Best Laid Plans — a podcast all about planning and the planning tools we love. From planning techniques and organizing philosophies to planners and notebooks, we cover it all. Host Sarah Hart-Unger is a mother of 3, physician, podcasting pro, and a lover of lists and all things paper! Listen in weekly for conversations about planning and productivity as well as product reviews and interviews with planning experts!
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LINKS TO ALL SHOW NOTES: Newest to Oldest
2024 Episodes
Episode 225: 10 Reasons to Take a Break from Social Media
Episode 224: Planning Changes for Next Year, Just Scribble Planner Mini-Review, and Nested Goals Example
Episode 223: Q5: Reflection + Celebration Season!
Episode 222: Planner Mini-Reviews: Full Focus Wellness, Ashley Shelly Daily, and Organize 365
Episode 221: October Q&A – 99% Planner Peace, Hot Tips, and Can ChatGPT Pick Your Planner?
Episode 220: How a Full Time Academic + Mother of 5 Gets it Done (with Joy!), Featuring Sarah Jedd
Episode 219: BLP at Home 2025 // Favorite Planner Spreads + More
Episode 218: Your New Month Guide
Episode 216: The Plan (and Planning) with Kendra Adachi
Episode 215: Mixed Bag: Planner Peace, Planner News, and Dealing with Stressful / Uncertain Times
Episode 214: How to Build More Intentionality Into Your Life
Episode 213: August Q&A: Inbox Zero, Big Projects, Working Speed, Mindfulness, and More!
Episode 212: Mixed Bag: PTO Tracking, Post-Vacation Analysis + 2025 Planner Preview (Hobonichi + More)
Episode 211: Episode 211: Quintile 4 + Q&A Deep Dive: Sticking to Your Plan
Episode 210: You Only Die Once: Mortality, Planning, and So Much More with Jodi Wellman
Episode 209: Best Laid Plans Academy 2024
Episode 208: July Q&A — Planner Peace x 2, Task Management on Paper, Notetaking + More
Episode 207: Goal Setting and Dream Building with Sierra Friend from MakseLife
Episode 206: Summer Reading: Reading Habits, TBR Lists, Paper vs Digital, and Favorites of 2024 (so far!)
Episode 205: July 1 is the new Jan 1? Happy Midyear Planning!
Episode 204: Thoughts on Time Block Planning
Episode 203: June Q + A: Working in Distracting Environments, Budget Planning, Mental Health and More
Episode 202: Summer Planning Ideas + Inspiration
Episode 201: Planning-Adjacent: A Marathon Journey
Episode 200: May Q&A: Margins, Travel, Laurel Denise Planners, and Avoiding That “Am I Missing Something?” Feeling
Episode 199: Top 5 Things (Birthday Ep!)
Episode 198: Using ClickUp to Organize it All with Jade Boyd
Episode 197: Those Projects That Won’t Go Away
Episode 196: Decor, Cozy Minimalism and Creating a Functional Home with Myquillyn Smith
Episode 195: Spring Planner Releases: NOLTY, Simplified, Erin Condren
Episode 194: Planner Peace: Hybrid System and the Remarkable2 with Erin Peth
Episode 192: Travel Thoughts & Tips
Episode 191: Spring Planner Reviews from Small & Emerging Planner Brands
Episode 190: The Ideal Week
Episode 189: Diving Into Quintile #2!
Episode 188: March Q&A: Planning in Career Transitions, Morning Planning, and Organizing Tasks Around a Big Life Shift
Ep 187: Planner Chat with Amanda’s Favorites
Ep 186: Listener-Request: Handling the Minutiae
Ep 185: Thoughts on Resting Well
Ep 184: February Q&A: Busyness, Checklists, and More
Ep 183: All-Digital Planning + Life Systems with Kae
Ep 182: Nested Goals Explained
Ep 180: Enjoying Media (the Non-Social Kind)
Ep 179: 2024 Goals!
