Audio Transcript:

Why do I suggest that you use a pencil instead of a pen with the In-View Planning System?

Planning with a pencil instead of a pen is a form of planning ahead. Unless you have achieved a state of personal perfection, you’re going to make mistakes, and probably a lot of them.

You’ll write things on the wrong day in your Monthly Planner by mistake; you’ll change or cancel appointments; maybe they won’t approve those vacation dates which you’ve already penciled in. These are all common examples of things you’ll want to erase and then update or reschedule. Other times, when you complete a task on, say, your Weekly Page, you’ll decide that the page would look a little less cluttered and confusing if you just erased that completed task.

So, if you write the wrong day, or date, or time, or you mess up in any way, no problem! Just erase it and fix it.

But what if you are one of those people who really loves color? Gotta have it. Well, you could buy a set of highlighters and add color that way. You can still erase pencil marks that have been highlighted, but of course the highlighting stays behind.

By the way, multiple studies have shown that there are benefits to writing by hand as opposed to typing on a keyboard. In a nutshell, writing by hand can help us with retention and recall because our brain connectivity patterns are more elaborate. We process the information more deeply, which leads to better retention. So, in addition to being quick and easy, writing our plans by hand instead of typing them may help us remember our plans and commitments a bit better.