Best Laid Plans

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 'work specific' planner can make sense?- Work & rest-of-life planning sessions: separate or together?- How long does it take to implement the routines of the nested planning sessions?Get your questions to Sarah and you may hear the answers on a future episode! Email at sarah hart unger @ gmail or leave a comment on the show notes at theshubox.com.Remember the newsletter comes out at the start of each month -- we're close to September, so sign up at theshubox.com/newsletter to receive it! Episode Sponsors IXL: Learning doesn't have to stop in the summer!  Best Laid Plans listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ixl.com/plans⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  Green Chef: Make this summer your healthiest yet with Green Chef. Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠greenchef.com/50BESTLAID⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use code 50BESTLAID to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for two months with free shipping. PrepDish: Healthy menu plans and prep instruction to take the mental load out of dinner!   Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠PrepDish.com/plans⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for your first 2 weeks, FREE.   Mint Mobile:  Affordable unlimited wireless!  Get your new customer offer and your 3-month Unlimited wireless plan for $15 a month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mintmobile.com/BLP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 cards to start with, how to maximize point earnings, and how to spend most cost-effectively.Please note: neither Sarah nor Kathleen are affiliated with any of the companies mentioned on the episode, and these strategies should only be employed if you are paying credit card balances off in full every month -- otherwise they will cost you money rather than offer savings!Kathleen can be found at the Reframe Podcast and The Minimalish Mom on IG. Episode Sponsors IXL: Learning doesn't have to stop in the summer!  Best Laid Plans listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ixl.com/plans⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  Green Chef: Make this summer your healthiest yet with Green Chef. Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠greenchef.com/50BESTLAID⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use code 50BESTLAID to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for two months with free shipping. PrepDish: Healthy menu plans and prep instruction to take the mental load out of dinner!   Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠PrepDish.com/plans⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for your first 2 weeks, FREE.   Mint Mobile:  Affordable unlimited wireless!  Get your new customer offer and your 3-month Unlimited wireless plan for $15 a month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mintmobile.com/BLP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 communication strategies with Sarah - email sarah.hart.unger@gmail.com or leave a comment at the show notes on theshubox.com! Episode Sponsors IXL: Learning doesn't have to stop in the summer!  Best Laid Plans listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ⁠⁠⁠⁠ixl.com/plans⁠⁠⁠⁠.  Green Chef: Make this summer your healthiest yet with Green Chef. Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠greenchef.com/50BESTLAID⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use code 50BESTLAID to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for two months with free shipping. PrepDish: Healthy menu plans and prep instruction to take the mental load out of dinner!   Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠PrepDish.com/plans⁠⁠⁠⁠ for your first 2 weeks, FREE.   Mint Mobile:  Affordable unlimited wireless!  Get your new customer offer and your 3-month Unlimited wireless plan for $15 a month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠mintmobile.com/BLP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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://ooocplanner.com/collections/academic-planners Second, she reviews the Fast Brain Friend Daily Productivity Planner, described as "an intentional design for the neurodivergent mind" by creator Alanah Purtell. These are Australian monthly planners with varying (and somewhat unusual!) daily layouts as well as monthly + weekly planning tools. Link to the planners: https://www.creatorsfriend.com.au/products/fast-brain-daily-productivity-planner-single For some visuals, visit the show notes at theshubox.com. Episode Sponsors IXL: Learning doesn't have to stop in the summer!  Best Laid Plans listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ⁠⁠⁠ixl.com/plans⁠⁠⁠.  Green Chef: Make this summer your healthiest yet with Green Chef. Head to ⁠⁠⁠greenchef.com/50BESTLAID⁠⁠⁠ and use code 50BESTLAID to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for two months with free shipping. PrepDish: Healthy menu plans and prep instruction to take the mental load out of dinner!   Visit ⁠⁠⁠PrepDish.com/plans⁠⁠⁠ for your first 2 weeks, FREE.   Mint Mobile:  Affordable unlimited wireless!  