Best Laid Plans

Best Laid Plans

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!

Episodes

8 Back-to-School Planning Tactics and All About Quintile 4 EP 316

August 17, 2026 • 23 mins
In today's episode, Sarah confesses to her recent planner switchup, and then shares her love for Quintile 4, her "throwback" fall favorites, and 8 planning tactics for the back to school season.MD Notebook mentioned: https://amzn.to/4wWYhyM (affiliate link) August Sponsors: Factor Meals: Head to factormeals.com/plans50off and and use code plans50off to get 50 percent off and 1 free breakfast item per box while supplies last unti...
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August Q&A: Digital Task Management, Uncluttered Phone Screens, Planner Perfectionism + More! EP 315

August 10, 2026 • 20 mins
In today's episode, Sarah addresses listener questions sent for the month of August!Topics include:- Her current work schedule- Digital task management adventures thus far, plus a listener rec for Tick Tick- Sarah's current uncluttered phone setup- Addressing planner perfectionism- Annual vs Academic calendars- Planner news mentioned:Aura Estelle Magnet Planner: https://www.auraestelle.com/collections/2027-magnet-releaseHobonichi l...
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Reading + Focus Training Plans EP 314

August 3, 2026 • 21 mins
In today's episode, Sarah opens with a planner peace vignette from Olga, who describes her various methods for planning in fun!Then, she discusses the topic of reading and focus, with emphasis on ideas around improving one's focus over time with intentional time spent building the skill and endurance around paying attention.Mentioned:Atlantic article (gift link):Substack with the 'training plan for reading' concept: https://naomial...
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Goals in Real Life: Mid-Year Chat with a Friend EP 313

July 27, 2026 • 31 mins
In today's episode, Sarah does a midyear goal setting chat with her friend Kae! They answer a series of questions together to troubleshoot and check in with how the year is going so far, providing encouragement and ideas along the way.You can use this episode as a template of sorts to conduct your own friend or partner check-in, at the end of a month, season, or year!Find more from Kae at gratefulkae.com (and check out the Google T...
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The Case for Planning Fun EP 312

July 20, 2026 • 23 mins
Some people feel like planning in fun takes away . . . well, some of the fun! Sarah counters some of the common arguments for planning in fun, and offers suggestions for adding fun to every time frame, from yearly to daily! July Sponsors IXL: Best Laid Plans listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ⁠⁠https://www.ixl.com/plans⁠⁠. PrepDish: Make your menu planning so much easier! Try it fr...
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July Q&A: Seasonal Slumps, Editing Your "To Read" List, Planning in New Motherhood, and More EP 311

July 13, 2026 • 20 mins
In today's episode, Sarah tackles questions sent during the month of July. Topics:- How did you help your kids through the disappointment of cancelled plans (in reference to the prior week's ep)?- Advice for planning at the start of new motherhood?- Follow up advice for the listener struggling with her "to buy" list- What to do when "New Year" momentum fizzles out in spring and summer?- How to manage your "to be read" / "to be wa...
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When Your Best Laid Plans Fall Through . . . EP 310

July 6, 2026 • 17 mins
Very personal episode today! Sarah shares her own recent experiences dealing with a recent disappointment -- zero regrets about making the plans, but definitely some sadness about them not coming to fruition. July Sponsors IXL: Best Laid Plans listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at https://www.ixl.com/plans. PrepDish: Make your menu planning so much easier! Try it free for 2 weeks by vi...
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Climbing Out of a Hard Phase with Lisa Woodruff EP 309

June 29, 2026 • 25 mins
Lisa Woodruff is the founder of Organize 365 and author of multiple books, most recently Escaping Quicksand. Sarah always loves her ideas about planning and time, and in today's episode they chat overcoming overwhelm, but through the lens of planning. You can find more from Lisa at organize365.com in addition to @organize365 on Instagram.Resources Mentioned from Lisa: How I divide my year into thirds episode 143 https://organ...
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5 Lessons from Time Tracking That Aren't What You'd Think EP 308

June 22, 2026 • 21 mins
Sarah tracked her time for over 2 weeks (something she has struggled with in the past). What were her conclusions? Did she find 10 hours of free time that she didn't know she had? Will she continue for 10 years like her good friend and podcast cohost Laura Vanderkam? Listen to find out, and you can also visit the detailed show notes at theshubox.com! Episode Sponsors: IXL: Best Laid Plans listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IX...
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Midyear Planner Stack Report (Techo Kaigi!) - Video Available! EP 307

June 15, 2026 • 22 mins
Today's episode is a podcast with optional video! Sarah goes through a detailed midyear status report on her 2026 Planner Stack, sharing the analog notebooks and planners she uses regularly.Items mentioned: Midori Hibino 2026Hobonichi 5-Year JournalAshley Shelly Monthly (Amanda's Favorites Collab)Hobonichi WeeksHobonichi Cousin A5Hobonichi Day-Free A5 (monthly pages then plank)Want more video? Let Sarah know what you'd like to see...
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June Q&A: Mostly Analog Planner Peace, Small Task Overwhelm, Family Source of Truth, and More! EP 306

June 8, 2026 • 19 mins
In today's episode, Sarah answers listener questions! Topics included are:- A wonderful planner peace submission from a recent retiree looking to keep meaning and structure in her life- A listener looking for help with "small task overwhelm" and a million open tabs- Routine tracking ideas- Family calendar source of truth + tools/ideas for getting a partner on board Sponsors: IXL: Best Laid Plans listeners can get an exclusive 20...
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Need a Summer Fresh Start? Taja Fitness Planner + The Dailee EP 305

June 1, 2026 • 28 mins
In today's episode, Sarah reviews two planners for listeners looking for some fresh start energy this summer!First is the Taja: https://www.tajaacademic.com/product/fitness-workout-journal-for-women-men-a55-5-x-8-5-workout-log-book-planner-for-tracking-progress-and-achieving-your-wellness-goals-lavenderc-blue/ or https://amzn.to/4nRysfV (Amazon affiliate link)This A5 sized undated planner has a ton of features and space for up to 2...
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Plan Your Summer with Me! EP 304

May 25, 2026 • 22 mins
In today's episode, Sarah shares step-by-step how she thinks through planning her summer (including her real-life plans and goals for this summer!). You can use this episode as your own summer planning guide by pausing it and answering the question for yourself!Looking for more episodes like this?Plan the Week Together: https://theshubox.com/2026/03/ep-294-lets-plan-the-week-together.htmlEmpty Your Inbox With Me: https://theshubox....
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More Planning x Money Talk + Sarah's Current Thoughts on AI EP 303

May 18, 2026 • 29 mins
In today's episode, Sarah shares some follow up listener comments to the prior discussion about the intersection between spending (or saving!) and planning, and then she delves into a (somewhat raw!) discussion of her feelings around AI, starting with a historical example -- her 2010s thoughts on the emerging iPhone!Feel free to share your thoughts on technology (sarah hart unger at gmail, or leave a comment in the show notes!).Blo...
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May Q&A: New Fave Pen, Does Planning Help Save Money? and More EP 302

May 11, 2026 • 20 mins
In today's episode, Sarah provides a few life updates and then shares a wonderful planning tip from a listener.Then, topics discussed include:- Does planning help to save money?- How do you avoid rewriting daily lists when things don't get done?- What are some analog ways to track workouts?- Ideas for using monthly spreads of paper planners if you don't feel the need for an extra calendar- New pen in town: The Pilot Juice+ Link to...
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The Intersection of Time Management x Planning with Laura Vanderkam EP 301

May 4, 2026 • 26 mins
Today, author and Sarah's good friend Laura Vanderkam joins Sarah on the show to talk about ways -- planning and planning-adjacent! -- that we can manage our time so that it feels expansive and worthwhile. Sarah and Laura chat tracking (time + otherwise), tackling big project little by little, the challenge of "golden hours", and much more.Find Laura's book, Big Time: A Simple Path to Time Abundance, out this week wherever books ar...
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Gratitude Episode: Thank You for 300! EP 300

April 27, 2026 • 21 mins
In today's episode, Sarah expresses gratitude to listeners for helping BLP reach the milestone of 300, and then shares two gratitude-themed lists.The first is 5 planning or planning-adjacent things (or people) she is incredibly grateful for, in terms of inspiration and ideas for the podcast they've provided over the years. The second is the top 5 things Sarah is grateful planning has done for her!Please celebrate with Sarah by leav...
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Can AI Help You Plan Your Life? A Real-Life Experiment with Emilie Schario EP 299

April 20, 2026 • 40 mins
Emilie Schario is a mother of 3 (5 & under!) and an AI expert in the tech space, as VP of engineering at Kilo Code. She's also a BLPA alumnus who still loves to plan on paper! Emilie joins Sarah today to talk planning, productivity, and how she uses AI tools every day in her planning and life management systems. She shares her own simple (and very appealing!) use cases and ideas for how even the least tech-savvy can get started...
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April Q&A: Planning vs Execution, Delegating Tasks, and Spring Planner Releases EP 298

April 13, 2026 • 23 mins
In today's ep, Sarah answers questions for the month of April! Topics include: Why no planner reviews lately + notes on spring releases Tips for reminding others of tasks you are attempting to delegate (with a listener tip as one possible answer!) To-be-read list management Struggles with planning vs execution Resources + Links: Simplified planners: emilyley.comHobonichi April start: https://www.1101.com/store/tech...
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Sarah's Planner Peace: 10 Tactics Working Well in 2026 EP 297

April 6, 2026 • 28 mins
In today's episode, Sarah answers a question about Disney planning and then delves into her own current planner peace, with 10 tactics working really well for her in 2026!You can find images of the tracking spreads she talks about on the show notes page at theshubox.com!Interested in BLPA2.0 this summer? Course info available at theshubox.com/coursesAPRIL SPONSORS: IXL: Best Laid Plans listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL me...
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