Author | Jackie

Need to kickstart your digital planner creation? Stuck on where to start? Overwhelmed at the scale of the project? Frustrated that your dream planner is still on your to-do list after months of procrastination?

Here are four ways you can kickstart your project and get your dream planner design off to a flying start.

1 | One step at a time

The overwhelm of a big project is often enough to stop us in our tracks. So break it down.

There is a clearly defined process, with distinct steps, when it comes to making a digital planner. 

• choosing the style of the planner
• deciding on page layouts for your chosen audience
• choosing and customising a template
• checking links and navigation
• packaging and launching your planner 

This is great because it means you can focus on just one step at a time, reducing the overwhelm of tackling the whole project.

Completing one step provides the motivation to tackle the next step.

Each time you complete a step in the process, you have the satisfaction of checking that step off your project to-do list. You also get the reward of knowing you are moving ever closer to completing your dream digital planner.

Just start by deciding the style of your planner. Don’t think about page layouts, or how to use the software, or what to include in a kit. 

Just one step at a time. Complete it, check it off your to-do list, and move on to the next, small and manageable step.

Digital Planner Design | Style Guide Ebook

2 | Don’t start from scratch

I know it is tempting to want to learn how to do everything at once. I’ve felt the same thing myself. But, starting with a blank screen for your first digital planner makes an overwhelming task that much harder.

Rather, start with a base template. The structure and hyperlinking are in place and it is so much easier to edit something than to create something from scratch.

It also saves you time, as the hyperlinking in particular is time consuming and needs to be triple checked!

Editing a template helps flatten the learning curve if you are new to design software. 

You can learn so much about the key elements of digital planner design by using a template. A digital planner design course should include:

• understanding Master Pages
• using Global Colours
• using Text Styles
• customising Tables
• exporting Hyperlinked PDFs

To save time, flatten the learning curve and get your dream digital planner out into the world sooner rather than later, templates are most definitely the way to go.

Make Your Own Digital Planner | Course Templates

3 | Keep it simple

Have an all-singing, all-dancing signature life planner in mind for your first digital planner?

No wonder you are feeling overwhelmed! These types of digital planners are enormous projects and definitely not recommended for your first one.

Life planners have a fan base, of course, but they aren’t for everyone. Customers are also out there looking for: weekly rather than daily, simple rather than complex, specific rather than general, app-like rather than traditional, minimalist rather than all-inclusive.

Life planners also take a long time to put together, so are best suited as a project once you have the basics of digital planner design under your belt.

You will learn so much about digital planners during the design process.

It also helps to have some feedback on your designs before you move on to a signature planner. 

When you are creating your first digital planner, it is difficult to know what your customers want. You can research or ask an existing customer base. More often than not, your first design won’t be your best. 

Designing digital planners is very much an iterative process. Put something out there, take on board feedback and reviews, ask your audience what they need, refine your design, improve and repeat.

And, of course, your skills will be growing all the time. By the time you finish your first planner, trust me, you will want to make another, better one!

For your first project, create a simple digital planner you can import into your favourite PDF-annotating app and start using it. Using your own digital planner is an eye-opening experience! What you think will work when you are in the design software is very different from actually using the end product.

My advice for your first planner would be…just keep it simple. 

Make Your Own Digital Planner | Affinity Publisher Templates

4 | Learn from others

Have you tried simple drag-and-drop apps like Canva but find they are frustrating for more complex projects? Don’t think you can learn more professional-level software? 

I’ve learnt how to use a range of design software over the last 20 years. I’m no spring chicken! If I can do it trust me, so can you.

My biggest tip is to learn from others. Don’t feel you have to drive yourself to distraction and try to workout everything by yourself. You don’t.

Having that experience, support and guidance is invaluable. 

Digital Planner designers have been there before you and honed down the design process and know which tools you need to learn and which you don’t. 

Learning the software, for example, is one of the most common reasons people give up on their digital planner dream.

The sad thing is, if they just took a course with someone who knows how to do it, they would realise there are only a handful of key tools they need to learn to create a beautiful, functioning digital planner.

Make Your Own Digital Planner | Course Workbook

How to get your digital planner dream off to a flying start

Honestly? I would say just have a go! 

Nothing I say in a blog post can really show you what it is like to create a digital planner. You still have to try it for yourself.

But, you don’t need to do it alone and you don’t need to make your signature planner from day 1. I’ve watched over the years how the most well-known digital planner designers have refined and evolved their planner design. And even after years of selling planners, they continue to hone and improve their products.

Ready to have a go?

If you are ready to take that first step, using a base template and with the support of an experienced digital planner designer, you will be interested in the Make Your Own Digital Planner course.

Make Your Own Digital Planner Course

What you'll learn…

• Why templates are your best friend.
• Powerful settings you need to know.
• How to customise layouts to completely transform a template.
• How to create multiple digital planners from just one template.
• The essentials of Affinity Publisher - specifically for digital planners - just what you need and no fluff!
• How to package a planner and digital stickers to sell, including how to make a sticker sheet.

Let today be the day you start designing your own dream digital planner!

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