Best Laid Plans

In today's episode, Sarah shares listener tips and answers questions! Topics & references include:- Stationery Store Spotlight: Wonder Fair in Lawrence, KS- Alyce's alternative to January 1- Sextiles: A listener creates her own seasons that work for her- An A-to-Z 26 in 2026 list- Feedback on the Friends Spreadsheet: A Notion Friends CRM (Customer Relationships Management) Tool- Corporate uses for...

In today's episode, Sarah welcomes listeners to 2026 and shares 10 tips for making the most of your annual goal setting efforts! Link to mentioned episode on Nested Goals:https://theshubox.com/2024/01/episode-182-nested-goals-explained.html YouTube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/@BestLaidPlansVideo Episode Sponsors: PrepDish: Start the year off with healthy meal plans from prep dish! Get your fre...

In today's episode, Sarah shares her own 2026 goals list, set in 5 domains (Self, Relationships, Family/Home, Work, and Fun)! She goes into detail about each of the items on her list and the strategies she hopes to employ to help some of them come to fruition. Additional info:- Sarah's email - sarah hart unger at gmail - feel free to send your goals lists along, or message 305-697-7189- Sarah's BO...

In the first half of this episode, Sarah talks METAPLANNING - intentional dissection of one's systems and planning tactics. Then she shares some of her own potential systems upgrades for 2026, from seasonal planning with her husband to digital organization and a possible new screen time tracker. Then, Sarah dissects her own Big Gnarly Goal for 2026! She answers the questions she posed in her own e...

In today's episode, Sarah shares a listener tip, a store spotlight, and some great Q&A centered around morning routines and actually USING one's planner on a daily basis! Keep your questions coming - Sarah can be reached via email (sarah hart unger at gmail) or via 305-697-7189!PS: Sarah's book, Best Laid Plans: A Simple Planning System for Living A Life That You Love is out tomorrow! Visit theshu...

In today's episode, Sarah opens by reminding listeners of her upcoming book launch (T-8 days and counting - you can still get the preorder bonuses by visiting theshubox.com/preorders). And, she shares the happy news that Best Laid Plans was named by Amazon as one of 9 nonfiction editor's picks for December!(See the full list here: https://www.amazon.com/b?ref=r_ess_dp_epicks&node=17276799011)Then,...

In today's episode, Sarah goes through the physical tools she used in 2025 and shares her 2026 Planner Stack! This episode has a video component if you'd like to see the planners -- visit https://youtu.be/Bf5G8_pSr2s to get a visual! Products mentioned:- Hobonichi Cousin Avec- Hobonichi Weeks- Hobonichi Day Free- Ashley Shelley x Amanda's Favorites collab- Erin Condren 18 month Monthly Planner (Ja...

In today's episode, Sarah empties her email inbox (and some other life inboxes) in real time! Find out how much time it took her to get from ~140 messages (half a week's worth of accumulation) in her primary gmail inbox to 0, what she did with all of those little pieces of information, and some takeaways for you if you struggle with task management or collecting all of your inputs. She then takes...

In today's episode, Sarah shares some life updates coming off of a tough week! Then she delves into an overview of BLP Live and some of her own key planning takeaways from the event. Finally, she responds to a listener request for a "DIY Planning Primer", providing a list of 15 episodes that cover essential planning topics -- from building a system from scratch to daily planning, seasonal planning...

In today's episode, Sarah interviews Jodi Wellman, author of You Only Die Once: How to Make it to the End with No Regrets. This is Jodi's second visit to the podcast, and this conversation is all about the planning rituals that Jodi herself uses to ensure the (finite) life she is living has all of the elements that make it feel truly well-lived. They get into the weeds about her monthly vision boa...

Jen Ludwig loves holiday planning -specifically, she loves planning around her traditions of Christmas. However, this episode is for you no matter what you love to celebrate at the end of the year! In today's episode, Jen shares her tips for creating a celebratory season that is filled with fun and not overwhelm. She also has some fantastic gift tips + hacks! Find Jen's book, Embracing Advent: Red...

In today's episode, Sarah shares an update for the listener seeking high-contrast planner options, with products mentioned including the Marjolein Delhaas Planner from Wms&Co, Rad & Happy, and Passion Planner. Then, she shares a listener's story of ordering the Personal Planner from Sweden -- and being extremely surprised by fees (over 4x the value of the planner!). Following, Sarah gets into the...

