Best Laid Plans

In this episode, Sarah addresses two listeners who wrote in requesting planner matchups! Monica wants a versatile A4 system with tons of features, and Erika is hoping for a planner similar to the Hobonichi Cousin Avec - but on different paper. Another listener writes in asking about Silk + Sonder, and then finally Sarah does a review of the 6 Month Undated Goal Planner from Ink + Volt. Learn more...

This episode opens with all of the things Sarah loves about daily planning. Benefits as she lists them include motivation, accountability, record-keeping, understanding schedule nuances, having a daily clean slate, and helping to prioritize. Then, the reviews! Kitlife Dailybrings a super-functional daily layout at a great price point. Then comes Jordan Page's Productivity Planner with its unique d...

This episode is all about Hobonichi Techo planners. Sarah discusses the various options (A5 Cousin, A6 Original, Avec, A6 English, Weeks, Weeks Mega -- apologies to the Day Free, which was left out!). Then, she discusses pros and cons of using this unique system. She also discusses how to order on their site, their interesting bonus gifts, and her current ordering plans for this year! This episode...

This Q&A episode is in part dedicated to planner matchmaking requests! Listeners wrote in asking for various layouts and combos, and Sarah does her best to try to think of great ideas for you. She also answers a listener question about recording gratitude, and another about whether to combine work + life in one book! This episode is sponsored by Organize 365! Organize 365 empowers individuals to l...

In this Q&A episode, Sarah discusses some listener tips for what to do to make returning from vacation feel more manageable. Then, there are questions about difficulty finding planner peace, planning for the holiday season (quite early!), cookbook recommendations for planning meals, getting back on track when you've fallen out of the planning routine, and finally about her 9 year old's current pla...

Amanda from Amanda's Favorites is known for her amazing and in-depth YouTube planner reviews. Sarah was honored and excited to interview her for the show! They chat about go-to planners, digital planning, under-the-radar planner brands, kids' planning, and more! Check out the show notes page at theshubox.com for links to some of Amanda's videos and some of the products mentioned! Learn more about...

Today's episode is all about the back to school season! Sarah discusses routines to think about and other aspects of life to re-evaluate as we head into this second "fresh start" season of the year. Then, in a really fun segment she discusses her favorite blast-from-the-past school supplies from the 1980s + 1990s! Does anyone still have their original Trapper Keeper? Today's episode is sponsored b...

Welcome back to Season 3 of Best Laid Plans! Sarah returns from a monthlong hiatus full of ideas and planning energy. She provides an update on her current planning setup and then dives into a review of the compact and versatile &Studium Daily Undated Study Planner, a 4-month daily planner originally designed for study tracking, but with so much more potential! In the Q&A, Sarah answers a question...

In this episode, Sarah does a deep dive into planning larger chunks of the year, whether are quarters or quintiles. She details the feelings and rituals that generally occur in each Quintile, as well as the use of breaking up the year in this way. This episode is sponsored by interactive online yoga studio Stillness + Movement. You can learn more and sign up for class by going to StillnessAndMovem...

In this Deep Dive episodes, Sarah shares details about her morning routine and how she goes about daily planning. She also muses on the idea of essentially crowding out bad or mindless habits by intentionally spending time on things you want to, including through the use of effective routines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode was inspired by a listener who wanted to hear about ideas for getting started with planning from scratch. While it is hard to be prescriptive about what any one person should use, there are definitely a number of fundamental things to think through as you create your planning and productivity toolkit: calendaring, task and goals management, routines, and finally the aethestics of it a...

This episode takes a deep dive into one of Sarah's favorite planning techniques: the Weekly Review. There are so many great ways to do a weekly review process, and one size definitely does not fit all! Listen to discover the many elements you can mix and match to create a perfect jumping-off point for each new week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the season finale of BLP, Sarah put out a call to Instagram for questions for an "Ask Me Anything" format episode. Join in to hear Sarah's answers to every question (and next time be sure to submit your own!). BLP will be on hiatus for July, but look out for some re-emergence of "greatest hits" episodes from the archives! Also in the meantime, you can find Sarah at theshubox.com as well as @sh...

