I ditched Google Calendar for paper, and it gave me the mental clarity I needed

I started using a paper calendar as sort of a joke. It was part of my experiment to live as if I were back in 1993. I ditched all modern tech and bought a weekly planner from the dollar store. My busy adult life still needed some kind of planning system. I didn’t expect to stick with it after my experiment was up, but you know what? I did.

The experiment ended but the paper calendar stuck around. It found a home on my desk, where I’ve been using it every day since then. It’s strange because Google Calendar had been my go-to tool for years. It organized everything in my life, from my kids’ dentist appointments to my bike rides. But weirdly, I feel more in control of my schedule with pen and paper than I did with Google’s digital tools.

Maybe you’ve felt the same way I was feeling: the constant dinging, the notification dots, that feeling that no matter what you do, you’re a disorganized mess who can’t get all your ducks in a row. So, you add more to your calendar, more to your to-do list, more to your note-taking apps.

I’ve been there too. I was worn down by digital fatigue and wanted something that would slow my life down without losing control of the things that matter. The paper planner I bought for that experiment turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. It slowed me down and made me think about each item I added to my day.

I gained some mental space by switching

It took some self-discipline to get started, but the habit of sitting with my calendar each morning formed surprisingly quickly. Here’s what I do at the beginning of every day:

• Open my planner and see if there are any items left over from yesterday.
• Add those to today’s tasks and put three exclamation marks next to them (!!!).
• Check if I have any appointments already entered for the day.
• Check Slack and Asana and add any tasks due for the day.
• Check my shared family calendar and add anything my wife has put in for the day.

The whole thing takes about five minutes, and it gives me a sense of clarity that digital tools never did.

I add appointments to their specific day when I make them. I add due dates for bills a month in advance, so when I get to that specific day, it’s there. Funny enough, by writing them into a calendar, I haven’t forgotten about them. In fact, this has kept me more on my budget than ever before, and I find I no longer forget appointments or important events.

As I complete tasks, I cross them off my list and feel a sense of accomplishment. Then I sit down with my calendar at the end of the day for a minute or two and review what I’ve done for the day and what’s coming up tomorrow. That small moment of reflection each day has helped me stay focused and intentional.

There’s a lot more friction when working with a paper planner. I can’t just whip something into my calendar while I’m out and about, so it means I often have to make a note of something in Obsidian and then remember to transfer it to my calendar when I get home. That’s a lot of hoops to jump through, and I’ve definitely missed a few things this way.

There are no push notifications or emails, so I have to check the calendar throughout the day. And the convenience of adding emails, addresses, and notes to an event in Google Calendar cannot be understated. I do a lot of meetings and interviews as a journalist, and Google Calendar allows me to track everything I need when I’m meeting with a subject. Not so my dollar store weekly planner.

Still, I haven’t gone back. The pros outweigh the cons, and the paper planner has brought some much-needed peace to my life. It has slowed my life down in a way I didn’t know I needed. It forces me to be more mindful of my schedule and more present in my own life.

I still use Google Calendar for family events and meetings, because there are some things a paper calendar could never replace. But for everything else, I spend the time to jot it down with a pen, review it every day, think about what it means, and actually do it. No scrolling, no notifications, and no cloud sync. It just sits there, waiting for me, and I didn’t know how badly I needed that until I tried it.