Best Laid Plans

Apr 15 2024 710
Best Laid Plans Podcast artwork

Welcome to 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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Planner Peace: Remarkable2 + Digital/Paper Hybrid System with Erin Peth EP 194

Apr 15 2024 29 mins  
Today's episode features a planner peace submission that was so intriguing that it warranted an entire episode! Our listener Erin has a lot on her plate (full time job, 2 kids, volunteer work, caring for relatives, and more!) -- and she has put together and incredibly comprehensive system that brings her to a current state of Planner Peace! Rather than a stack, she's combined digit

April Q&A + Listener Tips: A Tool for ADHD/Time-Blindness, Repurposing Unused Planners, 5-Year Journals, Life Planning Workbooks, and More EP 193

Apr 08 2024 27 mins  
Welcome to April's Q&A/Tips episode! Sarah shares a brief recap of her family vacation (and getting back into life!) and then brings April's Q&A + Tips. Topics: 1) Quarters in the Southern Hemisphere - an Australian listener reports back! 2) Cool idea for repurposing an unused planner into a paper Second Brain/Collections Notebook/Master Planner 3) App rec for routine building for

Travel Thoughts & Tips EP 192

Apr 01 2024 23 mins  
Happy new quarter or quintile!! Today's episode is travel-inspired because Sarah will be returning from a family trip just before it airs. In today's episode, she shares her current travel planning strategies as a parent of kids who are now at ages that are pretty easy to travel with (6, 10, and about-to-be 12!). She covers her use of Apple Notes as a useful second brain for travel

Spring Planner Reviews: Small Niche Brands! EP 191

Mar 25 2024 30 mins  
In today's episode, Sarah reviews 3 planners from small business - one of them so small it hasn't been released yet! The planners are: 1) The Halo Planner by Rebecca Brosnan, thehaloplanner.com (shop not open yet, but will be soon) - quarterly gridded planner with a ton of features and both daily + weekly layouts 2) Biz Mom Planner by Tiffani - she describes her business as "woman,

Your Ideal Week EP 190

Mar 18 2024 23 mins  
Today's episode is devoted to the Ideal Week exercise, a practice where you put your ideal week onto paper (or screen) using an hourly format. This can be done on paper using a template or an old vertical weekly planner, or on screen via an electronic calendar or even by writing on a pdf using an app. Sarah discusses nuances of this exercise, components she includes, and variations

Planning Your Spring: Quintile 2 Planning Deep Dive EP 189

Mar 11 2024 24 mins  
Sarah opens with a discussion of the idea of planner page as "outside observer" and how seeing her day laid out in physical form can help alleviate stress and provide some helpful objectivity. (She is curious if this is a familiar feeing for anyone else!). In the main portion of the show, she provides a step by step planning guide for your Quintile 2, or spring season (fall for our

March Q&A: Planning in Career Transitions, Morning Planning, and Organizing Tasks Around a Big Move or Other Life Shift EP 188

Mar 04 2024 23 mins  
Welcome to the March Q&A Episode! Topics discussed: - Recommendations for planning and visioning during a job transition phase? - Organizing the many layers of tasks around a big international move - Follow up: Organizing kids' clothes - some tips from listener Sarah K! - Quintiles - do you divide the year evenly? - Details on morning planning sessions - Listener suggestion: Sunday

Planner Friend Double Interview with Amanda's Favorites! EP 187

Feb 26 2024 65 mins  
Today is a departure from the typical BLP format - in today's special edition episode, Sarah joins Amanda of Amanda's Favorites both via audio and on YouTube (view the video version on Amanda's channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEd0U-Hl3ZI ). The two hosts interview each other about a wide array of topics, from daily life to designing their dream planner! Link to Amanda

Deep Dive: Handling Life's Minutiae EP 186

Feb 19 2024 28 mins  
Today's deep dive episode was inspired by a listener question below: "I’m so curious how you handle all the minutia and small to-dos of daily life. I have 3 kids, a full-time in-office job, and also have a side hustle crafting-based business. It seems like there are constantly people to coordinate with for kids, teacher emails that should be read, game schedules to add to the cal

Thoughts on Resting Well EP 185

Feb 12 2024 22 mins  
We all need rest. How can you ensure that you give yourself the gift of rest when you need it? Sarah suggests planning for it can help, among other things! Today's episode is dedicated to all things rest as Sarah discusses her need for a 'down month' and discusses ways to truly rest well even with the challenges of work, kids, and more. Books Mentioned: Real Self Care by Pooja Laks