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I thrive on a digital–analog approach to planning. I love writing about the sustainable and creative ways I use paper, but I want to be clear that while this is flexible, it’s not a flex. I’m not bragging that my body cooperates with analog, if yours doesn’t.
Some of my readers have vision, mobility, motor control, or pain issues (here’s one, on Medium), and can feel excluded and even marginalised by well meaning analog-promoters. If this is you, skip the next section and read the last two for tips that apply to any tool.
It’s good to see my hand drawn weekly planner waiting there, patiently, for its time in the sun. It covers June to December this year. I’ve started adding notes to various months for future me to read, all in pencil, because that’s the only way I’ve found to make future analog plans without worrying about being trapped by them or feeling that I’ve ruined the book, with crossing out or thick layers of liquid paper.
Each day in the weekly spread begins with space for three main tasks, then the hourly agenda, then space for lesser priority tasks and notes. Tasks for the day draw on my paper notes, project pages in Obsidian, and text files of tasks which currently live in Journelly (capture) and Beorg (organise).
I use my Beorg agenda and weekly paper planner[^1] to identify and isolate the two to three most important tasks for the day.
On occasion my daily plans are entirely digital, or I might scribble a few guiding words or pictures down on the next page in the wad of scrap paper I always have with me. Some days I don’t plan at all, on paper or otherwise, taking each hour as it comes. The world hasn’t ended because I don’t always have a neat daily plan in one consistent tool, which I take as a sign that it’s okay to let go of the reins every now and then.
Curtis McHale shared a post this week from LJPUK, agreeing with the notion that going back to analog tools can help to reduce overwhelm.
Do check out Curtis’ post, which I admire for its clarity and brevity. Why take several paragraphs to state your idea when it can be effectively communicated in just twenty words?
I agree with the sentiment.
Now I’m going to take a broader look by focusing on the principle behind it.
Remember that analog tools (ie. those that require working eyes and steady, pain-free hands) aren’t the only way to step back from the often unnecessary complexity of digital tools. When paper and pen isn’t an option (and even when it is), a simple text file can function brilliantly as your down-to-earth task list, weekly planner, interstitial journal, or project management space.
What you’re looking for is an oasis of things that mean something to you, placed somewhere outside of your brain.
This will be an expanse where you can examine your externalised plans and ruminations, and mentally walk amongst them without any danger of interruption or interference from notifications. If your oasis is in the digital realm, you may need to turn on airplane mode to preserve this kind of peace.
What kind of plain text tool you choose doesn’t matter, but you may like to pick one that doesn’t have an association with a particular mindset or specific work tasks.
Plain text means any file that can be saved with the .txt[^2] format, that contains only human readable text, with no hidden formatting. Plain text files aren’t tied to a proprietary format like Word docs are; they can be opened by many applications. Plain text is one of the most accessible, adaptable planning options you will ever find.
I love Obsidian and work with it daily, but when I need a reset I’ll reach for Mac’s own TextEdit, or a code editor like Zed. Zed is great not because of what it can do, but because it’s not VS Code and therefore doesn’t subtly remind me that I’m behind on updating my plain text accounting records.
Drafts and Journelly[^3] are my scratch pads of choice on iOS. Drafts does a great job with being accessible via screen readers to vision impaired people, but many apps don’t. Check, though, to see if your favourite app has a .txt or .md (Markdown) export option.
Following are some of my favourite ways to use either plain text or paper (or both) to recalibrate my stress and anxiety meter.
The Top Three Start a new to do list containing only the top three things that need doing. Don’t refer to any other lists until those are either done, or well underway.
The Agenda Review Write out an agenda for the next week or month to map out the overall picture of what’s coming up. Yes, I know you have a digital calendar already. Type or write it out anyway. It’s a good way to see the lay of the land and work out strategies for navigating the path ahead.
The 3-Step Brain Dump
Tools for making manual, non-mechanical marks on paper are just that. Tools. They aren’t the only portal to a more mindful writing or planning experience.
The important thing is to get in tune with what works for you within your individual mental, emotional, and physical abilities, and reject every notion that there’s a right way, a best way, or only one way to do things.
[^1] Yes, I use both. For now. I also keep a digital calendar plus a monthly spread in my paper planner, and a wall calendar for the rest of the family to refer to. It might sound like a lot to keep in sync, but for me the writing and re-writing of appointments and tasks is an important part of having them seem real and achievable. It’s a way of anchoring me to them, because I am remarkably prone to drift from my moorings and wander aimlessly all day long. I acknowledge that this kind of overlap will be unnecessarily complex for some. It’s perfectly fine to use just one, if that does the job for your needs.
[^2] There are many plain text formats, including .md, .org, .csv, .xml, and .tex. What they all have in common is that if you rename them to .txt, they’ll still open just fine, because plain text is readable no matter the extension.
[^3] Journelly is pricey, but worth it. If you’d like to try it out beforehand, contact the developer and ask to be added to the Test Flight group. Click here to read my review.
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