Get your new customer offer and your 3-month Unlimited wireless plan for $15 a month at ⁠⁠⁠mintmobile.com/BLP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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, from using templates to leaving helpful breadcrumbs so that each year builds on past experience without friction. Planner Sarah mentions: Proaction Planner https://www.alifemadesimple.com/proaction-planner/ BLP Review of Proaction Planner:https://theshubox.com/2022/01/blp-ep-79-qa-proaction-planner-review.html Newsletter: theshubox.com/newsletterCourses: theshubox.com/courses Episode Sponsors IXL: Learning doesn't have to stop in the summer!  Best Laid Plans listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ⁠⁠⁠⁠ixl.com/plans⁠⁠⁠⁠.  Green Chef: Make this summer your healthiest yet with Green Chef. Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠greenchef.com/50BESTLAID⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use code 50BESTLAID to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for two months with free shipping.  PrepDish: Healthy menu plans and prep instruction to take the mental load out of dinner!   Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠PrepDish.com/plans⁠⁠⁠⁠ for your first 2 weeks, FREE.   Mint:  Affordable unlimited wireless!  Get your new customer offer and your 3-month Unlimited wireless plan for $15 a month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠mintmobile.com/BLP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, sociology professor Allison Daminger joins Sarah for a fascinating discussion about mental load, division of labor, and the role of planning! She answers three great questions from listeners, tackling challenging questions about a partner not interested in long-range planning, a partner with little predictability to his job, and a partner with ADHD. Find more from Allison and her book, The Mental Workload of Family Life, at her website: https://www.allisondaminger.com/book, and she can also be found on substack at https://allisondaminger.substack.com. Submit your questions for Allison on the show notes page at theshubox.com! Episode Sponsors IXL: Learning doesn't have to stop in the summer!  Best Laid Plans listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ⁠⁠⁠ixl.com/plans⁠⁠⁠.  Green Chef: Make this summer your healthiest yet with Green Chef. Head to ⁠⁠⁠greenchef.com/50BESTLAID⁠⁠⁠ and use code 50BESTLAID to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for two months with free shipping.  PrepDish: Healthy menu plans and prep instruction to take the mental load out of dinner!   Visit ⁠⁠⁠PrepDish.com/plans⁠⁠⁠ for your first 2 weeks, FREE.   Mint:  Affordable unlimited wireless!  Get your new customer offer and your 3-month Unlimited wireless plan for $15 a month at ⁠⁠⁠mintmobile.com/BLP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, Sarah shares some real behind-the-scenes podcast talk with listeners. She chats about how Best Laid Plans came to be, how she chooses guests, how she tracks podcast logistics, what she outsources, how she handles listener emails, and much more! Visit her website, theshubox.com, if you haven't been for links to all of her prior episodes. Newsletter: theshubox.com/newsletterCourses: theshubox.com/coursesBooks Read in 2025: theshubox.com/2025-books Episode Sponsors IXL: Learning doesn't have to stop in the summer!  Best Laid Plans listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ⁠⁠ixl.com/plans⁠⁠.  Green Chef: Make this summer your healthiest yet with Green Chef. Head to ⁠⁠greenchef.com/50BESTLAID⁠⁠ and use code 50BESTLAID to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for two months with free shipping.  PrepDish: Healthy menu plans and prep instruction to take the mental load out of dinner!   Visit ⁠⁠PrepDish.com/plans⁠⁠ for your first 2 weeks, FREE.   Mint:  Affordable unlimited wireless!  Get your new customer offer and your 3-month Unlimited wireless plan for $15 a month at ⁠⁠mintmobile.com/BLP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, Sarah answers accumulated questions for July! Topics include: Laurel Denise + Full Focus is too much -- what do use instead? Task management (2 questions on various angles of this common challenge!) and how not to lose all of those great ideas that come to you that you want to see at the right time Discussion of the Alistair Method for the listener struggling to fit tasks into an unpredictable schedule (details on this method here: https://bulletjournal.com/blogs/bulletjournalist/projects-the-alastair-method Ways to structure/plan out a period of lighter work (sabbatical of sorts) As mentioned early in the episode, Sarah's Mid-Year Check In is available for viewing -- great for those looking for a mid-year boost! This 1-hour guided mid-year planning session is available for instant viewing for anyone who purchases access to Planning 2026 (Sarah's 4 hour annual planning course, held in December/January). Visit theshubox.com/courses for details! Episode Sponsors IXL: Learning doesn't have to stop in the summer!  Best Laid Plans listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ⁠ixl.com/plans⁠.  Green Chef: Make this summer your healthiest yet with Green Chef. Head to ⁠greenchef.com/50BESTLAID⁠ and use code 50BESTLAID to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for two months with free shipping.  PrepDish: Healthy menu plans and prep instruction to take the mental load out of dinner!   Visit ⁠PrepDish.com/plans⁠ for your first 2 weeks, FREE.   