In this episode, Sarah discusses the merit of performing a mid-year goals check in. She recommends setting aside some time and going carefully through all of the goals you identified at the beginning of the year. And then - the audit can begin! There is no one right way to do a check in, but most will find the process eye-opening and beneficial. Then, Sarah delves into a walk through her own mid-y...

In this episode, Sarah provides a planner matchmaking service for Laura Vanderkam! Laura is a time management expert who also happens to be Sarah's good friend and podcast cohost on Best of Both Worlds. For years, she's used a plain spiral notebook to hold all of her lists and notes. Can Sarah find some more enticing options? Listen to find out! All items mentioned are linked in the show notes whi...

This episode is all about planning your summer, with an in-depth discussion of the various things Sarah has spent time dreaming about for Summer 2021. Topics include childcare/camp, personal projects, summer reading & entertainment, travel, retreat or planning, and a minimalist summer bucket list. Quick note: Best Laid Plans will be taking a SUMMER BREAK for the month of July, but will be back cho...

So many listeners recommended Elise Cripe a guest, and Sarah was thrilled to chat with her about her beautiful, professional, and functional planner: the Get to Work Book! This planner has goal-setting functionality, weekly spreads, and made a unique choice when it comes to holidays - there are none included! Check out PrepDish.com/plans for your first 2 weeks of meal planning & preparation guides...

In this episode, Sarah provides an honest and candid review and walk-through the Simplified Daily Planner by Emily Ley. The Simplified line of planners contains both a daily and weekly option, and all feature beautiful colors and thoughtful design elemnets. Sarah shares her favorite aspects and some of the (few) things she might change if she could! This episode is brought to you by PrepDish! Prep...

It's another all Q&A episode, featuring your submitted write-in and audio questions! Question 1 opens with a question on "manly" planners for a 25 year old who has just received a promotion. Q2 is from a soon-to-be medicine resident wondering if she will still have use for her Hobonichi. Q3 is all about the aesthetics of planner pages -- does Sarah have use for terms like "pre-planning" "messy pla...

This episode features author Greg McKeown, known for his work Essentialism and now introducing some powerful new ideas in his latest release Effortless. In the conversation, Sarah and Greg take a deeper dive into the why around planning and what questions we should all be asking ourselves as we plan, especially: "What is truly essential" and "How can I make this easier?". Greg shares some of his f...

In this fun conversational episode, Sarah welcomes Ashley Brown to the show. Ashley is a mother, nurse educator, podcaster, and routines expert! She has her own suite of products designed to help people (especially women) optimize their routines, and she has so much wisdom to share! She also has designed beautiful notepads and other products to help others further curate their own routines to prom...

If you have felt the pull to switch planners 3 or 4 months into 2021 -- well, just know that you are not alone! Due to a few factors, Sarah jumped out of the (lovely!) Wonderland 222 and into a larger more colorful Erin Condren softbound weekly, with the hourly layout. She give all listeners official permission to switch if needed and explains what she enjoys about her new system (hint: the paper....

In this Q&A episode, Sarah answers listener questions. The first asks about how to handle bits of information that you might need later-- but are unsure exactly when. Then, a listener asks about the Eisenhower matrix, and relates it specifically to her academic job which requires both teaching (urgent + important) and research (non-urgent but still important). Episode Sponsor: Visit The Literacy T...

In this fun interview episode, Sarah interviews Kelsey Wharton, a mother of 3 (ages 1-8!) and fellow podcaster -- she cohosts The Girl Next Door Podcast, which happens to be one of Sarah's favorites! Kelsey has always impressed Sarah with her organization hacks and tricks, especially in the digital realm! In this episode, she shares many of her favorite digital methods as well as some key apps (Go...

In this episode, Sarah does a deep dive into planning larger chunks of the year, whether are quarters or quintiles. She details the feelings and rituals that generally occur in each Quintile, as well as the use of breaking up the year in this way. This episode is sponsored by interactive online yoga studio Stillness + Movement. You can learn more and sign up for class by going to StillnessAndMovem...