Did you know that printables can be your planner’s best friend? Do you know what the key advantages of printable planners are? Whether you prefer daily, weekly, or monthly planning, read on to find out the top three reasons why you should consider printable pages for your planner even if you already have another system in place!
Advantage #1: Perfectly Personalized
Imagine walking into a store and picking each individual page for your planner, and then putting it all together just for yourself. And being able to go back to the store year after year and duplicate the planner at no additional charge. If you decide you need a random weekly planner page in addition to your regular monthly pages, or you want to add a second gift tracker when the holidays come around, simply being able to add individual pages as you need them. Want to try out new mood trackers? Go ahead!
I even keep my travel printables right in the month of the trip. I simply print one out for each trip when we’ve locked in the dates and start making my notes right there.
Being able to add any page you want (I admit that I have several fun coloring pages in mine), and not being “stuck” with pages you don’t need. Like a beautiful eyeshadow palette with that one weird shade. Who wants that in a planner that you are going to use every day for an entire year? No one!
Planners are so personal because they are truly your life on paper. And why shouldn’t it work for you instead of the other way around? If you mess up a page, no need for whiteout, simple re-print and replace. Personally, I love this particular feature!
Advantage #2: Completely Customizable
Individual printable pages allow you to customize the layout and combination in your planner itself. But in addition to the individual printables that are available, you can also find beautiful blank templates. These templates are terrific because you can add your own colors and pictures, or even type in special dates to remember directly into the calendar.
For example, the gift tracker that I use has everyone’s birthdays printed right onto the page. It’s so handy not to have to recreate that every year (since rarely do people’s birthdays change, ha!) Not to mention the templates are yours forever so you can update and reprint year after year. Or if you need to add or change something, make the edits and reprint just that page!
Advantage #3: Entirely Economical
I mentioned it above, but I wanted to highlight the fact that printables are actually very economical. That is the world of printable planner pages! Being able to pay upfront just once, and print as many as you like! There is the initial cost for the files or templates, however after that purchase, you own those digital files and can re-print as many pages as you like.
Need 5 gift trackers? Go ahead and print them all out! Made a mistake on the week of April 9th? Reprint and replace it! Wait, do you need to insert more Notes pages in June? Do it!
No matter whose system you use or where you find your printables or templates, they are a great economical option for a truly personalized and customized planner that’s all about you!
Frequently Asked Questions
What are printable planners?
Simply put, printable planners are digital pages and files that you create or buy, and then physically print out to put in a holder such as a binder or a discbound system. You can buy individual pages or entire planners, whichever you are looking for.
What can I do with a printable planner?
Anything you want! It is yours to personalize and customize any way you see fit. And you can change it as you go through your year. Do you currently have a spiral for this year? No worries, if you want to start testing the waters with printables, go ahead! When I started my first bullet journal, I found some lovely printable trackers I wanted to use. I made my purchase, printed it out, and then glued it into the pages. You can start today!
Why are paper planners better?
I’ve really tried to get into some of the electronic planners but they just aren’t the same. I like my paper planners because I like the tactile aspects of putting pen to paper. I like using my colored pens and pencils, I like doodling in the margins, and I love my stickers. My current planner is a discbound system, full of so many wonderful printables, and I love the fact that I can truly make it my own. I’ve added spreadsheets, calendars, schedules and more.
Do paper planners even still matter?
Just ask Erin Condren whether paper planners still matter! I think there is something special about a beautiful paper planner. Think of it as the difference between a Happy Birthday email or a Happy Birthday card in the mail. Which would you prefer to receive? The card of course, that has a loved one’s handwritten note and signature.
I also like the fact that even if I don’t hole punch a page and insert it, I can stick things into the discbound holder such as bills that need to be paid or cards that need to be mailed. If you’re planning only in electronic formats, where do you keep those things???