Mint:  Affordable unlimited wireless!  Get your new customer offer and your 3-month Unlimited wireless plan for $15 a month at ⁠mintmobile.com/BLP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, Sarah shares rationale and ideas for completing your own mid-year check in session, where you take stock of where things are, look at annual goals, and decide how you'd like to move forward. She provides ideas for the setting/scope of this session, and then shares her very own mid-year check in - processing her own progress on the air! If you are interested in a guided mid-year check in video that takes you through the process step by step, Sarah is offering this as part of BLP at Home: Planning 2026 this year! You can get access to this video by preordering BLP at Home for next year (4 hour guided planning experience divided into two sessions, taking place in Dec 2025/Jan 2026). All details will be shared via newsletter (July edition out 7/1), so visit theshubox.com/newsletter to sign up! Episode Sponsors IXL: Learning doesn't have to stop in the summer!  Best Laid Plans listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ixl.com/plans.  Green Chef: Make this summer your healthiest yet with Green Chef. Head to greenchef.com/50BESTLAID and use code 50BESTLAID to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for two months with free shipping.  PrepDish: Healthy menu plans and prep instruction to take the mental load out of dinner!   Visit PrepDish.com/plans for your first 2 weeks, FREE.   Mint:  Affordable unlimited wireless!  Get your new customer offer and your 3-month Unlimited wireless plan for $15 a month at mintmobile.com/BLP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a Q&A podcast! Topics include: - Ways to plan/manage tasks when your time is unpredictably chopped up (gig worker)?- How to move into a new planner midyear?- How to talk with a partner who feels your planning systems are over the top (and you feel like they are absolutely necessary for a functional family life)?- How to handle a close friend or relative who refuses to make firm plans?- Planner recs for a child with ADHD entering middle school Keep your questions coming! Email sarah.hart.unger at gmail, leave a message on the show notes (theshubox.com) or reply to the newsletter! Newsletter signups: theshubox.com/newsletter EPISODE SPONSORS IXL: Make an impact on your child’s learning, get IXL now.  BLP listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ⁠⁠⁠ixl.com/plans⁠⁠⁠. Green Chef:  Make this summer your healthiest yet with Green Chef. Visit ⁠⁠⁠greenchef.com/50BESTLAID⁠⁠⁠ and use code 50BESTLAID to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for two months with free shipping. Mint Mobile: Save this summer with a Mint Mobile Wireless plan!  Get your summer savings and shop premium wireless plans at ⁠⁠⁠mintmobile.com/BLP⁠⁠⁠ PrepDish:  Delicious and healthy plans to take the mental load out of planning dinner!  Visit ⁠⁠⁠prepdish.com/plans⁠⁠⁠ for two weeks free! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's episode centers around strategies for travel planning, from super-long range (5-10+ years) to daily planning while on vacation! Sarah shares her favorite strategies at each time horizon to craft travel plans that reflect your values and highest priorities, while meeting your actual real-life needs (budget, kids' ages, etc!). Mentioned:Kelsey's "The Years Are Short" sheet:https://www.risingshining.com/2022/10/the-years-are-short-family-spreadsheet.html Cameras (idea from Sarah Jedd, prior guest who blogs at harrytimes.com):https://www.urbanoutfitters.com/shop/hybrid/camp-snap-screen-free-digital-camera EPISODE SPONSORS IXL: Make an impact on your child’s learning, get IXL now.  BLP listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ⁠⁠ixl.com/plans⁠⁠. Green Chef:  Make this summer your healthiest yet with Green Chef. Visit ⁠⁠greenchef.com/50BESTLAID⁠⁠ and use code 50BESTLAID to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for two months with free shipping. Mint Mobile: Save this summer with a Mint Mobile Wireless plan!  Get your summer savings and shop premium wireless plans at ⁠⁠mintmobile.com/BLP⁠⁠ PrepDish:  Delicious and healthy plans to take the mental load out of planning dinner!  Visit ⁠⁠prepdish.com/plans⁠⁠ for two weeks free! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lizzie Post is the great-great-grandaughter of famed etiquette expert Emily Post and serves as co-president at the Emily Post Institute along with her cousin Daniel Post Senning. In today's episode Sarah interviews her on all things planning AND etiquette adjacent! First, Sarah inquires about Lizzie's current favorite planning tools and rituals, and then she asks questions that get at some of the stickier parts of planning: how to manage making plans in a group, how to handle planner fatigue, how to deal with managing forms of communication, and how to get past barriers to planning social things. Lizzie and Dan's new book is the the newly-updated Emily Post’s Business Etiquette - find out more at https://emilypost.com! She and Dan also cohost Awesome Etiquette, a podcast where they discuss all things modern day etiquette and answer listener questions. EPISODE SPONSORS IXL: Make an impact on your child’s learning, get IXL now.  