Best Laid Plans

In the past couple of weeks, there has been more discussion of becoming more intentional about your social media habits. If you'd like more encouragement to see what life is like without "the scroll", this episode has lots of it. Sarah shares her own story of quitting various forms of social media and then offers 10 compelling reasons to give yourself a break from the scroll. The scroll is endless...

Today's episode opens with a Planner Peace segment from Sarah's friend and coworker Kathleen who uses a medium-sized At-A-Glance Weekly and Monthly (available here: https://a.co/d/5tnHJZ5). This planner may appear basic but it packs a punch in terms of features (and the paper is nice, too!). Then, Sarah provides a review of the Just Scribble Plans Vertical Weekly A5 Planner (available here for pre...

Today's episode is all about Q5 - the last two months of the year! Sarah shares her thoughts on why this time period feels "special", the inherent fun parts and challenges, and her approach to goal setting in this celebratory season. Info on BLP at Home: Planning 2025 is at theshubox.com/courses Episode Sponsors:  Jenni Kayne: Check out their amazing gifts, from candles to their iconic sweaters ....

In today's episode, Sarah reviews 3 new planner offerings you might be considering of 2025! Products reviewed/discussed: Full Focus Wellness Planner, a new version of the classic Full Focus Planner https://fullfocusstore.com/pages/wellness-planner/ Ashley Shelly's Sewn Undated Daily, a compact versatile daily layout https://ashleyshelly.com/product/daily-notebook-planner-undated/ Organize 365's in...

In today's episode, Sarah shares an extensive Planner Peace from a listener who plans "99% on paper" and then shares some Hot Tips + Q&A! Planner Peace Segment Products mentioned: - Plotter: https://plotterusa.com/leather-binders - Raymay-Davinci: https://yosekastationery.com/search?q=raymay Hot Tips: Apps mentioned: OneSec , Forest Essential Calendar: https://www.theessentialcalendar.com/BESTLAID...

In today's episode, host Sarah interviews Sarah Jedd, who works full time as teaching faculty at UW (Faculty in Rhetoric, Politics, and Culture), and is the mother of 5 amazing kids ages 4 to 18! She's also been blogging (old school style) at harry times.com since 2006! Sarah Jedd does a lot, manages a lot, and has fun while doing it. Sarah (J) shares her planning and life management tactics, from...

Highlights of this episode: - Sarah opens by sharing details about BLP at Home: Planning 2025 (visit theshubox.com/courses for details) - A listener (Bridget) shares her experiences with a display showing Google calendar - her setup, impact on kids, husband, etc! - Discussion of screen time consciousness and the app Aro, which gamifies putting away your phone (into their special lockbox or otherwi...

It's (almost) a new month, and today's episode is all about THE MONTH! Sarah shares her love for the 12 natural outpoints in our year and discusses ways she loves to mark the start of a new month. She shares her monthly goal setting tactics, and how the month slots into the Nested Goals framework. She also advocates for planning in FUN on a monthly level and reveals her own very practical monthly...

In today's episode, Sarah shares some listener tips + answers questions that came in through email or text (305-697-7189)! Topics include: - Fun tip for using stickers/etc acquired on vacation - Unique Quintiles use case from Emily (http://pfforphds.com/podcast/) - Discussion of annual planning recommendations (note - for those that want a guided annual planning experience, BLP at Home: Planning 2...

In today's episode, Kendra Adachi joins Sarah to chat about all things planning-adjacent including her new book, The Plan! Kendra is a NYT Bestselling author and podcaster at the Lazy Genius, and she brings her compassion and unique perspective to planning, goal setting, and time management in her latest book, The Plan. Sarah and Kendra discuss goals, compassionate planning, planning challenges wo...

It's a Mixed Bag Ep! In part 1, Sarah shares a Planner Peace segment from Meredith that covers multiple facets of planning - personal, family, goal setting, and life! Products mentioned are Laurel Denise, Cultivate What Matters PowerSheets, a Family Teams wall calendar, and a Hemlock & Oak Daily. Family Teams: https://shop.familyteams.com/products/family-plan-calendar Laurel Denise: Hemlock & Oak:...

In today's episode, Sarah explores the concept of intentionality. She discussed examples and ways we can unknowingly live without much intention and then suggests strategies (large and small) to promote more intentional living. Things to think about: - Career autopilot/drift - Responding to others' expectations - Saying yes to everything - Failing to set boundaries - Consuming media that is served...

