How to Import and Use a Digital Planner in GoodNotes

As a 9-5 corporate employee, my days are always hectic. And honestly, one of the things that keeps me going through all the chaos is my digital planner. 

Ever since I got my iPad and started using a digital planner, I’ve almost completely let go of my beloved paper one. It’s still there, sitting beautifully on my bedside table, mostly for the aesthetics now. 

I can’t deny it still makes me smile when I see it, but when it comes to actually planning my day, my digital planner has completely taken over.

The best part of my digital planner is that it can contain endless pages and space, and at the same time, it doesn’t add any extra weight. 

When it comes to digital planning, one of the most popular note-taking apps, among many others, is GoodNotes.   

If you are just beginning with your first digital planner and have chosen GoodNotes as the note-taking app, you may wonder how to use a digital planner in GoodNotes. 

More specifically, importing new digital planners may seem daunting. However, it’s not so. Importing a digital planner to the GoodNotes app is super easy! 

Here is a detailed guide on how you can effortlessly import your digital planner to GoodNotes and get started with planning your life smartly and efficiently.

What is Digital Planning?

What is digital planning? While your beloved paper planners have limited space, a digital planner has not only unlimited space but also a variety of interactive and intuitive features. 

Depending on the planner type, you will have multiple sections within the planner. 

What’s more? 

They are hyperlinked, making switching to other pages easy and fast. It makes reading or writing on your digital planner effortless. 

Besides, there are numerous other tools and features. These include colours, labels, the highlighter, and so on. 

You can also import and use images in your digital planner. All these tools and features make your digital planner a class apart when compared to paper planners. 

How to Import Your Digital Planner Into GoodNotes  

A digital planner is nothing but a PDF file with interactive pages. To get started with digital planning, you need to import the PDF file to your GoodNotes app.

When you purchase a digital planner, you either receive a download link through email or you can download it directly after the order is successfully placed. 

First of all, make sure you have downloaded the PDF file and saved it to Google Drive or the Files app on your iPad. 

Once you have the file with you, find and open the GoodNotes app on your iPad. Tap on the “+” (plus) icon and click on “Import”. Now navigate to wherever you stored the planner file and select it. 

The system will automatically import your planner and open it for you. 

If you already had a file open in GoodNotes while you were importing your digital planner, it will ask you if you want to import it as a new file or add to the existing one. Always select the “Import as new file” option; otherwise, your digital planner will be merged with your existing file. 

Mastering Navigation 

At this stage, you may wonder how to use a digital planner! 

Once you’ve imported your planner, you might be wondering how to move between pages and start writing or editing. GoodNotes makes this really simple through two main modes: Read Mode and Edit Mode (or Write Mode).

When you’re in Read Mode, you can easily click on the hyperlinks inside your planner to move from one section to another. For example, you can jump from your monthly overview to your daily pages or from your goals section to your notes. 

You’ll know you’re in Read Mode when your pen tool is turned off (you’ll see the pen icon without the blue highlight, or sometimes it will appear crossed out). In this mode, your Apple Pencil won’t write on the screen. It’s purely for navigation.

Any moment you want to write something, all you have to do is go to the toolbar and tap on the pen icon or remove the crossed-out icon by pressing it with your stylus. 

Once the write mode is on, the hyperlinks on your digital planner will become inactive. You’ll have to switch back to the Read mode if you want to use them again once you’re done writing. 

In the writing mode, you will have access to all the writing and planning tools, such as colors, erasers, labels, etc.   

The Essential GoodNotes Tools for Planning 

Now that you have your digital planner with you in the GoodNotes app, let’s take a look at some of the tools that make digital planning such a fun and creative experience. 

The Pen Tool

It’s the foundation of your digital planning journey. To select it, tap on the Pen icon. 

If you press the pen icon a second time, various customization features, such as the pen type, like fountain, ballpoint, or brush, will pop up. You can also choose color and thickness. 

GoodNotes is designed to recognize your stylus (like an Apple Pencil) and ignore your hand resting on the screen. It allows you a natural feel of writing on paper.

The Eraser Tool

If you make some mistakes in your writing or drawing and want to make amends, the Eraser tool is the solution. Tap it to select it. 

If you tap it the second time, it will give you options to ‘Erase Entire Stroke’ and ‘Erase Highlighter Only’. You can also adjust the size of the eraser to make quick corrections or surgical edits.

The Highlighter Tool

This tool helps you make key information stand out with color-coding. What makes digital planning so attractive is this highlighter tool. You can color-code your to-do list or highlight important notes.

The highlighter works independently and remembers its saved colors and thickness. Also, GoodNotes automatically straightens your highlight strokes even if you draw a wobbly line. 

The Zoom/Magnifying Tool

If you find the small boxes on your planner difficult to write in, you can take the help of the Zoom tool to magnify them.

Tapping this tool opens a magnified window at the bottom of the screen. As you write in this window, your text appears precisely where the blue box on your planner page is located.

Alternatively, you can Pinch and Zoom directly on the page. GoodNotes handles the high resolution beautifully, allowing you to write large and zoomed in, and then zoom out to see your neat text!

The Lasso Tool 

This is the tool that truly sets digital planning apart. It allows you to rearrange content instantly.

Tap the Lasso icon and draw a circle around the content you want to move or change. 

It works with almost everything, like handwriting, text, stickers, images, etc. 

Simply drag the selected content to a new location. Tap inside the selection to bring up a pop-up menu. Now, you can resize and change the color of the selected part, and you can also convert handwriting into typed text. 

The Image and Sticker Tools

This is a powerful tool that helps you customize your planner. 

Tap the image icon to view your recent photos, or select an image from your saved files. Drag and drop it onto your planner page. You can easily resize it by dragging the corners.

If you’re using digital stickers (usually PNG images), you can copy them from your sticker page.

Use the Lasso Tool to circle and copy the sticker. Navigate to your planning page, press and hold, and select Paste. Resize, rotate, and place the sticker wherever you like!

Conclusion: The Power is in Your Hands

You may think that the transition from paper to digital planning can have a learning curve, but it’s very small.

GoodNotes is a powerful and flexible tool that makes it an indispensable tool for digital planning. 

In this blog, we walked through how you can easily import your digital planner into GoodNotes and explored some of the essential tools you’ll be using every day.

No more scribbling things out, running out of pages, or carrying heavy planners in your bag. With a digital planner, you can customize, edit, and organize your life exactly the way you want, all in one lightweight device that goes everywhere with you.

Welcome to a planning system that is infinitely customizable and instantly editable!

Happy Planning!