Do you use a planner or write in a journal? In our digital age, it is surprising to find that planners, journals, bullet journals, to-do lists, and other paper products are still in high demand.

According to Psychology Today, our brains like writing on paper. This affects all demographics, including the millennials who were born with a phone at their fingertips. Using a planner is beneficial for many reasons, and we will explore them here.

10 Reasons to Use a Planner:

Planners are useful for a variety of reasons. Here are just a few:

1. Accountability

When you plan your day, week, or month, you are more likely to complete a task, attend a gym class, take a walk, call a friend, or take your kids to soccer practice on time. By putting your task in writing, you have a better chance of getting it done as well as keeping yourself accountable.

2. Creativity

Planners are customizable. Users may decorate their planners with stickers or add other embellishments. On Facebook, there are several groups dedicated to sharing planner images. There are aisles dedicated to planner decorations at craft stores.

Related Reading: Creative Writing Doesn’t have to be Hard

3. Distraction Free Zone

Your mobile device or digital planner places you only two clicks from the Internet. We’re all guilty of watching funny videos on social media for an hour and then forgetting what we were looking for. Paper products are helpful because there are no distractions or notifications. Additionally, they are easily accessible.

4. Health Benefits

You’ll keep your scheduled appointments if you schedule them using an appointment planner. While you are at the doctor’s office, dentist’s office, or hairdresser’s salon, schedule your next appointment. Be sure to schedule time for yourself as well.

5. Increased Productivity

You can schedule tasks so that you can complete one before starting the next. Having a prioritized list of important tasks will allow you to be more productive. Research shows that people devote only 45% of their workday to work-related activities.

What may be done at anytime, is often done at no time.

– Unknown

6. Shareable Calendars

If you print out a calendar or planner page, you can attach it to the fridge so that it will be easy to see who has soccer practice or dentist appointments. The weekly plan enables you to visualize your week and realize your goals.

7. Stress Relief and Mental Health

Planning can reduce stress and anxiety. Because of our hectic schedules, we can easily become overwhelmed if we have too much on our plates. When you have a schedule, you can move from one task to the next, missing nothing. Crossing off a task gives you a sense of accomplishment.

8. Time Management

The problem with doing everything at once is that there is not enough time in the day to accomplish all the tasks. When you use a planner, you are more likely to be efficient with your time and are less likely to waste it on social media or the Internet.

9. Trackers

A planner is also useful for tracking your habits, medication, word counts, sleep, and anything else daily. It’s even possible to track the books you are reading, birthdays, bill payments, and spending. Your imagination is your only limit. Using a planner will show you your highest and lowest productivity times during the day, so you can manage your time accordingly.

10. Written Record

Planners can serve as compiled memory books. When you need to find out when you last had a massage or a pedicure, you can flip backward and find it. Details are also easier to remember when written by hand. 

Related Reading: 10 Benefits of Journal Writing

Last Words on Printable Planners

Above, I outlined ten good reasons to start using a planner today. How could one benefit you? 

Take Care

Linda