In this episode, Sarah reveals some planner confessions (ie, what has NOT worked well for her thus far this year -- already!) as well as a discussion about imperfect habit streaks, empty planner pages, and more. She also discusses what IS working well in 2022. Episode Sponsor: Organize 365! To learn more about Lisa Woodruff’s work and her amazing offerings, check out organize365.com, or go to organize365.com/minicourse for a free 7 days minicourse on getting yourself organized! Learn more about ...
Jan 17, 2022•23 min•Season 4Ep. 77
Sarah opens this episode with a discussion of 2022 and how -- despite challenges -- she hopes we can look at the upcoming year with optimism, and still find plenty of reasons to plan and dream of the possibilities of the coming months. Then, she discusses some new products she has heard about. In the Q&A, she answers questions about planners for those who work night shifts, storing planner-related items, and planning with one's partner. Episode Sponsor: PrepDish! Visit PrepDish.com/plans for...
Jan 10, 2022•27 min•Season 4Ep. 76
Welcome to Season 4 of BLP! In this episode, Sarah discusses a few yearly goal setting tactics and tips, and then reviews her own goals list for 2022! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 03, 2022•22 min•Season 4Ep. 75
Here it comes! In this episode, Sarah goes through each and every planner she hopes to make good use of in 2022. These include a surprise last minute edition, an old standby, 2 potential reading journals, and more! Products mentioned in this episode: Full Focus Planner (use SARAH10 for 10% off) Hobonichi Techo Cousin Hobonichi Weeks Hobonichi 5-Year Journal Cultivate What Matters PowerSheets JMB Living Journal My Reading Life: A Book Journal by Anne Bogel Bibliophile Reader's Journal by Jane Mou...
Dec 27, 2021•20 min•Season 3Ep. 74
In this episode, Sarah reviews two books that cross over the space between planner and journal, including the JMB Living Quarterly Journal and the Oprah "The Life You Want" Planner (though despite the name -- it has more of a structured journal feel to it!). Both are beautifully illustrated, with some similarities and some differences! She delves into both, including the types of pages included, paper quality, and the content. Both have wonderful features and would make great adjuncts to anyone ...
Dec 20, 2021•21 min•Season 3Ep. 73
This episode opens with a discussion of Sarah's current obsessions, including the Hobonichi Weeks as a wellness planner as well as the listmaking app ToDoist. She then answers a listener who is looking for gender-neutral kid planners, and shares some listener tips on focusing for obligers, a new routine-based resource, and a free end-of-year planning resource. Episode Sponsor: PrepDish: Check out PrepDish.com/plans for your first two weeks FREE! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone....
Dec 13, 2021•24 min•Season 3Ep. 72
In today's episode, Sarah chats with fellow planning enthusiast Anandi Raman Creath! Anandi is a paper lover and loves the Passion Planner and Nuuna notebooks, but in the past year or so has come to embrace Trello has her main life management system! Learn how she does it and listen for the fun planner chat between two paper + systems devotees :) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 06, 2021•28 min•Season 3Ep. 71
Today's episodes includes a Q&A segment, a fun gift-y product rec, and some musings on moving. In the Q&A, a listener write in asking for ideas for a wellness planner to track water, exercise, meals, and more. Then, a busy parent asks for a planner to help track kids' activities & babysitter schedules. Sarah shares one fun holiday gift find - the Messy & Bright box from Archer + Olive, and then ends with some thoughts on moving and all of the organization that it requires! Learn ...
Nov 29, 2021•16 min•Season 3Ep. 70
Sarah opens with a few updates -- she discusses Hemlock & Oak as a non-Tomoe River Paper alternative to the Hobonichi Cousin Weekly Layout, plus the large-sized Portfolio Planner release from Full Focus. She also mentions the MakseLife 2022 release - finally available for purchase! Then, the episode focuses on social media (or more specifically, her current feelings on her Instagram experience) with a deep dive into pros, cons, and future directions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...
Nov 22, 2021•25 min•Season 3Ep. 69
In this episode, Sarah takes a close look at two smaller/newer brands that you may not have seen yet. The first is Sprouted, a spiral-bound planner with both weekly and daily options. Sprouted is a small company based in the US with emphasis on intention and connection. The second is Curation, a planner by the Australian company Saint Belford. This is a bound weekly planner with a focus on wellness, goal-setting, and habits. Finally, Sarah ends this planner-focused episode answering a listener q...
