” Ms. Reeve said.<br />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.<br />“Some people are going to find paper very frustrating,” said Jackie Reeve, a writer at Wirecutter, a New York Times company.<br />“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.<br />• Bullet journaling: Look for grid-based paper planners that allow you to use the bullet journaling method.<br />“These are beautiful leather planners, but you may get it and find that you’re just not using it,” Reeve warned.
