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

Tracking All The Things: How Much is Too Much? EP 290

February 16, 2026 • 23 mins
In the first part of this episode, Sarah shares some listener follow up to the Task Management episode from 2 weeks ago, including use of Apple Reminders voice entry feature, a simple Notes strategy, Teux Deux, and one listener's analog solution.Then, Sarah delves into her current thoughts on tracking, which have shifted a bit since her initial episode on the topic. She shares ways in which tracking various metrics has been helpful...
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We Can Do This: A February Pep Talk EP 289

February 9, 2026 • 22 mins
This can be a HARD time of year for many! In today's episode, Sarah shares her own February struggles and provides a pep talk for all of us who might be stuck in winter doldrums or feeling less excited about our 2026 goals.Books recommended: Meditations for Mortals or 4000 Weeks By Oliver BurkemanReminder: BLP Live will be Nov 5-7 2026 - be one of the first to be notified by signing up for Sarah's newsletter. Our Sponsors Mint M...
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Your Guide to Airtight Task Management EP 288

February 2, 2026 • 22 mins
Sarah opens up with a little update on how 2026 is going so far (as we head into February!), and then dedicates the rest of today's episode to airtight task management! She talks inboxes (collecting tasks) and creating a strategy for processing all of the to-do items that tend to come our way in all sorts of forms and timelines. Our Sponsors Mint Mobile:  Affordable wireless plans that let you keep your own number and phone.  T...
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Analog Is Trending! EP 287

January 26, 2026 • 23 mins
Analog is definitely trending, and Sarah is here for it! In today's episode, she discusses the trend, her take on choosing analog when possible, and the unexpected effects on the planner world (!). She also addresses a listener who would like to use more tangible paper tools in her planning system, but struggles with a work system that is all digital. Link to the WBEZ article: https://www.wbez.org/business/2026/01/15/shoppers-chic...
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Planning Your 2026 Fitness Goals EP 286

January 19, 2026 • 33 mins
In today's episode, Sarah chats about the evolution of her own fitness goals and interviews Meg Olander, personal trainer and certified group fitness coach. Meg has years of experience helping people with their fitness goals, and in today's episode, she shares her favorite strategies for success in fitness goals, from planning and prioritizing to avoiding optimization to accountability. You can find more from Meg at https://fitfed...
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Sextiles, Morning Pages, Goals Lists and More: Listener Tips & Q&A EP 285

January 12, 2026 • 26 mins
In today's episode, Sarah shares listener tips and answers questions!Topics & references include:- Stationery Store Spotlight: Wonder Fair in Lawrence, KS- Alyce's alternative to January 1- Sextiles: A listener creates her own seasons that work for her- An A-to-Z 26 in 2026 list- Feedback on the Friends Spreadsheet: A Notion Friends CRM (Customer Relationships Management) Tool- Corporate uses for the Nested Goals framework- Morning...
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Welcome to 2026! Top 10 Tips for Making The Most of Your Annual Goal Setting EP 284

January 5, 2026 • 22 mins
In today's episode, Sarah welcomes listeners to 2026 and shares 10 tips for making the most of your annual goal setting efforts! Link to mentioned episode on Nested Goals:https://theshubox.com/2024/01/episode-182-nested-goals-explained.html YouTube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/@BestLaidPlansVideo Episode Sponsors: PrepDish: Start the year off with healthy meal plans from prep dish! Get your free two-week trial at prepdish....
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Sharing 2026 Goals + A Few Q&A! EP 283

December 29, 2025 • 24 mins
In today's episode, Sarah shares her own 2026 goals list, set in 5 domains (Self, Relationships, Family/Home, Work, and Fun)! She goes into detail about each of the items on her list and the strategies she hopes to employ to help some of them come to fruition.Additional info:- Sarah's email - sarah hart unger at gmail - feel free to send your goals lists along, or message 305-697-7189- Sarah's BOOK IS OUT - Best Laid Plans: A Simpl...
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Systems Switchups for 2026 + Sarah Dissects a Big Gnarly Goal EP 282

December 22, 2025 • 24 mins
In the first half of this episode, Sarah talks METAPLANNING - intentional dissection of one's systems and planning tactics. Then she shares some of her own potential systems upgrades for 2026, from seasonal planning with her husband to digital organization and a possible new screen time tracker.Then, Sarah dissects her own Big Gnarly Goal for 2026! She answers the questions she posed in her own episode 197, Those Projects That Won'...
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December Q&A: Sarah's Morning Routine + Using the Planner You Have, Plus Listener Tips EP 281

December 15, 2025 • 22 mins
In today's episode, Sarah shares a listener tip, a store spotlight, and some great Q&A centered around morning routines and actually USING one's planner on a daily basis!Keep your questions coming - Sarah can be reached via email (sarah hart unger at gmail) or via 305-697-7189!PS: Sarah's book, Best Laid Plans: A Simple Planning System for Living A Life That You Love is out tomorrow! Visit theshubox.com/preorders for your last chan...
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Another Innovative Planning Technique: Monthly Workflows with Ronna EP 280

December 8, 2025 • 23 mins
In today's episode, Sarah opens by reminding listeners of her upcoming book launch (T-8 days and counting - you can still get the preorder bonuses by visiting theshubox.com/preorders). And, she shares the happy news that Best Laid Plans was named by Amazon as one of 9 nonfiction editor's picks for December!(See the full list here: https://www.amazon.com/b?ref=r_ess_dp_epicks&node=17276799011)Then, Sarah interviews Ronna Belinky - p...
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Planner Stack 2026: Audio AND Video! EP 279

December 1, 2025 • 20 mins
In today's episode, Sarah goes through the physical tools she used in 2025 and shares her 2026 Planner Stack!This episode has a video component if you'd like to see the planners -- visit https://youtu.be/Bf5G8_pSr2s to get a visual! Products mentioned:- Hobonichi Cousin Avec- Hobonichi Weeks- Hobonichi Day Free- Ashley Shelley x Amanda's Favorites collab- Erin Condren 18 month Monthly Planner (Japanese-Style softcover)- Moleskine...
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Empty Your Inbox (with me!) and Hemlock & Oak Daily/Weekly/Monthly Planner Review EP 278

November 24, 2025 • 36 mins
In today's episode, Sarah empties her email inbox (and some other life inboxes) in real time! Find out how much time it took her to get from ~140 messages (half a week's worth of accumulation) in her primary gmail inbox to 0, what she did with all of those little pieces of information, and some takeaways for you if you struggle with task management or collecting all of your inputs. She then takes listeners through other digital inb...
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Life Updates, BLP Live Takeaways, and Your Mini DIY Planning Primer for 2026 EP 277

November 17, 2025 • 23 mins
In today's episode, Sarah shares some life updates coming off of a tough week! Then she delves into an overview of BLP Live and some of her own key planning takeaways from the event. Finally, she responds to a listener request for a "DIY Planning Primer", providing a list of 15 episodes that cover essential planning topics -- from building a system from scratch to daily planning, seasonal planning, monthly planning, and more. Full...
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Planning Spotlight: Annual Rituals, Spontaneity, and More with Jodi Wellman EP 276

November 10, 2025 • 34 mins
In today's episode, Sarah interviews Jodi Wellman, author of You Only Die Once: How to Make it to the End with No Regrets. This is Jodi's second visit to the podcast, and this conversation is all about the planning rituals that Jodi herself uses to ensure the (finite) life she is living has all of the elements that make it feel truly well-lived. They get into the weeds about her monthly vision boards, planning brunch dates, and how...
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Your Celebration Season On Ramp with Jen Ludwig EP 275

November 3, 2025 • 33 mins
Jen Ludwig loves holiday planning -specifically, she loves planning around her traditions of Christmas. However, this episode is for you no matter what you love to celebrate at the end of the year! In today's episode, Jen shares her tips for creating a celebratory season that is filled with fun and not overwhelm. She also has some fantastic gift tips + hacks!Find Jen's book, Embracing Advent: Rediscovering Christmas in the Chaos (A...
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Inspiration for Your Analog Fall, Updates & More EP 274

October 27, 2025 • 21 mins
In today's episode, Sarah shares an update for the listener seeking high-contrast planner options, with products mentioned including the Marjolein Delhaas Planner from Wms&Co, Rad & Happy, and Passion Planner. Then, she shares a listener's story of ordering the Personal Planner from Sweden -- and being extremely surprised by fees (over 4x the value of the planner!). Following, Sarah gets into the concept of an Analog Fall (or an ...
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Feeling Stuck? 6 Practices to Get Your Dreams and Reflections Flowing EP 273

October 20, 2025 • 21 mins
In today's episode (and inspired by her recent girls' trip!), Sarah shares 6 practices to help you think through your big picture goals and dreams as we gear up for Reflection Season and starting to think about annual planning for 2026! These include:- Inspiring reading (or audio)- 100 Dreams List- 10, 5, or 1-year Visioning Exercises- The gift of a notebook just for dreaming and scheming- Deep conversion with a partner or friend-...
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October Q&A: An All-Paper Planner Peace, Paper/Digital Hybrid Tips, Managing a Life with Many Moving Parts, and More EP 272

October 13, 2025 • 19 mins
Today's episode is a very planner-centric Q&A episode (since it's that time of year!). First, Cynthia opens with her planner peace - a mashup of prior BLP mentions, from the Passionate Pennypincher Planner to Planner Pad and a Stalogy notebook! Then, Kristin shares a pro tip for melding her digital planning (via Google calendar) with a paper system that allows for daily notes jotted in pen and a physical representation of the wee...
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ADHD-Friendly Planning Solutions with Skye Waterson EP 271

October 6, 2025 • 25 mins
In today's episode, Sarah interviews Skye Waterson, ADHD strategist, host of a podcast in the ADHD space, and an expert in building systems that help entrepreneurs and execs with ADHD (or suspected ADHD) scale their businesses. Skye shares the strategies that she's currently using herself, as well as some great tips for prioritizing when everything feels urgent. She also shares ideas for procrastination and offers advice for others...
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