I’m so excited to have come across this new planner app! I came across an ad on Instagram and took the 2-week free trial. It’s only been about 5 days, but it’s AMAZING! It’s called Artful Agenda. It’s been something I’ve been looking forward to ever since I started paper planning. I love my online calendars – I use both iCloud and Google Calendars. It makes it easier to share with my husband, and I love getting notifications 1 week out, the day before, the day of, and 10 minutes before. I am a very forgetful person and checking my paper planner is something I just cannot do on a regular basis.
If you know me, I have tried millions of productivity apps, online calendars, planner apps, list apps, and anything that would help me become more productive! Nothing was as easy to use, had all the perks of a paper planner, pleasing to the eyes, or fun to use, until Artful Agenda!
Since Summer started, I really haven’t had a chance to sit down and plan with my paper planner. Every time I do, my toddler comes crying for something, so I’ll get distracted and never get back to it. The only way I can plan now really is with my phone.
Don’t get me wrong, I still love and use my paper planners, but having an online calendar is just so useful in this day and age. Am I now a digital planner only since this app came out? I don’t know yet, I still like having a physical planner because it’s tangible and easy to go through. I also like having a paper planner to brainstorm all my ideas and I like using it to record everything. I have been using binders and the Mortiz Fine Designs Life Management Binder (that was included in the productivity bundle)
I have been paper planning for about 5 years, but I always kept my digital planners to help remind me. Paper planning to me was more for fun, and for seeing my life at a glance. Having it all laid out made it easier to see the tasks and what needed to be done. So I was using both digital and analog planners to keep track of my life and tasks, but it wasn’t productive because it wasn’t synced to each other. I’d switch back and forth and whenever I did that, I would miss something.
Well, now there’s an online app that puts the two together! A pretty online planner called Artful Agenda! It looks just like a regular planner, has a monthly, weekly, and daily section, but can be used as a digital planner! And the best part is you can easily migrate tasks by dragging and dropping them! No more having to rewrite a task over and over again. The online version looks more like a planner, but the iPhone app is great for on the go. It looks beautiful and is still easy to use (there are still updates to come like using lists in the app, but the online version already has it!) For now, I’m using the online version and added it to my home screen to make it into an app, until the actual app comes out with lists.
The Artful Agenda is so great and customizable too! You can choose the font for the things you type to make it look like “your” handwriting. You can also choose your favorite cover, there’s a choice of 5 covers and they’re all so well designed!
Here are some other features you’ll find in the Artful Agenda:
- There are monthly, weekly, and daily page views
- A place for all of your lists
- A spot for your monthly/weekly goals
- The weekly and daily sections have a 24-hour vertical space where you can time block your days
- A snooze feature where you can assign and schedule a task/item to any day
- Didn’t get everything done? No need to rewrite it, just snooze it for the next day! Easy migration, no rewriting!
- Able to drag and drop tasks
- Able to sync seamlessly with your Google Calendar, iCalendar, or Outlook
- This planner is completely mobile-friendly. Finally, a planner app that is easy to use!
- You can color code your calendars & events any way you want, you can even use HEX codes for specific colors!
- You can use the fun free stickers that are included in your planner layouts
- Track your water intake daily
- There are quotes on every page to help motivate you
- A custom box in your daily planner that you can change to anything you need to plan, some examples are notes, gratitude, exercise, to buy list, etc. You can use it as free writing notes or as a checklist.
- You can check off and still see what you’ve accomplished!
Video Overview of the Artful Agenda
Here is a quick video overview of the artful agenda, at the end I also show you how it looks on my phone.
PROS & CONS of a Digital vs. Paper Planner
Digital Calendar – PROS ?
- There will be less time spent on recording and entering recurring appointments.
- You can set reminder alarms.
- You can type as much as you want and it’ll show up on the artful agenda app, just hover and the rest will show up.
- Your calendar time frame can start and end whenever. You can even plan for 2030 if you want!
- If you use a smartphone, you will always have your planner with you. Extremely portable!
- If you need to jot down a quick note or appointment, you most likely will always have your phone on you.
- You will always remember to use your planner and check your appointments, because the truth is, most of us are always on our phones.
- Able to share your online calendars with your spouse or other family members to make sure nothing gets double booked and everyone knows what’s going on.
Digital Calendar – CONS ?
- With small digital calendars like those on smartphones, you have a small viewable area for seeing your tasks and appointments, which can make it harder to plan.
- You have to remember to charge batteries, backup your data and sync all of your digital calendars
- For some people, it is harder to conceptualize time when it’s presented in a digital format.
- It may be faster to write down something than get out your phone, open the app, then type in your appointment, note or task.
Paper Calendar – PROS ?
- Depending on the calendar you select, you can have a larger viewable area for your appointments.
- No batteries to back up or risk of data loss (unless you lose your entire planner)
- For some people, it’s easier to conceptualize time when it’s presented in paper format. Paper is more tangible.
- It may be faster to write down something using paper and pen rather than a digital system
Paper Calendar – CONS ?
- You will spend more time recording and entering recurring appointments.
- You can’t set reminder alarms using a paper calendar.
- Your time frame is fixed on which kind of planner you get (e.g., 12-month planner, 18-month planner, 6-month daily planner, etc.)
- Paper-based calendars can be less portable.
- Paper calendars are harder to remember to use on a consistent basis because it’s not always with us.
- Due to space limitations, it can be more difficult to track the appointments of multiple family members on a single paper-based calendar.
- There also may be less space to keep track of your lists in your notes section as well.
The Cost
This post is in no way sponsored or anything, just something I came across and love!! This planner comes with a free two-week trial, so try it out here and use my Referal Code: RW7380 to get started now! If you sign up online you don’t need to enter a credit card, so if you don’t love it, you can simply cancel and not worry about a charge. If you decide you love the online planner, the cost of the annual membership is less than the cost of most brand named planners out there. If you sign up now, you’ll get early bird pricing:
Early access to Artful Agenda is here! All early access users enjoy a free trial and a lock in a reduced rate! For less than the cost of a specialty coffee drink, you can enjoy the future of planning!
Early Access Annual Rate – $35.00 (Normally $50.00)
Early Access Monthly Rate – $3.99 (Normally $4.99)
Artfulagenda.com
Can you write on it with an apple pencil?
No not in this app, unfortunately
Can you print these planners at the end of the week? I like to have a hard copy to keep.
Yes! I think that’s a great idea, you can try screenshotting it and then printing it!