Nov 15, 2021•39 min•Season 3Ep. 68
In this episode, Sarah discusses ways to make the most of the next 2 months (Quintile 5 = Reflection + Celebration season!). Then, she dives into a planner review of the Planner Pad -- which is not really a "pad" per se, but does have a die hard following! Then she discusses an Etsy find that offers daily, weekly, and monthly pages in one book. Episode Sponsor is PrepDish! PrepDish is offering listeners a free 2-week trial to try it out. Check out PrepDish.com/plans for this amazing deal! Learn ...
Nov 08, 2021•26 min•Season 3Ep. 67
In this episode, Sarah opens with a discussion of planning tips for Obligers, inspired by a listener comment. Then she moves to a discussion about planning retreats -- how to devote an entire day (or more!) to planning, whether it is for work, personal, or with one's partner. She shares her experiences recently helping her husband plan as well (hopefully he will be a guest soon!). Finally, she answers a listener planner matchmaking request - two pages per day PLUS a weekly layout? Not an easy fi...
Nov 01, 2021•33 min•Season 3Ep. 66
In this fun interview episode, Sarah has a chat with Karina about the origin story and launch of her stationery shop, Honeypress! They also discuss some of her latest releases, including the Kokuyo Jibun Techo lineup, and Karina delves into her plans for 2022. Check out her shop at honeypress-nc.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 25, 2021•47 min•Season 3Ep. 65
This episode opens with a discussion of fall launch updates from a few of Sarah's favorite brands, as well as a brief recap of what she is using now. Then, she answers listener questions on illness tracking, combining different areas of life into one book, and finally organizing weekly task lists. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 18, 2021•28 min•Season 6Ep. 64
Sarah Powers (@powersofmine on Insta, and cohost of the very popular podcast The Mom Hour) joins Sarah today to discuss her favorite planning tools. She shares how she went from using a Moleskine notebook with a very full and somewhat stressful list-making system to making the most of the app Todoist! She also discusses a bit about how she helps her own kids plan, a tool she uses with her kids at the end of each year to help them think about goals called the Big Life Journal. Learn more about yo...
Oct 11, 2021•37 min•Season 3Ep. 63
In this episode, Sarah is thrilled to interview author, speaker, thought leader, and amazing podcast host Gretchen Rubin! They have a really fun conversation about Gretchen's planning habits, from her decades-old Filofax to the Album of Now. Gretchen's new journals are launching this week (October 1), and they include a Don't Break the Chain journal, a One Sentence Journal, and even a super cute tackle box filled with list-worthy pads. Find them (and more) at the-happiness-project.com! Learn mor...
Oct 04, 2021•40 min•Season 3Ep. 62
In this episode, Sarah starts out answering a question about what kinds of planning tools she uses in her work day. Then, she provides a follow up recommendation for our listener looking for a comprehensive A4 system - the Panda Planner! Next, she gives a mention to the Manta Planner, a planner designed specifically for those undergoing cancer treatment. Finally, she shares a mini-review of the Full Focus planner, a 3-month planner with goal setting content designed to promote intentionality and...
Sep 27, 2021•31 min•Season 3Ep. 61
In this episode, Sarah addresses two listeners who wrote in requesting planner matchups! Monica wants a versatile A4 system with tons of features, and Erika is hoping for a planner similar to the Hobonichi Cousin Avec - but on different paper. Another listener writes in asking about Silk + Sonder, and then finally Sarah does a review of the 6 Month Undated Goal Planner from Ink + Volt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 20, 2021•31 min•Season 3Ep. 60
This episode opens with all of the things Sarah loves about daily planning. Benefits as she lists them include motivation, accountability, record-keeping, understanding schedule nuances, having a daily clean slate, and helping to prioritize. Then, the reviews! Kitlife Dailybrings a super-functional daily layout at a great price point. Then comes Jordan Page's Productivity Planner with its unique daily layout. This episode is sponsored by PrepDish! Check out PrepDish.com/plans for your first 2 we...
