In today’s episode, I share an update for the listener seeking high-contrast planner options, with products mentioned including the Marjolein Delhaas Planners from Wms&Co, Rad & Happy, and Passion Planner.
Then, I share a listener’s story of ordering the Personal Planner from Sweden — and being extremely surprised by fees (over 4x the value of the planner!).
(In this episode, I mention my Hobonichi still stuck in shipping purgatory, but it has since been released and is happily sitting next to my desk!! I will share some of the fun stuff I bought in a future ep!)
Then, I get into the concept of an Analog Fall (or an Analog 2026?) inspired by Julianna Salguero’s Keepsake substack post. (“Analog” as a countercultural word of the year for 2026? Maybe?)
I add to Julianna’s ideas with several ideas for analog activities of my own, and also ponder: if we were adding tech back to our lives from scratch, what would we actually choose to partake in? I am very glad the technology exists to write this post and share it with you all, so would definitely keep that!
Episode Sponsors:
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 mint mobile.com/BLP.
PrepDish: Meal plans ready to go, in your inbox each week. You can try 2 weeks free at prepdish.com/plans!
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 ixl.com/plans
Course notes:
Visit the course page to learn more about guided annual and seasonal planning experiences for 2026 — Best Laid Plans at Home: Planning 2026 is your annual planning experience now in its 3rd year. If you struggle to carve out time and space and want to add some accountability and structure to your yearly planning, this course is for you! Included: comprehensive annual planning workbook (provided as pdf), 4 hours of annual planning held in Dec/Jan, and a 1-hour midyear check-in.
4 Comments
Fountain pens for lefties! Consider trying a Lamy Safari with a left-handed nib (slightly finer than your average Lamy nib, and with a different angle to the grind). Also give the Pilot Kakuno in Fine or Extra Fine a shot. Japanese pens tend to run very fine which means your ink dries faster and is less prone to smudging. The body of the Kakuno isn’t particularly aesthetic, but it is very inexpensive, so if you like the nib and find that it works for you, you can upgrade to something prettier. As you probably already know, paper also makes a difference. Glossier papers are more prone to smudging. As you’re experimenting with fountain pens, look for a nib/ink/paper combo that dries as quickly as possible. Lefties CAN use fountain pens. Have fun exploring!
I’m seriously so excited!!!!
I’m not a lefty but I second the quicker drying paper and inks. Pen world is a deep, deep rabbit hole, and I am certain that many people using fountain pens are left-handed and have good advice.
Great episode! I’m leaning toward more analog these days myself and am writing to penpals with my stationery stash and fountain pens, writing in my journal and planner more, and getting back to baking and maybe knitting. Fall is a great time to restart and refresh good habits.
I’m glad you finally received your Hobonichi!
I just took a look at the details of the Marjolein Delhaas Planners from Wms&Co, Rad & Happy, and Passion Planner, Dr. Sarah Hart-Unger.
I feel like if I’m to write about all my reflections of designing from scratch what tech is like, this comment of mine will contain more than 1000 words. But, if you click over to the blog page of my main site “Mr. Wu’s 3D Printer Corner” at “wuyukun3dprintersupply.net/blog”, you will find that I write almost the same paragraph at the end of most of my blog posts. Those are the rules that I’d like to follow. Once I have some evidence that I can show that I have followed those rules myself, that’ll make me even begin to have confidence in setting rules for others.
I understand that you’d rather get rid of all apps except Emails, Maps, Podcasts, Music-TV-Movie streaming, and Mobile Check Deposits, Dr. Sarah Hart-Unger. This, I think, will also eliminate web browsers, which will mean eliminating your main site “theshubox.com” alongside your ability to write blog posts. I’m also thinking if you’re still able to maintain your ability to work from home on some days and being in office on some other days if you keep only the 5 aforementioned apps. Of course, it is crucial not to spend all of our time on computers and phones, so I’ll need to share with you my phone’s reports of how much time I spend per day on phones. Again, I can only send those reports to you via emails. I’ll also need to find out if my computers can also report on how much time I spend per day on my computers.
I actually do work in the 3D Printer industry, Dr. Sarah Hart-Unger. This means that I know that 3D Printers, too, must contain digital logic gates on the inside in order to function. A 3D Printer that contains only analog devices on the inside is not going to be able to do it’s job. This makes me wonder whether my use of 3D Printers to make things is a “digital” task or an “analog” task.
In the meantime, though, I think I can see where you’re coming from when you pointed out that before you get an iPhone, you already knew that you’re going to struggle with it. I’ve just scratched the surface here, and my comment’s already exceeded 400 words. I think I’ll stop here.