In today's episode (and inspired by her recent girls' trip!), Sarah shares 6 practices to help you think through your big picture goals and dreams as we gear up for Reflection Season and starting to think about annual planning for 2026! These include:- Inspiring reading (or audio)- 100 Dreams List- 10, 5, or 1-year Visioning Exercises- The gift of a notebook just for dreaming and scheming- Deep co...

Today's episode is a very planner-centric Q&A episode (since it's that time of year!). First, Cynthia opens with her planner peace - a mashup of prior BLP mentions, from the Passionate Pennypincher Planner to Planner Pad and a Stalogy notebook! Then, Kristin shares a pro tip for melding her digital planning (via Google calendar) with a paper system that allows for daily notes jotted in pen and a p...

In today's episode, Sarah interviews Skye Waterson, ADHD strategist, host of a podcast in the ADHD space, and an expert in building systems that help entrepreneurs and execs with ADHD (or suspected ADHD) scale their businesses. Skye shares the strategies that she's currently using herself, as well as some great tips for prioritizing when everything feels urgent. She also shares ideas for procrasti...

In today's episode, Sarah opens with news about upcoming courses - both Best Laid Plans at Home: Planning 2026 AND Planning By Season will be back for next calendar year! Get details about the courses at theshubox.com/courses and be sure to sign up for her newsletter for registration info (newsletter drops 10/1).Newsletter: theshubox.com/newsletterThen, she talks all about FUN - the case for ensur...

Inspired by her own recent period of feeling a bit overwhelmed and all over the place, Sarah shares 10 tips for those feeling scattered. Please be sure to sign up for the newsletter if you'd like to receive October's edition:theshubox.com/newsletterEmail Sarah with questions or comments at sarah hart unger @ gmail or text (305) 697-7189 Episode Sponsors: IXL: Make an impact on your child's learnin...

In today's episode, Sarah shares a Planner Peace submission from R, a lover of paper planners with a vision issue that makes small print and light colors difficult to work with. Please send Sarah any ideas for bright and bold planner brands to share with our listener! Then, Sarah shares her notes on Wirecutter's picks for next year's planners! The article can be found here:https://www.nytimes.com/...

In today's episode, Sarah shares some recent planner news. She discusses price changes at Hobonichi (she compares her recent order to years prior), and then shares about the new Minimalist option available from Full Focus. Then, she goes through Q&A, tips & planner peace submissions for September! Topics include:- Feedback from a teacher about separating work + life into different planner systems-...

In today's episode, Sarah goes through a techo kaigi -- her own assessment of how her current tools are working for her, along with some musing about what's up ahead for 2026! Products mentioned:Hobonichi Cousin AvecErin Condren B6 18 Month SoftboundHobonichi 5-Year JournalErin Condren WhiteboardEssential Calendar (affiliate link: https://www.theessentialcalendar.com/BESTLAIDPLANS + use code BESTL...

In today's episode, Sarah shares two things that made her (tough) week, and then answers 6 questions from the August Q&A collection! Topics include:- Can you use Apple Notes to include attachments + graphics- Big projects: fewer longer sessions, or consistent shorter ones?- Ideal week during the newborn phase: yay or nay, and suggestions for an alternative if not?- Are there circumstances where a...

If you've ever been curious about how you can leverage your planning and organizing skills to help you save money, this episode is for you, especially if yo love to travel. Kathleen Paley is a litigator, mother of 2, and podcast host who loves saving and having fun with her family. She joins Sarah today to share her top 5 strategies for traveling on credit card points -- everything from which card...

In today's episode, Sarah shares her thoughts on 5 aspects of life to reflect on (other than planners!) as you head into the back-to-school season, whatever that means for you. She provides a detailed overview of routines to think through / audit / consider tweaking, and then discusses sleep, communication strategies, mood management, and fun. Share your favorite planners for kids/teens or best co...

Sarah reviews two planners specifically designed to help those with different planning needs. First, she discusses the Order Out of Chaos Planner, designed by ADHD parent and ADDItude Magazine columnist Leslie Josel. This planner is designed for students and might be particularly helpful for those with ADHD, though it could definitely serve other students well, too! Link to the planners: https://o...

It's not QUITE back to school season, but depending on where you live, it may be closer than you think! In today's episode, Sarah interviews Sarah McConnell, a professor of anatomy and histology for undergrads, graduate students and med students. Professor Sarah McConnell shares own current planner peace lineup and functional system, and then provides some fantastic tips for others in academic, fr...