Best Laid Plans

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...

In today's episode, Sarah answers questions + shares some listener tips sent during the month of May! Topics include: - Laurel Denise Planners (question from a mom/healthcare provider with a lot going on!). Link to prior mini review: https://theshubox.com/2022/12/blp-ep-123-4-2023-planner-mini-reviews.html - Travel -- packing list tips, Wanderlog app, and the resources Sarah uses most for travel p...

In today's episode, Sarah shares a few Top 5s, in honor of her birthday! She opens with her top 5 reasons for planning, followed by the top 5 essential elements of a funcitonal system. Finally, she gets personal and shares her top 5 hopes + dreams for the next year of life! If you'd like to celebrate with Sarah, she would love: - a review - a tip on a product to review or awesome person to have on...

In today's episode, Sarah shares some unexpected recent planning pivots, and then business and production coach Jade Boyd joins her to talk all things ClickUp -- in her opinion, one digital platform that can be used to organize it all. Jade also shares her love of paper as daily planning tool, the intimidation factor with digital organizing solutions, and the value of organizing work and life in o...

Do you ever have a project that seems to pop up on your annual goals list year after year, but never gets done? This episode is an exploration of how to tackle these projects and goals. Sarah gets personal, sharing her own Big Daunting Projects and some questions that might be worth asking about things that show up again and again (and again) on yearly lists. Questions to ask yourself when it come...

Today's episode is a planning-adjacent topic! Sarah opens with a bit about her own decorating and organizing challenges and then interviews author Myquillyn Smith, an expert on decorating and creating functional spaces within the home. They chat about many planning-related aspects of big home projects, including how to get started when it all seems daunting, tools for tracking home projects, and a...

In today's episode, Sarah provides a more in-depth review of two NOLTY April-start monthly planners, and then provides updates on the latest releases from Erin Condren (some excited changes to their Daily Duo!) and Simplified (so pretty). She then shares her own planner switchup for Spring! Episode Sponsors: Jenni Kayne: Find perfect transitional spring pieces at at jennikayne.com. Use code PLANS...

Today's episode features a planner peace submission that was so intriguing that it warranted an entire episode! Our listener Erin has a lot on her plate (full time job, 2 kids, volunteer work, caring for relatives, and more!) -- and she has put together and incredibly comprehensive system that brings her to a current state of Planner Peace! Rather than a stack, she's combined digital and physical...

Welcome to April's Q&A/Tips episode! Sarah shares a brief recap of her family vacation (and getting back into life!) and then brings April's Q&A + Tips. Topics: 1) Quarters in the Southern Hemisphere - an Australian listener reports back! 2) Cool idea for repurposing an unused planner into a paper Second Brain/Collections Notebook/Master Planner 3) App rec for routine building for those with ADHD/...

Happy new quarter or quintile!! Today's episode is travel-inspired because Sarah will be returning from a family trip just before it airs. In today's episode, she shares her current travel planning strategies as a parent of kids who are now at ages that are pretty easy to travel with (6, 10, and about-to-be 12!). She covers her use of Apple Notes as a useful second brain for travel and shares her...

In today's episode, Sarah reviews 3 planners from small business - one of them so small it hasn't been released yet! The planners are: 1) The Halo Planner by Rebecca Brosnan, thehaloplanner.com (shop not open yet, but will be soon) - quarterly gridded planner with a ton of features and both daily + weekly layouts 2) Biz Mom Planner by Tiffani - she describes her business as "woman, minority, and m...

Today's episode is devoted to the Ideal Week exercise, a practice where you put your ideal week onto paper (or screen) using an hourly format. This can be done on paper using a template or an old vertical weekly planner, or on screen via an electronic calendar or even by writing on a pdf using an app. Sarah discusses nuances of this exercise, components she includes, and variations on the idea (Id...

Sarah opens with a discussion of the idea of planner page as "outside observer" and how seeing her day laid out in physical form can help alleviate stress and provide some helpful objectivity. (She is curious if this is a familiar feeing for anyone else!). In the main portion of the show, she provides a step by step planning guide for your Quintile 2, or spring season (fall for our Southern Hemisp...

Welcome to the March Q&A Episode! Topics discussed: - Recommendations for planning and visioning during a job transition phase? - Organizing the many layers of tasks around a big international move - Follow up: Organizing kids' clothes - some tips from listener Sarah K! - Quintiles - do you divide the year evenly? - Details on morning planning sessions - Listener suggestion: Sunday Basket system (...

Today is a departure from the typical BLP format - in today's special edition episode, Sarah joins Amanda of Amanda's Favorites both via audio and on YouTube (view the video version on Amanda's channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEd0U-Hl3ZI ). The two hosts interview each other about a wide array of topics, from daily life to designing their dream planner! Link to Amanda's prior intervi...

Today's deep dive episode was inspired by a listener question below: "I’m so curious how you handle all the minutia and small to-dos of daily life. I have 3 kids, a full-time in-office job, and also have a side hustle crafting-based business. It seems like there are constantly people to coordinate with for kids, teacher emails that should be read, game schedules to add to the calendar, meals to pl...