Some people feel like planning in fun takes away . . . well, some of the fun! Sarah counters some of the common arguments for planning in fun, and offers suggestions for adding fun to every time frame, from yearly to daily!

July Sponsors

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In today's episode, Sarah tackles questions sent during the month of July.

Topics:
- How did you help your kids through the disappointment of cancelled plans (in reference to the prior week's ep)?
- Advice for planning at the start of new motherhood?
- Follow up advice for the listener struggling with her "to buy" list
- What to do when "New Year" momentum fizzles out in spring and summer?
- How to manage your "to be read" / "to be watched" collections when they add up to wayyyyy more time than you actually have to read/watch?

July Sponsors

IXL: Best Laid Plans listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ⁠https://www.ixl.com/plans⁠.

PrepDish: Make your menu planning so much easier! Try it free for 2 weeks by visiting ⁠⁠prepdish.com/plans

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Very personal episode today! Sarah shares her own recent experiences dealing with a recent disappointment -- zero regrets about making the plans, but definitely some sadness about them not coming to fruition.

July Sponsors

IXL: Best Laid Plans listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at https://www.ixl.com/plans.

PrepDish: Make your menu planning so much easier! Try it free for 2 weeks by visiting ⁠prepdish.com/plans

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Lisa Woodruff is the founder of Organize 365 and author of multiple books, most recently Escaping Quicksand. Sarah always loves her ideas about planning and time, and in today's episode they chat overcoming overwhelm, but through the lens of planning. You can find more from Lisa at organize365.com in addition to @organize365 on Instagram.
Resources Mentioned from Lisa:

How I divide my year into thirds episode 143 
https://organize365.com/podcast/my-three-new-years/
The 10 filters I use to plan my week episode 704
https://organize365.com/podcast/704-the-10-filters-i-use-to-plan-my-week/
The 15-minute pivot from reactive to proactive planning 
https://organize365.com/pivot/
Escaping Quicksand
https://organize365.com/escapingquicksand/
June Sponsors:

IXL: Best Laid Plans listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at https://www.ixl.com/plans.
Green Chef: Healthy and convenient meal kits and more! Visit greenchef.com/50bestlaid and use code 50bestlaid to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for 2 months.
PrepDish: Make your menu planning so much easier! Try it free for 2 weeks by visiting prepdish.com/plans

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Sarah tracked her time for over 2 weeks (something she has struggled with in the past). What were her conclusions? Did she find 10 hours of free time that she didn't know she had? Will she continue for 10 years like her good friend and podcast cohost Laura Vanderkam? Listen to find out, and you can also visit the detailed show notes at theshubox.com!

Episode Sponsors:

IXL: Best Laid Plans listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ⁠https://www.ixl.com/plans⁠.

Green Chef: Healthy and convenient meal kits and more! Visit ⁠greenchef.com/50bestlaid⁠ and use code 50bestlaid to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for 2 months.

PrepDish: Make your menu planning so much easier! Try it free for 2 weeks by visiting ⁠prepdish.com/plans

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Today's episode is a podcast with optional video! Sarah goes through a detailed midyear status report on her 2026 Planner Stack, sharing the analog notebooks and planners she uses regularly.
Items mentioned:

Midori Hibino 2026
Hobonichi 5-Year Journal
Ashley Shelly Monthly (Amanda's Favorites Collab)
Hobonichi Weeks
Hobonichi Cousin A5
Hobonichi Day-Free A5 (monthly pages then plank)
Want more video? Let Sarah know what you'd like to see visually in future episodes!
Episode Sponsors:

IXL: Best Laid Plans listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at https://www.ixl.com/plans.
Green Chef: Healthy and convenient meal kits and more! Visit greenchef.com/50bestlaid and use code 50bestlaid to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for 2 months.

PrepDish: Make your menu planning so much easier! Try it free for 2 weeks by visiting prepdish.com/plans

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In today's episode, Sarah answers listener questions! Topics included are:
- A wonderful planner peace submission from a recent retiree looking to keep meaning and structure in her life
- A listener looking for help with "small task overwhelm" and a million open tabs
- Routine tracking ideas
- Family calendar source of truth + tools/ideas for getting a partner on board

Sponsors:

IXL: Best Laid Plans listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.ixl.com/plans⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

PrepDish: Make your menu planning so much easier! Try it free for 2 weeks by visiting ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠prepdish.com/plans⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Green Chef: Healthy and convenient meal kits and more! Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠greenchef.com/50bestlaid⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use code 50bestlaid to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for 2 months.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, Sarah reviews two planners for listeners looking for some fresh start energy this summer!
First is the Taja: https://www.tajaacademic.com/product/fitness-workout-journal-for-women-men-a55-5-x-8-5-workout-log-book-planner-for-tracking-progress-and-achieving-your-wellness-goals-lavenderc-blue/ or https://amzn.to/4nRysfV (Amazon affiliate link)
This A5 sized undated planner has a ton of features and space for up to 20 weeks of fitness tracking - for under $10!
Then comes a review of the Dailee 2026-27 Mom Planner (though it could be for anyone in charge of family logistics). This planner is $55 and has over 500 pages (!) of content, from cleaning checklists to packing lists and more.
https://the-dailee.com/products/2026-2027-mom-planner
Send Sarah ideas for what to review next, and visit the show notes page at theshubox.com to view photos + enter the giveaway!

Sponsors:

IXL: Best Laid Plans listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.ixl.com/plans⁠⁠⁠⁠.

PrepDish: Make your menu planning so much easier! Try it free for 2 weeks by visiting ⁠⁠⁠⁠prepdish.com/plans⁠⁠⁠⁠

Green Chef: Healthy and convenient meal kits and more! Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠greenchef.com/50bestlaid⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use code 50bestlaid to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for 2 months.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, Sarah shares step-by-step how she thinks through planning her summer (including her real-life plans and goals for this summer!). You can use this episode as your own summer planning guide by pausing it and answering the question for yourself!
Looking for more episodes like this?
Plan the Week Together: https://theshubox.com/2026/03/ep-294-lets-plan-the-week-together.html
Empty Your Inbox With Me: https://theshubox.com/2025/11/ep-278-empty-your-inbox-with-me-and-hemlock-oak-daily-weekly-monthly-planner-review.html

Sponsors:

IXL: Best Laid Plans listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ⁠⁠⁠https://www.ixl.com/plans⁠⁠⁠.

PrepDish: Make your menu planning so much easier! Try it free for 2 weeks by visiting ⁠⁠⁠prepdish.com/plans⁠⁠⁠

Green Chef: Healthy and convenient meal kits and more! Visit ⁠⁠⁠greenchef.com/50bestlaid⁠⁠⁠ and use code 50bestlaid to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for 2 months.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, Sarah shares some follow up listener comments to the prior discussion about the intersection between spending (or saving!) and planning, and then she delves into a (somewhat raw!) discussion of her feelings around AI, starting with a historical example -- her 2010s thoughts on the emerging iPhone!
Feel free to share your thoughts on technology (sarah hart unger at gmail, or leave a comment in the show notes!).
Blog mentioned in the first section: https://optimisticmusings.com

Sponsors:

IXL: Best Laid Plans listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ⁠⁠https://www.ixl.com/plans⁠⁠.

PrepDish: Make your menu planning so much easier! Try it free for 2 weeks by visiting ⁠⁠prepdish.com/plans⁠⁠

Green Chef: Healthy and convenient meal kits and more! Visit ⁠⁠greenchef.com/50bestlaid⁠⁠ and use code 50bestlaid to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for 2 months.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices