In today's fast-paced digital world, staying organized and productive is more crucial than ever. With the rise of technology, traditional planners have evolved into digital counterparts that offer enhanced functionality and convenience. Enter the realm of digital planner templates – a game-changer for those seeking efficient organization and seamless productivity. In this guide, we'll explore what digital planners are, explain how to use PDF templates effectively on both iPad and computer platforms, and highlight some of the best apps and programs available for editing these e-planners.
What is a Digital Planner?
A digital planner is essentially a virtual version of its traditional paper counterpart. Digital planners, like the TCAO Digital Planner, often come as a downloadable template or PDF that works best when using an iPad, tablet, or touch screen computer. While it is a bit more difficult to use digital planners on a traditional laptop/computer or even a phone, it can be done! These planners often mimic the layout and functionality of traditional paper planners but give the user more freedom when it comes to customization options, interactive features, and seamless integration with digital tools.
Why Use a Digital Planner?
1. Flexibility
Digital planners offer flexibility when organizing. You can easily move pages around, quickly undo/redo things, bookmark pages, search for key words, and much more with just a few taps or clicks.
2. Environmentally Friendly
By going digital, you're contributing to sustainability efforts by reducing paper consumption. Digital planners eliminate the need for physical paper, making them eco-friendly choices. (Of course no one can stop you from printing out key pages if you wish, but it wouldn’t take nearly as much paper as printing the whole planner!)
3. Accessibility
Access your planner anytime, anywhere. Many of the apps/programs that support digital planners can be accessed from your phone or across platforms. Whether you're at home, in the office, or on the go, your digital planner is just a tap or click away, ensuring you never miss a thing. No more worrying about the dog eating your planner, am I right?
How to Use a Digital Planner
For many digital planners, you will simply download the template from a link and then upload/import the file to a supporting app for editing. Many of these planners were designed to give you the feel of writing in a physical planner, just digitally. Therefore, many digital planners work best on devices that support handwriting text with a stylus— such as an iPad with an Apple Pencil. For the TCAO Digital Planner specifically: After purchasing, you will receive a one-time download link to your email. When you are ready, click the link to download the PDF file and save it to your device. Export the PDF file to the app of your choosing and get to planning. You can now write or draw directly on the PDF file, as if it was paper. It’s as easy as that!
Popular Apps for Digital Planning
While most of these apps require payment, they are useful investments (especially for college students) that go beyond just digital planning. These apps are also beneficial for note-taking in classes or workshops, organizing/marking up digital sheet music or scripts, signing documents/forms, designing projects, and much more.
On iPad:
1. GoodNotes:
GoodNotes is a popular choice among iPad users for digital planning. Import your digital planner template into GoodNotes and use the app's annotation tools to customize it to your liking. You can write, draw, highlight, and even add stickers or images to personalize your planner.
2. Notability:
Similar to GoodNotes, Notability offers robust annotation tools for digital planning. Import your planner template, and utilize features like handwriting recognition, shape detection, and audio recording to make your planning process efficient and enjoyable. Import and save your PDF in the app as a “New Note” and then just start planning.
3. Procreate:
While primarily known as a digital art app, Procreate can also be used for digital planning. Its extensive brush library and layering capabilities allow for creative customization of planner templates.
4. Files:
If you don’t want to purchase a note-taking app like the ones mentioned above, Apple’s Files app will work just fine! Simply save your PDF to Files, open said file, hit the little pencil icon (AKA: the Markup Tool), and you’re good to go! You can also add text boxes and type, if that’s more your style, though it is a bit slower of a process.
On Computer:
1. Adobe Acrobat:
Adobe Acrobat provides powerful editing tools for PDF documents, making it ideal for editing digital planner templates on your computer (though it can be used on an iPad as well). You can add text, images, annotations, and even create fillable forms for interactive planning.
2. Microsoft OneNote:
OneNote is a versatile note-taking app that works seamlessly across various devices. Import your digital planner template into OneNote and utilize its organizational features like notebooks, sections, and pages to structure your planner effectively.
3. Canva:
Canva offers intuitive design tools for creating and customizing digital planner templates from scratch. However, you can also upload a PDF file to Canva and then edit on top of it, adding text boxes and graphic elements to fill in the template without worry of moving the template elements around.
Other:
Of course there are many other apps out there to use for digital planning. This is just a jumping off point littered with some personal recommendations. Here are some other annotation apps to look into if you want to explore more...
- Noteshelf
- Xodo PDF Reader & Editor
- Penly
- ZoomNotes
Digital planners and PDF templates offer a modern and efficient solution for organizing your life and boosting productivity— something that’s extremely important when it comes to college audition season. Whether you prefer the convenience of an iPad or the versatility of a computer, there are numerous apps and programs available to customize and optimize your digital planning experience. By embracing digital planners, you're not just organizing your tasks – you're unlocking your full potential for productivity in the digital age.
Try digital planning for yourself by getting the TCAO Digital Planner today!
With love,
The TCAO Team