Best Laid Plans

Sherri McConnell shares her patterns, techniques, and so much more at A Quilting Life -- and one of her passions is to help those who love quilting to find time to truly enjoy their hobby and craft! She chats with Sarah about her journey in crafting, the quilting planner she designed herself (!!)), and her suggestions for those looking to find more time to enjoy the things they love. Sherri is als...

In this episode, Sarah provides a guide to planning + thinking through Quintile 4! She touches on all aspects of planning this back-to-school season which can be jarring and a lot of moving parts for many! Consider listening to this with your notebook or laptop and pausing to start your own planning process. Note: If you are interested in more in-depth seasonal planning sessions with Sarah in the...

In this Q&A episode, Sarah provides her take on listener questions: Q1: Planning during challenging life phases Q2: Back to school planner recs for a pair of teen brothers Q3: Planner matchmaking for a WFH mother seeking a BIG planner to manage both work, home tasks + homeschooling Q4: Dangling tasks Q5: Planner recs for a listener who loves BUT is embarrassed by her planner! She also features sev...

Today's episode is a little bit of a departure from the regular format - Sarah shares an interview Lisa Woodruff did with her for the Organize 365 Back to School Blitz! She discusses some of her favorite basic tips for planning (quintiles, retreats, routines + more) and they delve into some planning basics for the back to school season - coming sooner than we think :) You can find Lisa (and sign u...

In part 1 of today's episode, Sarah presents 3 mini-reviews -- clearing out her to-be-reviewed stash! 1) Rad & Happy undated weekly planner 2) Passion Planner academic weekly + erasable pens 3) Performance Lab's Focus Planner (Australia) Visit the show notes on theshubox.com if you are interested in winning one of these planners - just leave a comment in the show notes! In part 2, Sarah discusses...

In today's episode, Sarah discusses the planning-adjacent topic of organizing and curating our spaces and stuff. She shares her history with organizing (being organized + clearing clutter has not always been a personal strength!) and prior influences, from Marie Kondo to Lisa Woodruff. Finally, she discusses her current challenges and plans to gradually work on further organizing and decluttering...

In this Q&A, Sarah answers questions about: 1) Becoming more comfortable with setting longer term (monthly, seasonal, yearly) goals Interested in setting your 2024 yearly goals with Sarah in FL? Visit: https://theshubox.com/courses 2) Paper sizes, weights, and pen types! (Paper Planner 101!) Reference: https://goldspot.com/blogs/magazine/notebook-sizes-compared-and-explained 3) Planner matchmaking...

In today's episode, Sarah interviews Stacy Mellem, a devoted Franklin-Covey user for over 30 years! Stacy shares how she's made the system work for her over the years, and why she believes planning is still important in retirement (or what she refers to as her "jubilacion" (the Spanish word for retirement, which really does sound better!). Franklin-Covey Planners: https://store.franklinplanner.com...

Sarah discusses her prior hesitancy around planners with rings and discs, and then delves into her current unexpected love for the Inkwell Press Disc Bound Planner with 2023-24 inserts, as well as the advantages that come with a planner where everything is movable! Products mentioned: Cover - hard cardboard or vegan leather Weekly inserts (vertical or horizontal layouts) - 140 lb paper, bright whi...

In today's episode, Sarah revisits her own summer planning and discusses how she shifted her goals to reflect current priorities and time pressure. She reminds listeners that sometimes planning can mean downshifting in one area to focus on another, and that while we can do a lot - we cannot focus on every area at once. Then, a mini-review of the Mark's Log Diary from JetPens. This book is super cu...

Life update episode! Sarah shares what is going well this year, and things that have been more challenging -- plus an update on which of her 2023 planners are still in use at the almost-6-month mark! Episode Sponsors: Earth Breeze: Liquidless earth-friendly detergent sheets! Right now, listeners can subscribe to Earth Breeze and save 40%! Go to earthbreeze.com/plans to get started Jenni Kayne: Cla...

It's a June Q&A episode! Questions: 1- Small portable planner to track migraine-related details? 2- Ways to deal with photos + memory keeping (esp with a newborn)? 3- Planner/collection system to deal with family's increasingly complex medical needs? (Mentioned: https://www.jetpens.com/Lihit-Lab-Bloomin-Pocket-Folder-A4-8-Pockets-Pure-Blue/pd/33404; Organize 365 Warrior Mama Binder) 4- Recs for ki...