2023 Episodes
Ep 178: 2023 Favorite + Goals Recap
Ep 177: Annual Goal Setting
Ep 175: Planning by Season + 2024 Planner Stack
Ep 174: Lessons form Digital Detox 2.0 and Seasonal Planning Sessions
Ep 173: Meal Planning & More with Meghan Splawn of Didn’t I Just Feed You
Ep 172: November Q&A – Fitness Goals, Planning Ahead, Goal-setting Planners + More
Ep 171: The FAQ Episode
Ep 170: (RE-AIR): How Sarah Organizes Her Life
Ep 169: Fall 2024 Planner Reviews x 3! Passionate Penny Pincher, Pen & Pillar, Sprouted (Hourly)
Ep 168: Inputs, Interruptions & Reactivity
Ep 166: Overwhelm + Introducing Planning 2024 at Home
Ep 165: Fall Reviews: Cal Newport’s Time Block Planner 2.0 + Archer & Olive
Ep 164: September Q&A: Pregnancy Planners, Daily Planners + More + Listener Responses
Ep 163: Teachers + Planning!
Ep 162: Planning-Adjacent: Tips to Tame Work Stress
Ep 161: Hobonichi Release, Hobonichi-Inspired Options, and Fall 2023 Best Laid Plans Academy
Ep 160: Planning x Crafts with Sherri McConnell of A Quilting Life
Ep 159: Thinking Through Quintile 4: Back to School Season
Ep 157: Lisa Woodruff Interviews Me for her Back to School Blitz!
Ep 156: Daily Disciplines + Giveaway Time!
Ep 155: Current Adventures in Decluttering + Organizing
Ep 154: July Q&A – longer term goals, paper 101, planner matchmaking, and more
Ep 153: Exploring Franklin-Covey with Stacy Mellem
Ep 152: Adventures in Disc-Bound Planning with Inkwell Press
Ep 151: Summer Follow Up, Mark’s Log Book, and Photos & Memories Revisited
Ep 150: Life Updates: The Good, The Bad, and the Planners
Ep 148: Summer Planning, Digital Detox, and More
Ep 147: Habits, Intention, and Overcoming Perfectionism with Monica Packer
Ep 146: Reviews: Erin Condren + Productivity Planner
Ep 145: Efficiency Tips for Health Care Providers
Ep 144: Q&A: Custom systems, Planning/Productivity Gender Divide + More
Ep 143: Heart to Heart Screen Time Talk
Ep 141: Travel Notes from the Road
Ep 140: How to Think About Big Projects
Ep 139: Ask Me Anything!
Ep 138: Your Budget Meets Organization with Allison Baggerly
Ep 137: ALL the Pens
Ep 136: Mixed Bag Ep!
Ep 135: Planning Your Passions
Ep 133: Coping During Stressful Times, Monthly Goal Planner, and Best Laid Plans Academy Details
Ep 132: Planning with 17-year-old Superstar, Aashna Shah
Ep 131: Two Weekly Options: Haroo Planner + Roterunner Purpose Planner
Ep 130: Sick Day Notes + Tips
Ep 129: Q&A: Meeting Notes, Irregular Schedules, Erasable Pens, Tracking Ongoing Tasks + Planner Peace Gold
Ep 128: Ryder Carroll, Bullet Journal Creator
Ep 127: Fun + Fresh Start to 2023
2022 Episodes
Ep 125: Finite Lives and Infinite Goals with Oliver Burkeman
Ep 124: Planner Stack 2023!
Ep 123: 4 Mini Planner Reviews
Ep 122: Q&A + DIY Monthly Goal Planner
Ep 121: Planner-Aligned: Tranquility by Tuesday with Laura Vanderkam
Ep 120: Planning & Fitness with Allison Sizemore
Ep 119: Live from our Couples Planning Retreat: Joshua Unger
Ep 118: Top 10 Rules for Life!
