Best Laid Plans

In this Q&A episode -- the last of 2022, Sarah tackles questions from listeners and shares 2 listener tips! Topics include: 1) Goal setting in a year with a new baby 2) Planner move-In rituals 3) Ideas for blank calendar spreads + trackers in the Hobonichi planners 4) Fitness planner recs 5) Keeping track of tasks/to do items captured on the fly in multiple locations Tips include: 1) Year Compass...

In today's episode, Oliver Burkeman joins Sarah to discuss his popular and fascinating book, 4000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. Sarah delves into how Oliver plans, how he went from self-help critic to personal development authors, and how to reconcile the tension between knowing life is finite (and accepting the inevitability that one cannot do everything!) and still wanting to set goals and...

In today's episode, Sarah opens with a listener who had a very minimal but effective planning style, and then she shares all of the physical products (planners + notebooks) she intends on using in 2023! These include: Hobonichi Cousin A5 English (glitter leather cover) Hobnoichi 5 Year Journal (2021-25) Erin Condren Monthly Notebook Hobonichi Weeks Stalogy A5 journal Kokuyo Sooofa Soft Ring Notebo...

Today's episode opens with a detailed planned peace segment from Andrea, a busy physician who has embraced bullet journaling + has also discovered an easy and functional way to keep her email organized. Then, Sarah delves into four mini-reviews: Sterling Ink Common Planner (2 books, B6) Laurel Denise 2023 Horizontal Weekly Full Focus binder and inserts Proaction Planner, spiral bound 2023 version...

In this episodes, Sarah shares a Planner Peace submission from Cheryl, who has found peace (and joy!) with a Planner Pad and Full Focus combo, plus lots of stickers and homemade cloth covers. Then, she discusses some daily planning sticky notes suggestions inspired by her episode with Josh. A listener writes in about cleaning up an email backlog AND a beautiful journal for her baby twins - who are...

Sarah welcomes Laura back onto Best Laid Plans for this fun episode about her planning techniques. Laura recently released a book called Tranquility By Tuesday, which includes a set of 9 rules to help readers enjoy their 'regular' days even more. 3 of the rules are very planning adjacent, so they are discussed in detail on this episode! The rules are: Plan on Fridays Batch the Little Things Create...

Allison Sizemore is a coach and head of Couture Fitness Coaching -- and she's also a long-time BLP listener who is passionate about planning! Sarah and Allison share the ways they plan in fitness, down to details about Allison's monthly excel sheets to track workouts + nutrition! Find more from Allison at https://www.couturefitnesscoaching.com or @couture_fitness_coaching on Instagram. Link to BLP...

Sarah opens with a Planner Peace submission from listener Ursula who has kept things simple and effective with a weekly planner + a notebook! Then, Sarah's husband Joshua Unger joins in for a conversation live from one of their mini planning retreats! They talk about different planning styles and Josh shares his Planner Stack (yes he has one!). At the conclusion of the episode, Sarah introduces th...

Sarah was inspired by a fellow podcaster (Laura McClellan on The Productive Woman) to share her own 10 rules for life! Some are planning-related, and others are more global. She also shares some upcoming topics + her surprise and gratitude related to a recent newspaper shout-out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a mixed-bag episode! Sarah opens with a Planner Peace submission from Amanda who shares what she loves about some brands never covered before on BLP: the Legend Planner + Living Well Planner. Then Sarah discusses some release news from Erin Condren + MakseLife, answers a listener question about handling shared tentative future events, shares a super fun idea (PlannerBase?), and finally reveal...

In this episode, Sarah opens by sharing an audio Planner Peace Submission from Hannah, who shares her daily/weekly/monthly and quintile planning rituals! Then, Sarah goes into her own meal planning habits over the years and then welcomes guest Nakita Attard Vassallo - a mother and professional meal planning strategist in Malta. Learn more about Nakita's strategies at themamamanual.com Episode Spon...

Today's episode opens with a discussion of some planner news from Erin Condren and Cultivate What Matters. Then, she delves into an expanded Planner Peace segment from a listener who has adapted many BLP techniques into her own comprehensive system, complete with (impressively!) organized family meetings! Then Sarah answers listener questions about Hemlock & Oak and Hobonichi and provides a reques...

