Planning Meals and the Rest of Life with Allison Schaaf, Business Owner and Mother of 4 EP 248
Allison Schaaf is the creator and owner of PrepDish (longtime BLP sponsor!) and her business is based on planning, specifically around meals! But she also has plenty of wisdom to share around planning the rest of life, from long term goals to handling emails and managing a team. She is also highly interested in streamlining tasks as she is a mother of 4 (including a baby!).
Shared by Allison:
- Clever Fox planner
- Superhuman email
- Traction
- Die with Zero
PrepDish trial mentioned: prepdish.com/plans (two weeks free - and now with Instacart shopping links!)
Episode Sponsors:
PrepDish: Convenient meal plans, recipes, and shopping lists to reduce your weekly mental load! Visit prepdish.com/plans for your first 2 weeks, FREE
Mint Mobile: Low-cost wireless phone service – a great way to save every single month! Learn more at mintmobile.com/BLP
IXL: Tailored and effective online learning (my kids have used this for years as part of their school curriculum)! Best Laid Plans listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at IXL.com/PLANS.
Green Chef: The best meal kit for eating well. Visit greenchef.com/bestlaidfree and use code bestlaidfree to get started with FREE salads for 2 months plus 50% off your first box.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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33:39
Routines (general thoughts + personal revamp!) + Planning Your Weekends EP 247
In today's episode, Sarah reflects on routines, noting that her recent episode on morning routines is already obsolete (as it applies to her own morning routine, anyway!). She shares thoughts about being flexible as you set your routines, and the need to continually re-evaluate, as well as her new morning routine.
Then, she pivots to all things weekend planning, as inspired by her friend noting that weekends were feeling . . . unsatisfying at times (Kae blogs at gratefulkae.com).
Sarah shares her rationale for why you should dedicate time to plan your weekends (at least as much as the week!) and shares some ideas to keep in mind as you think about those hours. Below, her suggestions:
TAKE THE TIME TO THINK THROUGH THESE DAYS!
BE REALISTIC
don’t forget transition time, drive time, etc
IF YOU DO HAVE TO WORK, BE VERY SPECIFIC ABOUT WHAT YOUR END GOALS ARE and TIME FRAME
SLOT IN RELAXATION AND GET ENOUGH REST
CONSIDER WEEKENDS TIME TO DO INSTALLMENTS OF A BIGGER PROJECT
TALK TO OTHERS BEFORE SETTING YOUR SCHEDULE - GET THEIR INPUT/BUY-IN
TRY TO BALANCE ACTIVE/MORE SOCIAL PERIODS WITH SOME DOWN TIME
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SOMETHING FUN FOR YOU!
FIGURE OUT THE TIME YOU’RE WILLING TO SPEND ON CHORES (figure out what is really a priority for those times)
Episode Sponsors:
PrepDish: Convenient meal plans, recipes, and shopping lists to reduce your weekly mental load! Visit prepdish.com/plans for your first 2 weeks, FREE
Mint Mobile: Low-cost wireless phone service – a great way to save every single month! Learn more at mintmobile.com/BLP
IXL: Tailored and effective online learning (my kids have used this for years as part of their school curriculum)! Best Laid Plans listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at IXL.com/PLANS.
Prose: Truly custom skincare and haircare. Visit prose.com/plans for 50% off your first haircare subscription order!
Green Chef: The best meal kit for eating well. Visit greenchef.com/bestlaidfree and use code bestlaidfree to get started with FREE salads for 2 months plus 50% off your first box.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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30:30
Spring Planner Releases + Thinking About Summer EP 246
In today's episode, Sarah reflects on where we are in the year and offers encouragement and ideas to help you start thinking through summer.
She also provides an overview of some fun planner releases for spring, including new editions from Erin Condren, Simplified, and Laurel Denise.
Episode of Amanda's Favorites where she describes designing a planner with Laurel Denise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZnWjf0qdWM
Episode Sponsors:
PrepDish: Convenient meal plans, recipes, and shopping lists to reduce your weekly mental load! Visit prepdish.com/plans for your first 2 weeks, FREE
Mint Mobile: Low-cost wireless phone service – a great way to save every single month! Learn more at mintmobile.com/BLP
IXL: Tailored and effective online learning (my kids have used this for years as part of their school curriculum)! Best Laid Plans listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at IXL.com/PLANS.
Prose: Truly custom skincare and haircare. Visit prose.com/plans for 50% off your first haircare subscription order!
Green Chef: The best meal kit for eating well. Visit greenchef.com/bestlaidfree and use code bestlaidfree to get started with FREE salads for 2 months plus 50% off your first box.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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26:14
The Gap Between Planning and Doing EP 245
Sometimes there is vast space (and struggle) between planning and executing on our plans. In this episode, Sarah delves into why that might be an offers some solutions.
She also mentions Lisa Woodruff's Medical Binder and Carolyn Cohen's Wellness While Walking podcast.
Episode where Carolyn was a guest: https://theshubox.com/2025/01/blp-ep-232-planning-and-goal-setting-for-health-with-carolyn-cohen.html
Episode Sponsors:
PrepDish: Convenient meal plans, recipes, and shopping lists to reduce your weekly mental load! Visit prepdish.com/plans for your first 2 weeks, FREE
Mint Mobile: Low-cost wireless phone service – a great way to save every single month! Learn more at mintmobile.com/BLP
IXL: Tailored and effective online learning (my kids have used this for years as part of their school curriculum)! Best Laid Plans listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at IXL.com/PLANS.
Prose: Truly custom skincare and haircare. Visit prose.com/plans for 50% off your first haircare subscription order!
Green Chef: The best meal kit for eating well. Visit greenchef.com/bestlaidfree and use code bestlaidfree to get started with FREE salads for 2 months plus 50% off your first box.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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24:01
10 Benefits of Planning That Have Nothing to Do With Productivity EP 244
Some might think the purpose of planning is to get more done. That may be true in some cases, but there is so much more to the story than that. In this episode, Sarah shares 10 benefits of planning that have nothing to do from productivity, from stress reduction to anticipation to creativity to having more fun.
Other news:
BLP Live is open for registration!! Join Sarah and Laura Vanderkam in South Florida this November for 3 days of planning, reflection, relaxation, community, and fun. Visit theshubox.com/blplive for details!
Episode Sponsors:
PrepDish: Convenient meal plans, recipes, and shopping lists to reduce your weekly mental load! Visit prepdish.com/plans for your first 2 weeks, FREE
Mint Mobile: Low-cost wireless phone service – a great way to save every single month! Learn more at mintmobile.com/BLP
IXL: Tailored and effective online learning (my kids have used this for years as part of their school curriculum)! Best Laid Plans listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at IXL.com/PLANS.
Prose: Truly custom skincare and haircare. Visit prose.com/plans for 50% off your first haircare subscription order!
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