BLP listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ⁠ixl.com/plans⁠. Green Chef:  Make this summer your healthiest yet with Green Chef. Visit ⁠greenchef.com/50BESTLAID⁠ and use code 50BESTLAID to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for two months with free shipping. Mint Mobile: Save this summer with a Mint Mobile Wireless plan!  Get your summer savings and shop premium wireless plans at ⁠mintmobile.com/BLP⁠ PrepDish:  Delicious and healthy plans to take the mental load out of planning dinner!  Visit ⁠prepdish.com/plans⁠ for two weeks free! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, Sarah welcomes listeners into summer (and southern hemisphere listeners into winter!). Then, she shares 10 less common (possibly quirky!) planning habits that work for her, from her tracking methods to her use of "defaults" and strategic use of break times, and more. She also shares a listener follow up to the new mom wondering how to deal with tasks that come to mind when she isn't with her planner! EPISODE SPONSORS IXL: Make an impact on your child’s learning, get IXL now.  BLP listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ixl.com/plans. Green Chef:  Make this summer your healthiest yet with Green Chef. Visit greenchef.com/50BESTLAID and use code 50BESTLAID to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for two months with free shipping. Mint Mobile: Save this summer with a Mint Mobile Wireless plan!  Get your summer savings and shop premium wireless plans at mintmobile.com/BLP PrepDish:  Delicious and healthy plans to take the mental load out of planning dinner!  Visit prepdish.com/plans for two weeks free! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's episode is dedicated to monthly planning rhythms! Sarah discusses why the monthly planning level can be a challenging one, but then provides reasons to try giving it some attention! Elements Discussed: - Ways to add to the "fresh start" energy - screen backgrounds + monthly tracking- Monthly work plan (new element for Sarah!)- Monthly goal setting (middle piece of the Nested Goals method - great way to break up big seasonal projects), including a look back / forward / within, and a calendar landscape review- Monthly "extras" - might include budget, household supply maintenance, fitness ideas, library holds, adding in fun, and more! Prior episodes mentioning Monthly Planning:#17 - https://theshubox.com/2024/09/episode-218-your-new-month-guide.html#218 - https://theshubox.com/2020/11/blp-ep-17-monthly-review.html Completist Products Mentioned (no affiliation):Weekly Planning Pad: https://www.the-completist.com/collections/planner-pads/products/andalucia-weekly-planner-padDaily Planner: https://www.the-completist.com/collections/daily-plannersMonthly Planner: https://www.the-completist.com/collections/month-plannersNewsletter signup: theshubox.com/newsletterBLP Live in Nov (ONE slot as of posting this!): theshubox.com/blplive Episode Sponsors: PrepDish: Convenient meal plans, recipes, and shopping lists to reduce your weekly mental load! Visit ⁠⁠⁠prepdish.com/plans⁠⁠⁠ for your first 2 weeks, FREE Mint Mobile: Low-cost wireless phone service – a great way to save every single month! Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠mintmobile.com/BLP⁠⁠⁠ IXL: Tailored and effective online learning (my kids have used this for years as part of their school curriculum)! Best Laid Plans listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at⁠⁠⁠ IXL.com/PLANS⁠⁠⁠. Green Chef: The best meal kit for eating well. Visit ⁠⁠⁠greenchef.com/bestlaidfree⁠⁠⁠ and use code bestlaidfree to get started with FREE salads for 2 months plus 50% off your first box. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, Sarah shares a detailed Planner Peace submission (from a listener who listened to all 250 episodes of the BLP back catalog!) and provides a mini-review of Kendra Adachi's The Playbook, designed to be planner companions for each season, rather than planners themselves! Find The Playbook here: https://www.thelazygeniuscollective.com/merch/p/the-playbooks-bundle or here for a page by page overview: https://otterpine.com/the-playbooks/ Next, a listener with a new baby wonders whether it makes sense to carry her paper planner up and down the stairs vs make the switch to digital. Finally, this is Sarah's birthday week! If you'd like to celebrate, leave a review on your favorite podcast app, or preorder Best Laid Plans: A Simple System for Living a Life That You Love (available at major retailers - just search for Sarah Hart-Unger!). BLP Live is almost full - last chance if you'd like to plan 2026 with Sarah and Laura Vanderkam in person this November! Visit theshubox.com/blplive for details Episode Sponsors: PrepDish: Convenient meal plans, recipes, and shopping lists to reduce your weekly mental load! Visit ⁠⁠prepdish.com/plans⁠⁠ for your first 2 weeks, FREE Mint Mobile: Low-cost wireless phone service – a great way to save every single month! Learn more at ⁠⁠mintmobile.com/BLP⁠⁠ IXL: Tailored and effective online learning (my kids have used this for years as part of their school curriculum)! Best Laid Plans listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at⁠⁠ IXL.com/PLANS⁠⁠. Green Chef: The best meal kit for eating well. Visit ⁠⁠greenchef.com/bestlaidfree⁠⁠ and use code bestlaidfree to get started with FREE salads for 2 months plus 50% off your first box. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices