Best Laid Plans

In today's episode, Sarah shares some life updates coming off of a tough week! Then she delves into an overview of BLP Live and some of her own key planning takeaways from the event. Finally, she responds to a listener request for a "DIY Planning Primer", providing a list of 15 episodes that cover essential planning topics -- from building a system from scratch to daily planning, seasonal planning, monthly planning, and more.

Full links to each episode can be found on the show notes posted at theshubox.com!

Ep #6: Building a System from Scratch
Ep #28: Daily Planning Routines and Crowding Out Bad Habits
Ep #36: Planning in Quarters and Quintiles
Ep #88: Tracking - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Ep #110: How Sarah Organizes Her Life
Ep #145: Efficiency Tips for Healthcare Providers
Ep #168: Inputs, Interruptions & Reactivity
Ep #177: Annual Goal Setting
Ep #182: Nested Goals Explained
Ep #190: Your Ideal Week
Ep #214: How to Build More Intentionality Into Your Life
Ep #218: Your New Month Guide
Ep #233: January Energy + 3 Essential Systems
Ep #245: The Gap Between Planning and Doing
Ep #269: 10 Things to Consider if You Are Feeling Scattered

Episode Sponsors:

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In today's episode, Sarah interviews Jodi Wellman, author of You Only Die Once: How to Make it to the End with No Regrets. This is Jodi's second visit to the podcast, and this conversation is all about the planning rituals that Jodi herself uses to ensure the (finite) life she is living has all of the elements that make it feel truly well-lived. They get into the weeds about her monthly vision boards, planning brunch dates, and how one might actually PLAN IN some spontaneity (yes, such a thing is possible!). This episode will help you get excited and inspired to gear up to plan 2026.
Jodi can be found at her website https://fourthousandmondays.com and on instagram at @fourthousandmondays -- her (free) newsletter comes out each Mondy and is a wonderful way to start the week.
Sarah also mentions Best Laid Plans at Home: Planning 2026 in this episode; details can be found at theshubox.com/courses

Sponsor Notes:

IXL: Make an impact on your child’s learning, get IXL now. 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: Make this fall your healthiest yet with Green Chef. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠greenchef.com/50bestlaid ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and use code 50BESTLAID to get fifty percent off your first month, then twenty percent off for two months with free shipping.

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PrepDish: Meal plans ready to go, in your inbox each week. You can try 2 weeks free at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠prepdish.com/plans⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

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Jen Ludwig loves holiday planning -specifically, she loves planning around her traditions of Christmas. However, this episode is for you no matter what you love to celebrate at the end of the year! In today's episode, Jen shares her tips for creating a celebratory season that is filled with fun and not overwhelm. She also has some fantastic gift tips + hacks!
Find Jen's book, Embracing Advent: Rediscovering Christmas in the Chaos (A Daily Devotional) on amazon, and more from jen at @jenludwigwrites on IG or substack.

Sponsor Notes:

IXL: Make an impact on your child’s learning, get IXL now. 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: Make this fall your healthiest yet with Green Chef. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠greenchef.com/50bestlaid ⁠⁠⁠⁠and use code 50BESTLAID to get fifty percent off your first month, then twenty percent off for two months with free shipping.

Mint Mobile: Ready to save on your wireless? Make the switch at ⁠⁠⁠⁠mintmobile.com/BLP⁠⁠⁠⁠.

PrepDish: Meal plans ready to go, in your inbox each week. You can try 2 weeks free at ⁠⁠⁠⁠prepdish.com/plans⁠⁠⁠⁠!

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

In today's episode, Sarah shares an update for the listener seeking high-contrast planner options, with products mentioned including the Marjolein Delhaas Planner from Wms&Co, Rad & Happy, and Passion Planner.

Then, she shares a listener's story of ordering the Personal Planner from Sweden -- and being extremely surprised by fees (over 4x the value of the planner!).

Following, Sarah gets into the concept of an Analog Fall (or an Analog 2026?) inspired by Julianna Salguero's Keepsake substack post: https://juliannasalguero.substack.com/p/how-to-have-an-analog-fall

She adds to Julianna's ideas with several fun analog activities of her own, and also ponders: if we were adding tech back to our lives from scratch, what would we actually choose to partake in?

Sponsor Notes:

IXL: Make an impact on your child’s learning, get IXL now. 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: Make this fall your healthiest yet with Green Chef. Visit ⁠⁠⁠greenchef.com/50bestlaid ⁠⁠⁠and use code 50BESTLAID to get fifty percent off your first month, then twenty percent off for two months with free shipping.

Mint Mobile: Ready to save on your wireless? Make the switch at ⁠⁠⁠mintmobile.com/BLP⁠⁠⁠.

PrepDish: Meal plans ready to go, in your inbox each week. You can try 2 weeks free at ⁠⁠⁠prepdish.com/plans⁠⁠⁠!

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

In today's episode (and inspired by her recent girls' trip!), Sarah shares 6 practices to help you think through your big picture goals and dreams as we gear up for Reflection Season and starting to think about annual planning for 2026!

These include:
- Inspiring reading (or audio)
- 100 Dreams List
- 10, 5, or 1-year Visioning Exercises
- The gift of a notebook just for dreaming and scheming
- Deep conversion with a partner or friend
- Clean up!

