I have updated the digital planner I created and have been using for several years on my iPad utilizing the Good Notes app. Each year, I would spend a significant amount of time importing calendars and adjusting hyperlinks so the navigation within the planner made using it more convenient. However, I still found getting to the page for a specific date took several “clicks” and I wasn’t really using the calendar functionality very much. I really need a better note taking tool rather than a better planner.
This year I took a different approach. Instead of starting with a current year calendar, I am starting with a date grid. Each month is represented with the days of the month listed below the month. Absent are the days of the week, however.
The month is hyperlinked to a monthly view page that can be used for quick glance information such as birthdays, important events, project due dates, etc. Along the left side of the page is a column of numbers representing the days of that month. A column of blank blocks is to the right of the numbers that can be used to list the days of the week, as a checkbox, or even to color code entries. The user can decide how best to use these blocks.
There are a couple of navigation options from this monthly page. Tapping the month at the top returns the user to the Planner grid page. Tapping the number in the left side column takes the user to the note page for that specific date.
This daily note page can also be quickly accessed directly from the Planner grid page by clicking the number within the month’s grid.
The daily note page contains the date and the ability to circle or highlight the day of the week at the top right corner of the page. This page also has a couple of navigation options. Tapping the date at the top left corner returns the user to the monthly view page. Tapping the word “Planner” at the bottom right corner returns the user to the Planner grid page. These navigation options allows the user to quickly access a specific page from the Planner grid and return there with minimal taps.
Each daily note page is setup with a grid style note taking area and two shaded columns to the far left side. I use the first column to indicate tasks that need to be completed and the second column to indicate major topic headings. Of course, different users may find a variety of uses for these columns.
If your notes require more than one page for a particular date, Good Notes allows you to add another page using the current page as a template quite easily. If you are a Good Notes user, I’m sure you are familiar with this option. Adding pages in this manner, or additional pages by importing PDFs or images, does not impact the hyperlinks throughout the document. This provides an incredible amount of freedom to develop the planner in a way that meets your note capture needs.
Finally, the digital journal also has three blank sections that can be quickly accessed from the tabs located at the top of the Planner page and other pages throughout the document.
These can be used to organize pages for different areas of your life such as fitness journals, meal planning, financial planning, work projects, community involvement, etc. Simply import the PDF/image pages into these sections to put them to use.
Creating the digital journal in this manner means I will no longer need to prepare a new product each year. I can simply import the shell PDF file into Good Notes, add a calendar for reference, and capture my notes throughout the year. When it is time to begin note taking for the next year, the same shell file can be imported and the process repeated.
If you are interested in purchasing a copy of this digital journal, you can scan the Venmo QR code or click here. Simply pay the amount you believe the digital journal is worth to you. I’ll reply on Venmo to get the email address you’d like the PDF sent to.
As stated at the beginning of the post, I use this file primarily in the Good Notes iPad app, although I also have the iPhone and Mac apps installed. Good Notes has a limited free option and full feature paid options. I don’t offer Good Notes tech support. Other note taking apps that support PDF import and functionality may work as well, but I cannot speak to how well they do work.