It's August's Q&A episode! Join Sarah as she tackles listener questions and comments. Topics include: - an inbox zero success story - approaching nebulous//large projects such as book writing - what does it mean to "work faster" compared to others - thoughts on the Organize 365 Sunday Basket system (Sarah has one!) - teaching planning and organizing to school-aged kids - mindfulness! How do you st...

It's a Mixed Bag ep! Topics covered: 1- PTO Spreadsheet - inspired by my friend Kae (gratefulkae.com) 2- Vacation Postmortem! Consider doing a post-trip analysis with a partner. Can also extend to other home areas (summer, a school year, a holiday season, etc!) 3- Two upcoming books I’m excited about - Kendra Adachi’s The Plan and Oliver Burkeman’s Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Yo...

Today's episode features a discussion of all things related to Quintile 4, the season after summer! Sarah features some back to school discussion, but there she also addresses some non-school-related shifts in the season as well as future planning to think about. Then, she dives into a listener query about sticking to plans -- how do you stick to your plan, and how do you avoid being reactive when...

In today's episode, Sarah interviews Jodi Wellman on her work on mortality and how the concept of death / our finite lives can inspire living a life with vitality, meaning, and -- for lack of a better term, more "aliveness." Jodi holds a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology and spent years exploring and applying these tough topics to help others with her work on Four Thousand Mondays and her rec...

In today's episode, Sarah discusses her flagship planning course, Best Laid Plans Academy, as she prepares the launch the fourth round (the first in 2024!). She discusses takeaways from prior rounds, why this material works in a course format, and shares the course topics and logistics. To learn more, visit theshubox.com/courses; signup information will be available first to newsletter subscribers...

In today's episode, Sarah answers questions sent in the last month! First, she opens with two Planner Peace submissions. Then, she answers questions on task management on paper, email management (how long does it REALLY take to clear an inbox?), handling major schedule changes in an already complicated life, and notetaking. Keep your questions coming! Submit yours at sarah.hart.unger@gmail.com! Be...

In today's episode, Sarah interviews Sierra Friend, creator and head of MakseLife, a major player in the planner universe today! She discusses how her line of planners came to be, what sets them apart in the market, her thoughts on goal setting, and much more! Teen planning printable discussed in the episode (free!): https://makselife.com/collections/free-printables/products/goals-for-teens-free-p...

In today's episode, Sarah talks all about one of her favorite hobbies -- reading! She discusses her own reading journey over the years and then talks about the practical side: reading routines, to-be-read list management, library holds, physical vs digital, abandoning books, and more! Finally, she shares her top 10 books (so far) in 2024! Detailed show notes including book lists can be found at th...

In today's episode, Sarah shares 10 questions to help you think through the rest of 2024! Sit back, grab a notebook and your favorite pens, and plan along with her -- or do a whole day of planning and dreaming at your own DIY retreat! Either way, this episode will get you inspired for your July 1st fresh start. BOBW Midyear Check In Ep: https://lauravanderkam.com/2024/06/best-of-both-worlds-podcas...

In today's episode, Sarah shares thoughts on Time Block planning, a method suggested by Cal Newport, among others. She names pros, cons, and shares her own approach. She also discusses her recent decision to entirely eliminate Reddit scrolling from her life. Resources: Episode that inspired today's Time Block Planning Discussion is here: https://www.thedeeplife.com/podcasts/episodes/ep-305-is-time...

In today's episode, Sarah provides a mini life update and then answers questions that have come from listeners over the past month! Topics/questions include: - Tips for working in distracting conditions - Ideas for budget planning - how does Sarah use YNAB? - What happens when when attempted morning planning sessions get derailed (by a kid, by illness, by ??) - Listener idea: having kids cook dinn...

In today's episode, Sarah shares some ideas and inspiration for your summer -- some of it a little bit outside of the typical (summer cleaning, anyone?). Topics discussed: - Sharing the load of summer planning and fun-making - Summer checklists . . . not just for kids - Summer fun ideas for less than ideal weather - Summer habit / routine changes - Summer cleaning (why is this not a thing?) - One...

In today's episode, Sarah shares her recent marathon journey, from goal-setting (a looooong time ago!) to the tools and routines that supported her training to the race itself. Episode Sponsors: Jenni Kayne: Find your new uniform at jennikayne.com. Get 15% off your first order when you use code plans at checkout! Earth Breeze: Effective liquidless laundry detergent! Listeners can receive 40% off E...