Why I Love My Digital Bullet Journal

Switching from physical pages to a digital planner

Planners have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.

In 2016, I switched from store-bought planners into bullet journals. This gave me planner peace like no other.

I loved its flexibility and how it allowed me to have all the information I need in one small package. I loved having the right notebook and the right pens. I loved discovering a format that worked for me.

As I got more into it, however, limitations of physical lists started to bother me.

• It was tedious to transfer Collections from a full notebook to a fresh one
• It didn’t feel satisfying to use a different pen (even when it’s temporary) when your preferred one ran out
• Erasures are annoying

So in 2018, I decided to try my hand at digital bullet journaling using an iPad and an Apple Pencil. I still look back a few times, but overall, there’s just so much about it that I really appreciate.

I’ll share it here. Perhaps, it’s something you’d like to try too.

Why I love going digital

I can erase things!

Hands down, I consider this its best feature.

I’m an avid note-taker and list-maker. I love rapid logging because of the instant relief it brings when I jot things down.

With speed, however, comes a higher probability of error. With digital planning, this issue becomes easy to deal with.

Having the freedom to erase and “tear out pages” with no consequence makes note-taking feel freeing and guilt-free.

Unlimited page formats

My favorite bullet journal has been a Large Grid Moleskine. But because it discontinued, I switched to the Dot Grid variety.

Large was the perfect size for me. It was small enough to bring around and spacious enough to last me a year.

While its size served me well generally, there were times when I would have preferred to have all my to-do’s for the week in one spread. Unfortunately, this wasn’t always the case.

With digital bullet journals, however, I could expand pages as much as I need. I can zoom in or out, which makes it great, not just for lists and notes, but for mind maps and brainstorming too.

Hundreds of pens and markers at my disposal

Most bullet journalists find joy in colorful and organized notes, and I’m no exception.

I’m not the type to draw elaborate things on my bullet journal, but I appreciate being able to highlight headers and important pieces of information.

In physical planning, my freedom to customize went as far as the number of pens and markers I was willing to purchase and carry. In my digital planner, however, it was basically unlimited.

I rarely used more than four colors per page. But with my digital planner, I had the choice to change my preferred set whenever I felt like it, with little to no extra cost.

Flexible size

While I loved the size of my Large Moleskine, it was still a bit too big to carry around whenever I did errands that required me to walk around.

Often, I had to rewrite lists on smaller pieces of paper so I could conveniently carry it as I went about my business, and then later update my “main lists” at the end of the day.

Putting all my lists, notes, and recipes on an app that I could access using the huge screen of my PC or with my pocket-sized mobile device made it more useful for me in my daily life.

Everything in one place

Bullet journals are primarily built for lists and to-do’s, not long research findings and detailed notes.

Because of this, I always paired my Moleskine with a digital notebook.

It was common for me to have to bring my laptop and my bullet journal whenever I’d attend seminars so I could take notes and still have my staple planner.

Although I have a relatively light laptop, it can still feel quite bulky.

Putting everything on the cloud by going digital made my notes more accessible, flexible, and downright convenient.

Now, I had as much information when I only carried my phone in my pocket, and when I had a tote lugging around my laptop.

Conclusion

I’d be lying if I said digital planning were superior in all aspects.

As I mentioned, there are days that I still go for paper planning because I find it therapeutic. It continues to be my preferred method for my morning pages, offloading anxious thoughts, and logging my workouts.

When it comes to planning and organization, however, I’ve decided that digital bullet journaling works best for me.

How about you? Do you use digital planners, or do you prefer physical pages?

This article isn’t meant to guarantee that digital planning will also work for you. But I hope this somehow makes you open to giving it a shot.