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 Cherry Blossom series- Hobonichi 5-year Journal- Sarah's own Planning by Season + BLP Live Planners
Episode Sponsors:
Organize 365: Visit organize365.com/sunday-basket to check out the Sunday Basket® today
Green Chef: Make this season 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!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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20:58
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20:58
Empty Your Inbox (with me!) and Hemlock & Oak Daily/Weekly/Monthly Planner Review EP 278
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 inboxes, including WhatsApp and her texts.Then, she shares her review of Hemlock & Oak's new 70gsm daily / weekly / monthly planner offering!Link to the H&O planner she discusses is here: https://www.hemlockandoak.com/products/2026-weekly-daily-12-month-cloth-flex
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 mintmobile.com/BLP.
PrepDish: Meal plans ready to go, in your inbox each week. You can try 2 weeks free at prepdish.com/plans!
Organize 365: Visit organize365.com/sunday-basket to check out the Sunday Basket® today
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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36:50
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36:50
Life Updates, BLP Live Takeaways, and Your Mini DIY Planning Primer for 2026 EP 277
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 links to each episode can be found on the show notes posted at theshubox.com!
Ep #6: Building a System from ScratchEp #28: Daily Planning Routines and Crowding Out Bad HabitsEp #36: Planning in Quarters and QuintilesEp #88: Tracking - The Good, The Bad, and The UglyEp #110: How Sarah Organizes Her LifeEp #145: Efficiency Tips for Healthcare ProvidersEp #168: Inputs, Interruptions & ReactivityEp #177: Annual Goal SettingEp #182: Nested Goals ExplainedEp #190: Your Ideal WeekEp #214: How to Build More Intentionality Into Your LifeEp #218: Your New Month GuideEp #233: January Energy + 3 Essential SystemsEp #245: The Gap Between Planning and DoingEp #269: 10 Things to Consider if You Are Feeling Scattered
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 mintmobile.com/BLP.
PrepDish: Meal plans ready to go, in your inbox each week. You can try 2 weeks free at prepdish.com/plans!
Organize 365: Visit organize365.com/sunday-basket to check out the Sunday Basket® today
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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23:50
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23:50
Planning Spotlight: Annual Rituals, Spontaneity, and More with Jodi Wellman EP 276
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 one might actually PLAN IN some spontaneity (yes, such a thing is possible!). This episode will help you get excited and inspired to gear up to plan 2026.Jodi can be found at her website https://fourthousandmondays.com and on instagram at @fourthousandmondays -- her (free) newsletter comes out each Mondy and is a wonderful way to start the week.Sarah also mentions Best Laid Plans at Home: Planning 2026 in this episode; details can be found at theshubox.com/courses
Sponsor Notes:
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 https://www.ixl.com/plans
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 mintmobile.com/BLP.
PrepDish: Meal plans ready to go, in your inbox each week. You can try 2 weeks free at prepdish.com/plans!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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34:59
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34:59
Your Celebration Season On Ramp with Jen Ludwig EP 275
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 Daily Devotional) on amazon, and more from jen at @jenludwigwrites on IG or substack.
Sponsor Notes:
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 https://www.ixl.com/plans
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 mintmobile.com/BLP.
PrepDish: Meal plans ready to go, in your inbox each week. You can try 2 weeks free at prepdish.com/plans!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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!
Ireland