Ep 117: Planner Peace, Tentative Events, PlannerBase, Personal Updates & More
Ep 116: Meal Planning with Nakita Vassallo of The Mama Manual
Ep 115: Planner News & Listener Q&A
Ep 114: Getting Things Done Deep Dive
Ep 113: Planning for the Inevitable with Kristen Meinzer
Ep 112: Nolki, Hobonichi, Cultivate + Planner Profile with Kate Hanley
Ep 110: How Sarah Organizes Her Life
Ep 109: 2023 Hobonichi Deep Dive
Ep 108: Back to School, Scrolling Habits, Planner Matchups & Apple Notes
Ep 107: Digital Planning with Time Management Expert Kelly Nolan
Ep 106: Reading Life & Reading Journals
Ep 105: Planner Chat with Bloom Creator Michelle Askin
Ep 104: COVID ReAir: Getting Through Tough Times
Ep 103: Listener Tip, A Planner Hub, and Current Stack
Ep 102: Digital Planner Peace & Mid-Year Review
Ep 101: Listener Advice & Mini-Review: The Plan by Lauren Truslow
Ep 100: Ask Me Anything!
Ep 99: Intentional Practices for Tough Times
Ep 98: Email Etc!
Ep 97: Digital Planner Peace, Work Notebooks, and Vacation Planning & Packing
Ep 96: Planner Peace with Agendio + EC Daily Duo A5 Review
Ep 95: Q&A – Current Planner Lineup, Fixing Mistakes, Ring-Bound Options, Planner Anxiety
Ep 94: Planning Your Summer!
Ep 93: Planning for Stress Relief + Hemlock & Oak Review
Ep 92: Planning Your Style with Lani Inlander
Ep 91: Q&A – Dividing Household Labor, Hobby Calendar Recs, Planner for Part Time, and More!
Ep 90: When Life Gets Messy: How to Dig Yourself Out
Ep 89: Planner Peace & New Releases (EC, Simplified)
Ep 88: Tracking Things: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Ep 87: Q&A Inamio Review
Ep 86: Nir Eyal: Planning to Avoid Distractions and Live with Intention
Ep 85: Q&A – Digital Planning, Unstructured Days, and a MakseLife Review
Ep 84: Dr Christine Koh: Thoughtful and Gentle Planning
Ep 83: Notebook Deep Dive
Ep 82: Favorite Planning-Adjacent Podcasts + Retail Therapy
Ep 81: Planning in Challenging Times
Ep 80: Budget-Friendly Planners, Planning with Confidential Info, & More
Ep 79: Q&A + ProAction Planner Review
Ep 78: Planning Your Passions with Laura Tremaine
Ep 77: Planner Confessions, Imperfections & What is Working
Ep 76: Q&A: Listener Recs, Planning with a Partner, Planner Storage, and a Planner for Night Work
Ep 75: Some Thoughts on Yearly Goal Setting
2021 Episodes
Ep 74: 2022 Planner Stack!
Ep 73: Two Journals for Cozy Reflection Time: JMB Living + Oprah The Life You Want
Ep 72: Wellness Planning in the Hobonichi, Q&A on Kids Planners, and Listener Finds
Ep 71: Trello, Passion Planner + More! Planning Chat with Anandi Raman Creath
Ep 70: Q&A: Wellness Planning, Tracking Multiple Kids, Holiday Ideas, Moving, + More
Ep 69: Instagram + Social Media: Real Thoughts
Ep 68: Two Newer Planner Options: Sprouted + Curation Planner Reviews
Ep 67: Reflection Season, Planner Pad Review, and an Etsy Find
Ep 66: All About Planning Retreats
Ep 65: Starting Her Own Planner Shop with Karina from Honeypress!
