A Paper Planner with Electronic Daily Pages in OneNote

As my Loyal Readers surely know, I only use daily pages a few times a week, when I really need them. 

Starting in 2015, I plan to follow that same system, except that I will use electronic daily pages, in OneNote on my Surface Pro 3, when I plan to be plugged in most of the day. (Obviously, on a very mobile day, like grocery shopping/errands day, I don't want to carry around a computer and will be still using my Quo Vadis daily pages.) 

Using an electronic daily page normally would not work, except that 1) my Surface allows handwriting by pen, so my brain gets the reminder of the tasks and appointments, 2) my Surface turns on INSTANTLY with the click of a pen, and 3) the computer backs up to the cloud, should I have any technical difficulties. Basically, the Surface addresses all my complaints about electronic planners.

Monthly and weekly planning will remain in my paper planner. It is much easier to carry around a paper planner. 

To set up my daily page, I found a free downloadable here that I wanted. (Please respect the linked blogger's copyright and go to her blog if you want to download and use her free pages. Never sell or give-away someone else's copyrighted material, or it will discourage people from sharing for free! :) )

For Surface Pro 3 Users

(Don't worry, paper planners...your part is coming up next! Skip this part and read "For Everyone" below.)

On my Surface, I copied in the image into OneNote. (TIP: double-click on the pen to automatically add to OneNote app.) Then, in the desktop OneNote 2013 app (free from Microsoft, but you must download), I set that blank copy as a template that automatically adds to the Calendar section of my Planner notebook.

Now, as long as the Daily Docket is the last thing that I have used, I click the Surface pen once from ANYWHERE (e.g., while computer is asleep, while in Facebook, while surfing the web), and my Daily Docket comes up.

Old ones are archived into an archive folder in my Planner notebook.

For Everyone

Here's an overview of how I am using this layout (that paper planner peeps can always use in their planners):

1. Date the top of the page above the words "Daily Docket"

2. Enter any information from my Monthly and Weekly planner pages that is relevant on the Daily Docket and mark on my paper planner that the information is now on a daily page.

3. Put my Must Dos in the first left square.

4. Put Meal Plan and anything needing to be done for meal (e.g., defrost, crock pot) in the second left square.

5. Put Schedule in the third left square.

6. Put any highlights of Tomorrow in the fourth left square.

7. Put any fun stuff that I want Archived in the first right square.

8. Put a reminder to do Daily stuff (kept on my Surface in my Daily Tasks app or, for paper people, in a chart behind my month) in the second right square.

9. Make my Task list in the third right square.

TIP: For e-planners, if these tasks and your events take you away from your computer a lot, use a daily page in your planner instead that day. If only one or two things need to be done away from your computer, use a sticky note on your weekly paper planner for those things, and note that on this page.

10. Note Goal for the week in the fourth right square.

Something especially nice about this page is that I can write all around the docket, if I need to make notes.

TIP: Highlight any completed stuff!

Happy planning.

Etcetera.