ninagobragh | Entries tagged with tech

This is going to be on the shorter side this week because I'm pressed for time—but I still wanted to post about something stationery-related.

Digital note-taking apps are messy. Between the steep subscription fees, the device requirements, and the chaotic organization systems, I've never stuck with them. Most are designed with tablets and styluses (ie, iPads and Apple Pencils) in mind, which means you're not just buying an app—you’re investing in a whole ecosystem. And just when you think you’ve found the one, a brand new expensive version comes out, and you’re back at square one (and a few dollars poorer).

So let's talk about GoodNotes.

A while ago, I bought GoodNotes 5 on my iPad (with an Apple Pencil) when I had aspirations for another career. While I have some bones to pick, I can’t deny that it’s a damn good app. It had a free trial, but the full version cost about $30. And then...GoodNotes 6 came out, which meant if I wanted the newest features, I’d have to shell out another $30. Not thrilled.

(Also, the pandemic happened and the career change didn't happen either, so I didn't need GoodNotes anymore.)

What's Good About GoodNotes

Even though its organization system is just okay (you get folders with multiple notebooks inside, and that’s about it), creating and customizing notebooks is super easy. You get a nice selection of notebook covers and page templates—some built-in, some for purchase. It’s kind of like the Kindle Scribe in that way.

You can open multiple notebooks at once (which I love), and the basic tools—writing, highlighting, erasing, cutting and pasting text, even adding photos or stickers—are all there. It works smoothly and doesn’t feel too over-engineered.

But at the end of the day, GoodNotes 5 is essentially a more polished version of Apple Notes. If you’re already an Apple Notes user and aren’t desperate for templates or aesthetic upgrades, don't bother buying GoodNotes 6.

A Few Other Digital Notes Apps Worth Checking Out

If GoodNotes isn’t quite your thing, here are a few other options I’ve either tried or heard good things about:

Notability – People swear by this for recording lectures and meetings while taking notes. Great for students or anyone sitting through long Zoom calls.
Nebo – This one focuses on converting handwriting to text. I’m usually underwhelmed by handwriting conversion tools, but Nebo honestly surprised me. It works better than most.
Bear – A minimal, elegant app that uses tags and Markdown for organizing and formatting notes. I love Markdown (and wish Dreamwidth used it!), but Bear has a steep subscription price. Try it for free and see if it clicks before committing.

If you lean more toward digital planning and note-taking than pen-and-paper, one of these apps might be a great fit for you. I'll have a post up soon about how I actually use Apple Notes in my day-to-day—especially for planning—so stay tuned for that!

I struggled about whether I should write this post. Not because I don’t have thoughts (and I do have them) but because the Kindle Scribe isn’t technically a planner. It’s an e-reader, first and foremost. A high-end one, sure, complete with a stylus so you can write directly on your books, underline quotes, scribble notes in the margins, and generally live your best annotated-reading life. And I love that part.

But the Kindle Scribe also has notebooks. Quietly tucked away in the menu is a feature that lets you create notebooks of your own -- lined, gridded, blank, even preformatted pages like habit trackers and planners.

And I started this blog to talk about stationery, so I wondered -- does this count as stationery? Then I remembered, this is MY blog and I make the rules and I can change them however I want. So for all intents and purposes, the Kindle Scribe counts as stationery for now.

So while I’m not here to review the Scribe as a whole, I do want to talk about what it’s like trying to use it as a planner.

What the Kindle Scribe Offers for Planning

The Scribe comes with a few built-in notebook templates, and among them are three undated planners and a habit tracker. Each requires the stylus to fill in, and thankfully the pen-to-screen response is excellent—smooth, quick, and surprisingly satisfying. Also handy is the eraser which, after using so often on the Scribe makes me really angry that the iPad Pencil doesn't have that feature. Oh iPad Pencil -- why must I pay $100 and double tap??

Anyway, here’s what you get:

Monthly Planner

This is a standard monthly layout with room to jot in small appointments or events. At the bottom of the page are two lined sections. I used mine for monthly goals and reminders, but they’re open-ended enough to suit whatever you need.

Weekly Planner

This one reminded me a lot of the Hobonichi Weeks, with a horizontal weekly layout. Unlike the Hobonichi, though, the Scribe gives you plenty of space to write across the weekdays. That said, the weekend section is cramped, so if you have a busy Saturday-Sunday schedule, this may not be ideal.

Daily Planner

Your full day broken down by the hour, with full rows to block off time or write your to-dos. If you’re someone who thrives on time-blocking, this might feel familiar and easy to use.

Habit Tracker

This one’s a little more structured: a 31-day grid, where you write your habits across the top and mark them off each day. It’s simple, clean, and works well if you want a full month’s view on one page.

Checklist Notebook

If you don’t need a full planner but still want to jot down to-dos, the Checklist notebook is exactly what it sounds like. It's a cute, flexible little list-maker.

Would I Use It as My Planner?

Not really.

I appreciate what the Kindle Scribe notebooks offer, but they don’t fit how I plan. I’ve dabbled, sure, but here’s what I don’t love:

Slow page turning. It’s a digital notebook, not a paper planner. Flipping between pages isn’t snappy.
Navigation isn’t intuitive. You can create sections and titles, but it takes too many taps to move between notebooks and layouts.
Can’t see everything at once. No two-page layouts or visual overviews. It’s one page at a time, always.

So for day-to-day planning, the Scribe is a no-go for me. But I can see it working for something more book-adjacent: tracking a reading challenge, planning a book club, managing a reading list or review log. Something you already keep close to your e-reader.

Final Thoughts

The Kindle Scribe isn’t a replacement for my Hobonichi Cousin, my Weeks, or even a simple paper planner. But it is a great e-reader with some thoughtful, optional planner features. And if digital planning is more your style, or if you like having all your notes, books, and trackers in one device, it’s worth exploring.

Just don’t expect it to replace your stickers, washi tape, and lovingly inked daily layouts.