Sarah opens with a listener sharing about her blinged-out and colorful Hobonichi (pix available at show notes on theshubox.com). She then gives a shout out to Routine and Things with Ashley Brown, who is releasing her first planner this October! Then, Sarah dives into Getting Things Done! She chats about when she first came across it, and then goes into detail about the 5 steps -- capture, clarify...

In this fun episode, after sharing a digital planning tip from listener Sonali, Sarah chats with Kristen Meinzer, a podcaster, culture critic, author, and more! They chat about aspects of planning that are incredibly important but that might not instantly come to mind, from planning for death (promise, it's more uplifting than it sounds!) to planning memorable dates and strategic media consumption...

Sarah opens with a review of Nolki notebook, journals, planners, and washi, and then shares updates on Hobonichi, Cultivate What Matters, and more. Then, author and podcaster Kate Hanley joins Sarah in the kickoff to "Planner Profiles" -- a series about how different people plan! Kate shares her challenges and current practices. Kate's podcast is How to Be a Better Person, and it comes out daily!...

In this Q&A episode, Sarah tackles 5 listener questions! Topics include: 1) Planning sustainable and enjoyable holiday seasons 2) Tips for tracking (and not forgetting to track) 3) Planner matchup request: daily pages with gridlines + colorful tabs? 4) A system to keep special memories + achievements long term 5) Planner matchup request: planner for a middle schooler Episode Sponsors: PrepDish: He...

Inspired by a podcast episode of similar title (Cal Newport's Deep Questions Ep #211), Sarah decides to offer a 10,000 foot view of how she organizes . . . pretty much everything! This episode is more about principles than tools (though of course those get a mention as well!). Sarah talks through her various horizons of planning, from daily to yearly, and her methods for keeping inputs under contr...

It's Hobonichi season, and Sarah is excited! She opens with a Planner Peace submission from Hobonichi user, and then goes into a detailed exploration of the current Hobonichi offerings, from planners to covers and more. Learn about the ordering process, the website (it's in English!) and their new offerings for 2023, as well as what Sarah is thinking of ordering herself. Episode Sponsors: Yipes: F...

In this episode, Sarah opens with a discussion of back to school energy, with a shout out to the Hobonichi 2023 releases + the new Full Focus designs. Then, she shares some listener tips related to reading journals and book tracking. In the Q&A, she answers questions in themes: 2 related to scrolling habits, 2 planner matchmaking requests, and 1 on Apple Notes. As always, detailed links/notes up c...

In today's episode, Kelly Nolan joins Sarah to talk all things digital planning and calendar management. Kelly is a lawyer, previously working as a litigator. She became passionate about helping women manage their time and thrive in busy jobs, and now teaches time management for her main career. She loves helping women to truly understand where time is going and helping them integrate work and lif...

This episode is dedicated to all things reading! In the first half, Sarah discusses her reading habits through the years, including a few habits she has embraced recently to help her read more. Then, she provides mini-reviews of 4 reading journals: My Reading Life: A Book Journal by Ann Bogel, Bibliophile Reader's Journal by Jane Mount, My Reading Adventures: A Book Journal for Kids by Ann Bogel,...

Today's episode is a deep dive into the world of a planner founder and company leader! Michelle Askin cofounded Bloom when she was just 20 years old (!), and 12 years later their products are widely available, addressing planning needs for many different stages of life. Michelle chats about the products she's using now, Bloom's mission to give back, ways she combines digital + paper, and finally s...

Today's episode is a ReAir, in part because Sarah's voice is a bit out of commission due to COVID. She records a brief intro (and promises to be back when she sounds better), and this is followed by a replay of February's episode below, inspired by a tough week on call Sarah had. She outlines 5 things she wished she had done to make life easier on herself -- things that might apply to anyone going...

In today's episode, Sarah opens with a listener tips about daily theme dressing by color, and shares some info on The Planner Wire, an online hub (created by another planner aficionados) for all things planning related. Then, she takes a deep dive into how she is using her current lineup, including some different uses for some of the pages in EC's Daily Duo and some more details about her low-key...

In this episode, a listener Beth opens with a fantastic Planner Peace submission, all about her transition to digital planning with Artful Agenda. Then, Sarah discusses her process for checking into goals midway through the year. She shares questions to think about as well as the specific products and tools she uses to capture her goals and lists. Finally, she shares her own triaged goals list for...