Social media is always evolving and there is now an aesthetic-focused community that is promoting a new trend for an organization: digital planning. From Instagram reels to TikTok, influencers are showcasing their beautifully curated calendars and specialized templates that demonstrate how customizable and convenient it can be to organize your life with your device. Digital Planning

This modern mode of digital planning uses an interactive pdf to combine the tried-and-true organization of paper planners, calendars, and similar tools with the modern edge of your favorite device. And when you pair that device with T-Mobile’s 5G network — the country’s largest, fastest and most awarded — you’ll be able to seamlessly keep your planner up to date on any platform, wherever you go.

Tannera George and Adrienne Harris are the co-owners of Book’d, a luxury stationery and lifestyle company that started in 2018 with hard copy options. Since then, they have grown to also offer a digital platform that meets the demand of clients who were excited by what they were seeing on social media’s digital planning community. “We believe in having a booked and balanced life and this is a vehicle to help you achieve your goals and dreams,” says Tannera.

Adrienne and Tannera were fresh out of undergrad and looking for a way to enhance their productivity and achieve new goals with the help of a planner. They wanted to create a meaningful representation of who they are as Black women in the organizational space. They saw a need, especially in their community, for women to be able to strive for their dreams and hold themselves accountable in those pursuits. Thus, they started Book’d and have since cracked the code to digital planning, even though they consider themselves “pen and paper girls”.

Getting started with digital planning has a few more steps than just cracking open a bound paper planner. However, the benefits of digital planning are worth the extra effort. Book’d offers some important tips on how anyone can reap the benefits of these tools. With digital planning, you can personalize your planner to fit your unique needs and goals, increase productivity, and keep track of everything in one place. By following their guide, you can set yourself up for success and achieve a booked and balanced life.

STEP 1: Pick your favorite device Digital Planning

The first step in your journey will be to prepare your favorite device, smartphones are great for when you’re on the go and tablets are best for when you need a bit more screen space for your brainstorming. If your planner is in the cloud, then you can make edits on the go, which is incredibly convenient if you travel often.

“It’s very useful for your digital planner to link across devices,” says Tannera. “I prefer to use a tablet. Since it’s in between the size of a phone and a desktop, it’s that perfect middle ground.”

STEP 2: Find an app that works for you

While there are plenty of apps available, three of the most popular options are GoodNotes, Notion and Notability. One of the first lessons you’ll realize upon taking a deep dive into the world of digital planning is that it’s a community built on the pillar of customizability. Financially, for example, if you’re not looking for paid services, you can easily avoid apps that cause you to sign up for yet another subscription. As a beginner, a free digital planning app combined with a free template can be a great low-stakes way of getting started.

“There’s so many note-taking apps and pdf annotators out there and finding the right one can get a bit overwhelming,” says Tannera. “A great starting point would be GoodNotes for Apple users and Notability for Android users. Both apps have free versions, and offer paid plans if you decide you want to upgrade.”

STEP 3: Get informed and get inspired

So, you’ve downloaded a digital planning app on your device and now you’re waiting for the magic to happen. This is where your personal style and preferences will come into play. There are plenty of great tutorials that show you how to set up a digital planner based on your app of choice, but just know that there are usually three basic steps involved: downloading a template, uploading the template to your app, and then filling it out with your life.

“You don’t need a planner if you don’t have plans right,” jokes Adrienne. “Figure out what you want to accomplish that year and any goals you want to want to work towards, and then you can use it as a tool to hold yourself accountable.”

Tannera says while she’s a “weekly planner, brain dump, checklist kind of organizer,” she knows that Adrienne prefers a scheduler. Adrienne says that you’ll want to take time to think about what your needs are, and which format works for you — for example, dated vs. undated, weekly vs. daily scheduler, and whether or not you want sections like blank pages for brainstorming and checklists. Once you do some organizational introspection, you can find planners that match your lifestyle.

STEP 4: Find or design your first template Digital Planning

Once you’ve watched a tutorial or two, you should feel ready to pick your very first template! If you’re comfortable with design, this is a great chance to get creative and make your planner your own. If you aren’t, no worries! There are plenty of free templates available to download and even premium ones that are already pre-designed to make getting started easy.

If you get a little lost in the template search, you can always start with the basics.

“A good option to fall back on is a general planner that’s dated and allows you to add customizations,” says Tannera. “You can also find some more specialized, like a mental health-focused planner, for example.”

STEP 5: Start planning!

That’s it! And just like that, you are now a part of the burgeoning digital planning community that’s serving people of all walks of life. Whether you’re a working professional looking for project clarity or a parent hoping to streamline your family’s schedules, you can now use your digital planner to prepare for your busy week, track your workout progress, plan grocery trips — and pretty much everything else under the sun. The sky’s the limit when it comes to your productivity potential!

“That’s how our planner came about,” says Adrienne. “It’s a vehicle to help you reach your goals and your dreams.”