Ep 64: Fall Product Drop Notes + Q&A
Ep 63: Finding Planner Peace with Sarah Powers + Todoist
Ep 62: BLP x Gretchen Rubin
Ep 61: Work Planning + Full Focus Mini-Review
Ep 60: Planner Matchups + Ink + Volt
Ep 59: KitLife and Page Productivity Planner, plus some Q&A
Ep 58: All About Hobonichi
Ep 57: Planner Matchmaking, Gratitude Journaling, and Combining Work & Life into One System
Ep 56: Planner Peace, Post-Vac Strategies, and More!
Ep 55: Best Laid Plans x Amanda’s Favorites
Ep 54: Back to School Extravaganza!
Ep 53: Welcome Back + &Studium Daily Planner Review
Ep 49-52: Re-airing of prior episodes during July Hiatus!
Ep 48: Ask Me Anything!
Ep 46: Midyear Goals Check-In
Ep 45: Planner Matchmaking with Laura Vanderkam
Ep 44: Planning Your Summer!
Ep 43: Interview Ep: Elise Cripe from the Get to Work Book!
Ep 42: Q&A: Less feminine planners, long-range planning, planning in residency, and more!
Ep 41: From Essentialism to Effortless with Greg McKeown
Ep 40: Routines and More with Ashley Brown of Routine & Things!
Ep 39: Midyear Planner Switch & Review of Softbound Erin Condren Life Planner
Ep 38: Q&A: Storing Miscellaneous Info, Urgent vs Important, and Planner Shopping Online
Ep 37: Digital Organizing & More with Kelsey Wharton
Ep 36: Planning Your Year in Quarters or Quintiles
Ep 35: Spring Reviews: Day Designer, Villa BeauTIFFul, and a Photo Sticker Printer
Ep 34: More Q&A! Mental load, time blocking, weekend/vacation planning, and more!
Ep 33: Organizing Your Home, Your Paper, and Your Life with Lisa Woodruff from Organize 365!
Ep 32: Planning Your Financial Life
Ep 31: Plan with Laken!
Ep 30: MakseLife Quarterly Notebook Review + Q/A
Ep 29: Planning & Anticipation in Pandemic Times
Ep 28: Daily Planning, Routines, and Crowding Out Bad Habits
Ep 27: Layered Living Planner: Goal-setting, self-care, and more
Ep 26: Q&A: Work tasks, Meal Planning, Maternity Leave & More
Ep 25: BLP x Planners & Wine Planner Chat
Ep 24: 2021 Systems!
2020 episodes
Ep 23: Year End Q&A
Ep 22: Spaces Planner
Ep 21: End of Year Goal Setting (even in 2020!)
Ep 20: Dot Journaling and More with Guest Rachel W. Miller
Ep 19: Rest
Ep 18: Time Block Planning & More with Cal Newport
Ep 17: Technique Spotlight: Monthly Review
Ep 16: Wonderland 222 Review
Ep 15: Planner Reviews: myWeek and Cultivate What Matters
Ep 14: Q&A Episode #3
Ep 13: Planning with Inserts, Rings, and Discs with Guest Imani Michelle
Ep 12: Reviews – Amplify & Papier
Ep 11: Habit Change Deep Dive with Focus on Screen Time
Ep 10: Q&A Episode + A Fun Cameo.
Ep 9: Favorite Planning Inspiration: Books & Podcasts. Plus, some fall release discussion!
Ep 8: Tatiana from The Stationery Muse
Ep 7: Live Rich Planner & Jibun Techo Biz (B6)
Ep 6: Getting Started with Planning. How would you build a system from the ground up?
Ep 5: All Q&A Episode! Planning rituals, to do capture & more!
Ep 4: Rocketbook, Kanban & More with Beth Cubbage
Ep 3: Hobonichi Techo Cousin – Current System
Ep 2: Weekly Review
Ep 1: Debut
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MUSIC/THEME CREDIT
All show music is by Rushmore Beekeepers with additional production by Greene Means Go
FAVORITE PLANNING TOOLS
For some favorite product links, check out the Planning Posts & Tools Page!
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