This episode is all about the ways we might think about planning and curating our summers, from travel to reading lists to work projects to media and more. In addition, Sarah announces the launch of her Digital Detox Mini-Course! This is a 4 week course designed to help you change your screen time habits. If you are fighting digital distractions and spending more time on screens than you want to,...

In this month's guest episode, Sarah chats with Monica Packer about habit formation, perfectionism, self-compassion, and more. Monica is the host of the About Progress podcast as well as a coach and mother of 5, from ages 3 months to 11! You can find Monica's work here: https://aboutprogress.com Thanks to Jenny Eversole from Style Space (https://stylespace.com) for connecting Monica + me! Episode...

This episode starts with two follow ups: 1- Follow up to the listener wanting a potentially custom planner with to do/timeline on left and notes on right: Passion Planner Daily: Etsy as a great place to purchase custom sheets or pdf layouts Or, make templates yourself -- check out courses on creating printables from Lindsay Ashworth (atouchofla.com/learn) 2- Follow up on the heart to heart screen...

In today's episodes, Sarah shares tips + tricks she's learned over the years (from residency training to her current role as practicing physician) to help increase efficiency in her healthcare role. From charting to managing synchronous chat messages to communicating results, she covers several practices she has used to increase her engagement and allow for more time/focus on patients (and less on...

It's a Q&A episode! 1- A listener is looking for a custom planner that has schedule on the left / space on the right. Options Mentioned: Agendio, Personal Planner, Plum Paper, and Golden Coil, plus Full Focus as a non-custom option that might meet her specifications. 2- Male listener notes that planning seems to skew female - why? Not sure, but Sarah thinks everyone can benefit from planning. Plus...

Sarah brings her honest thoughts about screen time to this heart-to-heart episode. First, she shares two valuable listener perspectives: 1) Rachel in Wales, who spent a month without a smartphone and was converted permanently: http://www.rachelinwales.com/2022/10/analogue-august-month-or-14-without.html 2) Leslie, a self-described "mid/later-life" yogi who always has thoughtful perspectives on all...

In today's episode, Sarah provides a follow up to Vickie's planner conundrum, and then delves into two listener question: one on evening routines to allow for early mornings, and one on various hormonal cycles (applicable to those who menstruate) and how that might impact planning. Then, 3 product reviews are shared! 1) Midi Notebooks from Flame Tree Publishing: https://www.flametreepublishing.com...

Sarah opens this episode with a request for help with planner matchmaking for her dear friend and planning co-conspirator Vickie, who is looking for: " . . . a relatively portable/lighter (ideally smaller than 5x8in), hardbound (no spiral!) planner, w monthly and week on 2 page spreads, gel pen friendly paper, not too much extra stuff -- no inspiration vibes, please." Please send your ideas for he...

Today's episode opens up with a great Planner Peace submission from Millicent! Products mentioned: - Simplified Daily Planner - Day Designer Monthly - Essential Calendar (www.theessentialcalendar.com/BESTLAIDPLANS and use code BESTLAIDPLANS at checkout for 10% off!) Then, Sarah discusses 11 steps for breaking up big projects. In brief, these include: 1- Envision the End 2- Think about Timeline. 3-...

In this episode, Sarah comes on with answers to your questions in an AMA (ask me anything)-style format! Topics include: - Social media (or lack thereof) - Current morning routine - What Sarah would do with a year off from clinical work - Migraine deep dive - Best trip ever taken - with kids, and adults only? - Managing clothing the house (kids + yours) - Tracking recipes - Favorite book so far in...

Allison Baggerly of Inspired Budget joins Sarah on the show today to discuss the ways that planning can help you set up and execute on a budget that truly answers to your needs and desires, from paying off debt to enjoying a great splurge vacation. She shares both physical tools and more theoretical techniques, as well as how she handles budgeting with her partner. Find Allison: inspiredbudget.com...

In this episode, Sarah gives a run down of her favorite pens, markers, highlighters, and more! Specific items listed below + visit theshubox.com for links! Best Laid Plans LIVE Retreat - Nov 2-4! Look for registration details at theshubox.com/blpa Email me: sarah.hart.unger@gmail.com / Text: (305) 697-7189 Episode Sponsors: Green Chef: Meal kits with organic, healthy, and delicious ingredients! Go...

Today's episode is a mixed bag! Sarah opens with a planner peace submission sent in by Liz which combines the Planner Pad with an accessory goals notebook and Voodoopad -- a wiki-creation tool. Then, Sarah discusses her current planner wanderlust and daily layout. She also reviews what is working -- and what is not -- in 2023 so far. Finally, a listener in fellowship training writes in looking for...