A few specific items mentioned:

Laura's 100 Dreams List: https://lauravanderkam.com/2015/06/2015-list-100-dreams/
Nuuna Notebook: https://nuuna.com/notebooks
36 Questions: https://36questionsinlove.com
Course notes:
Visit theshubox.com/courses to learn more about guided annual and seasonal planning experiences for 2026!

Sponsor Notes:

IXL: Make an impact on your child’s learning, get IXL now. 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: Make this fall your healthiest yet with Green Chef. Visit ⁠⁠greenchef.com/50bestlaid ⁠⁠and use code 50BESTLAID to get fifty percent off your first month, then twenty percent off for two months with free shipping.

Mint Mobile: Ready to save on your wireless? Make the switch at ⁠⁠mintmobile.com/BLP⁠⁠.

PrepDish: Meal plans ready to go, in your inbox each week. You can try 2 weeks free at ⁠⁠prepdish.com/plans⁠⁠!

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

Today's episode is a very planner-centric Q&A episode (since it's that time of year!).

First, Cynthia opens with her planner peace - a mashup of prior BLP mentions, from the Passionate Pennypincher Planner to Planner Pad and a Stalogy notebook!

Then, Kristin shares a pro tip for melding her digital planning (via Google calendar) with a paper system that allows for daily notes jotted in pen and a physical representation of the weeks and months.

Susie shares a common planning conundrum - she has a life with LOTS of moving parts, but no one system to contain them all.

Finally, a listener wonders how to handle events being tentatively booked in advance, while another gives a shout-out to Midori's unique Double Scheduler options (https://www.jetpens.com/Midori-Double-Schedule-Diary-2026-B6-To-Do-Blue)

Notes:

Yes, you can text your questions to Sarah -- just text (305) 697-7189
2026 courses are open for registration at theshubox.com/courses. Planning By Season is almost full, so don't wait to register if you are interested!

Sponsor Notes:

IXL: Make an impact on your child’s learning, get IXL now. 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: Make this fall your healthiest yet with Green Chef. Visit ⁠greenchef.com/50bestlaid ⁠and use code 50BESTLAID to get fifty percent off your first month, then twenty percent off for two months with free shipping.

Mint Mobile: Ready to save on your wireless? Make the switch at ⁠mintmobile.com/BLP⁠.

PrepDish: Meal plans ready to go, in your inbox each week. You can try 2 weeks free at ⁠prepdish.com/plans⁠!

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

In today's episode, Sarah interviews Skye Waterson, ADHD strategist, host of a podcast in the ADHD space, and an expert in building systems that help entrepreneurs and execs with ADHD (or suspected ADHD) scale their businesses. Skye shares the strategies that she's currently using herself, as well as some great tips for prioritizing when everything feels urgent. She also shares ideas for procrastination and offers advice for others trying to support friends or family with ADHD.

Skye lives in New Zealand, and you can find her at unconventionalorganisation.com

Note: Best Laid Plans Live: Planning 2026 and Planning By Season: 2026 Edition are both open for registration for a limited time!
Visit theshubox.com/courses to learn more.

Sponsor Notes:

IXL: Make an impact on your child’s learning, get IXL now. 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: Make this fall your healthiest yet with Green Chef. Visit greenchef.com/50bestlaid and use code 50BESTLAID to get fifty percent off your first month, then twenty percent off for two months with free shipping.

Mint Mobile: Ready to save on your wireless? Make the switch at mintmobile.com/BLP.

PrepDish: Meal plans ready to go, in your inbox each week. You can try 2 weeks free at prepdish.com/plans!

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

In today's episode, Sarah opens with news about upcoming courses - both Best Laid Plans at Home: Planning 2026 AND Planning By Season will be back for next calendar year! Get details about the courses at theshubox.com/courses and be sure to sign up for her newsletter for registration info (newsletter drops 10/1).
Newsletter: theshubox.com/newsletter
Then, she talks all about FUN - the case for ensuring we plan in fun, ways to figure out what kind of fun we need, and inspiration for planning in fun at every time horizon, from daily to yearly and beyond.

Episode Sponsors:

IXL: Make an impact on your child's learning this school year with IXL! 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 season 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

Inspired by her own recent period of feeling a bit overwhelmed and all over the place, Sarah shares 10 tips for those feeling scattered.
Please be sure to sign up for the newsletter if you'd like to receive October's edition:
theshubox.com/newsletter
Email Sarah with questions or comments at sarah hart unger @ gmail or text (305) 697-7189

Episode Sponsors:

IXL: Make an impact on your child's learning this school year with IXL! 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 season 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 a Planner Peace submission from R, a lover of paper planners with a vision issue that makes small print and light colors difficult to work with. Please send Sarah any ideas for bright and bold planner brands to share with our listener!
Then, Sarah shares her notes on Wirecutter's picks for next year's planners!
The article can be found here:
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/our-favorite-paper-planners/
Send Sarah your own thoughts on the reviews, or submit your planning questions via email - sarah hart unger at gmail!

Episode Sponsors:

IXL: Make an impact on your child's learning this school year with IXL! 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 season 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