I have been searching for a useful all-in-one planner system that will account for all my homeschooling needs next year, as well as let me track household goals and creative goals. I wanted something colorful and bright.

I ended up on Etsy, where I saw digital planners compatible with the Android app, Penly. They had a rainbow of colors, so many options, a well designed homeschooling section, and the ability to add stickers and pictures. I took a chance, bought Penly, and bought the digital planner. For a long time, whenever I have used a planner, it has been a paper planner. What I like about paper planners is that the analog nature feels good. It’s nice to write with a pen and hold a pretty paper journal in your hand. It’s also cool that because they’re analog, you never have to worry about being unable to see your planner because your battery is dead. But the paper planners plus all the stickers I like to add take up a lot of space. Furthermore they are hard to take with me wherever I need them. I bring my phone with me to most places anyway.  It’s hard dragging a big planner around or, more likely, hauling 2 planners around since I have not found an all-in-one paper planner that covers home schooling and everything else I need. Even if I end up getting a tablet for the planner so that the screen is bigger, it is still a lot easier to carry around one thin tablet than one, or even 2, bulky paper planners.

Digital planning with my stylus lets me add pictures and clip art, and choose my text color and thickness. Penly has kind of a learning curve for me, but uploading my new planner to Penly was super easy and quick, even though this planner is massive. However, I am excited to learn to use it. I am setting up housework sections, long term creative projects (like the book I’m working on), errands, self care, habit tracking, and, like I said, homeschooling stuff. I’m excited!