Sep 13, 2021•31 min•Season 3Ep. 59
This episode is all about Hobonichi Techo planners. Sarah discusses the various options (A5 Cousin, A6 Original, Avec, A6 English, Weeks, Weeks Mega -- apologies to the Day Free, which was left out!). Then, she discusses pros and cons of using this unique system. She also discusses how to order on their site, their interesting bonus gifts, and her current ordering plans for this year! This episode is sponsored by Organize 365 - please check out their great offerings and learn more at organize365...
Sep 06, 2021•28 min•Season 3Ep. 58
This Q&A episode is in part dedicated to planner matchmaking requests! Listeners wrote in asking for various layouts and combos, and Sarah does her best to try to think of great ideas for you. She also answers a listener question about recording gratitude, and another about whether to combine work + life in one book! This episode is sponsored by Organize 365! Organize 365 empowers individuals to learn the functional skills of home and paper organization. Learn more at organize365.com today! ...
Aug 30, 2021•28 min•Season 3Ep. 57
In this Q&A episode, Sarah discusses some listener tips for what to do to make returning from vacation feel more manageable. Then, there are questions about difficulty finding planner peace, planning for the holiday season (quite early!), cookbook recommendations for planning meals, getting back on track when you've fallen out of the planning routine, and finally about her 9 year old's current planner preferences :) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 23, 2021•20 min•Season 3Ep. 56
Amanda from Amanda's Favorites is known for her amazing and in-depth YouTube planner reviews. Sarah was honored and excited to interview her for the show! They chat about go-to planners, digital planning, under-the-radar planner brands, kids' planning, and more! Check out the show notes page at theshubox.com for links to some of Amanda's videos and some of the products mentioned! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 16, 2021•32 min•Season 3Ep. 55
Today's episode is all about the back to school season! Sarah discusses routines to think about and other aspects of life to re-evaluate as we head into this second "fresh start" season of the year. Then, in a really fun segment she discusses her favorite blast-from-the-past school supplies from the 1980s + 1990s! Does anyone still have their original Trapper Keeper? Today's episode is sponsored by PrepDish. Go to PrepDish.com/plans for your first 2 weeks, FREE. Learn more about your ad choices....
Aug 09, 2021•23 min•Season 3Ep. 54
Welcome back to Season 3 of Best Laid Plans! Sarah returns from a monthlong hiatus full of ideas and planning energy. She provides an update on her current planning setup and then dives into a review of the compact and versatile &Studium Daily Undated Study Planner, a 4-month daily planner originally designed for study tracking, but with so much more potential! In the Q&A, Sarah answers a question about getting back into the planning/life routine groove after a vacation. Learn more about...
Aug 02, 2021•28 min•Season 3Ep. 53
In this episode, Sarah does a deep dive into planning larger chunks of the year, whether are quarters or quintiles. She details the feelings and rituals that generally occur in each Quintile, as well as the use of breaking up the year in this way. This episode is sponsored by interactive online yoga studio Stillness + Movement. You can learn more and sign up for class by going to StillnessAndMovement.com and take your first class for free when you use the code BLP. Learn more about your ad choic...
Jul 26, 2021•22 min•Season 2Ep. 52
In this Deep Dive episodes, Sarah shares details about her morning routine and how she goes about daily planning. She also muses on the idea of essentially crowding out bad or mindless habits by intentionally spending time on things you want to, including through the use of effective routines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 19, 2021•21 min•Season 2Ep. 51
This episode was inspired by a listener who wanted to hear about ideas for getting started with planning from scratch. While it is hard to be prescriptive about what any one person should use, there are definitely a number of fundamental things to think through as you create your planning and productivity toolkit: calendaring, task and goals management, routines, and finally the aethestics of it all! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 12, 2021•31 min•Season 2Ep. 50
This episode takes a deep dive into one of Sarah's favorite planning techniques: the Weekly Review. There are so many great ways to do a weekly review process, and one size definitely does not fit all! Listen to discover the many elements you can mix and match to create a perfect jumping-off point for each new week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 05, 2021•21 min•Season 2Ep. 49
For the season finale of BLP, Sarah put out a call to Instagram for questions for an "Ask Me Anything" format episode. Join in to hear Sarah's answers to every question (and next time be sure to submit your own!). BLP will be on hiatus for July, but look out for some re-emergence of "greatest hits" episodes from the archives! Also in the meantime, you can find Sarah at theshubox.com as well as @shubox_plans on Instagram. Happy Summer! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoice...
Jun 28, 2021•35 min•Season 2Ep. 48
