Best Laid Plans

Latest Episodes:

Plan Your Summer with Me! EP 304 May 25, 2026

Show notes

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.html
Empty Your Inbox With Me: https://theshubox.com/2025/11/ep-278-empty-your-inbox-with-me-and-hemlock-oak-daily-weekly-monthly-planner-review.html

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 visiting ⁠⁠⁠prepdish.com/plans⁠⁠⁠

Green Chef: Healthy and convenient meal kits and more! Visit ⁠⁠⁠greenchef.com/50bestlaid⁠⁠⁠ and use code 50bestlaid to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for 2 months.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More Planning x Money Talk + Sarah's Current Thoughts on AI EP 303 May 18, 2026

Show notes

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!).
Blog mentioned in the first section: https://optimisticmusings.com

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 visiting ⁠⁠prepdish.com/plans⁠⁠

Green Chef: Healthy and convenient meal kits and more! Visit ⁠⁠greenchef.com/50bestlaid⁠⁠ and use code 50bestlaid to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for 2 months.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May Q&A: New Fave Pen, Does Planning Help Save Money? and More EP 302 May 11, 2026

Show notes

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 task management ep mentioned:
https://theshubox.com/2026/02/blp-ep-288-your-guide-to-airtight-task-management.html

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 visiting ⁠prepdish.com/plans⁠

Green Chef: Healthy and convenient meal kits and more! Visit ⁠greenchef.com/50bestlaid⁠ and use code 50bestlaid to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for 2 months.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Intersection of Time Management x Planning with Laura Vanderkam EP 301 May 04, 2026

Show notes

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 are sold.

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 visiting prepdish.com/plans
Green Chef: Healthy and convenient meal kits and more! Visit greenchef.com/50bestlaid and use code 50bestlaid to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for 2 months.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gratitude Episode: Thank You for 300! EP 300 Apr 27, 2026

Show notes

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 leaving a review if you can!
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/best-laid-plans/id1525311647
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3GPjMOr1PxYfZCSLbS6sZ3
Keep the questions + suggestions coming - email Sarah at sarah.hart.unger at gmail!

OUR 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

Mint Mobile: Shop affordable cell phone plans at ⁠⁠⁠mintmobile.com/BLP⁠⁠⁠

Green Chef: Healthy eating made easy. Visit ⁠⁠⁠greenchef.com/50bestlaid ⁠⁠⁠and use code 50bestlaid to get 50% your first month, then 20% off for two months.

PrepDish: Healthy and strategic meal plans to fit your family's nutritional needs! Visit ⁠⁠⁠prepdish.com/plans⁠⁠⁠ for your first two weeks free!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can AI Help You Plan Your Life? A Real-Life Experiment with Emilie Schario EP 299 Apr 20, 2026

Show notes

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.
Find more from Emilie at LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilieschario or her substack, emlie.substack.com.

OUR 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

Mint Mobile: Shop affordable cell phone plans at ⁠⁠mintmobile.com/BLP⁠⁠

Green Chef: Healthy eating made easy. Visit ⁠⁠greenchef.com/50bestlaid ⁠⁠and use code 50bestlaid to get 50% your first month, then 20% off for two months.

PrepDish: Healthy and strategic meal plans to fit your family's nutritional needs! Visit ⁠⁠prepdish.com/plans⁠⁠ for your first two weeks free!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

April Q&A: Planning vs Execution, Delegating Tasks, and Spring Planner Releases EP 298 Apr 13, 2026

Show notes

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.com
Hobonichi April start: https://www.1101.com/store/techo/en/lineup/
Episode with Cal Newport: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LejRmFRxXbY&t=3702s
Episode on The Gap Between Planning and Doing: https://theshubox.com/2025/04/ep-245-the-gap-between-planning-and-doing.html
Courses: BLPA2.0 is almost full - details at theshubox.com/courses

OUR 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

Mint Mobile: Shop affordable cell phone plans at ⁠mintmobile.com/BLP⁠

Green Chef: Healthy eating made easy. Visit ⁠greenchef.com/50bestlaid ⁠and use code 50bestlaid to get 50% your first month, then 20% off for two months.

PrepDish: Healthy and strategic meal plans to fit your family's nutritional needs! Visit ⁠prepdish.com/plans⁠ for your first two weeks free!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah's Planner Peace: 10 Tactics Working Well in 2026 EP 297 Apr 06, 2026

Show notes

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/courses
APRIL 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
Mint Mobile: Shop affordable cell phone plans at mintmobile.com/BLP
Green Chef: Healthy eating made easy. Visit greenchef.com/50bestlaid and use code 50bestlaid to get 50% your first month, then 20% off for two months.
PrepDish: Healthy and strategic meal plans to fit your family's nutritional needs! Visit prepdish.com/plans for your first two weeks free!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your Busy Season Survival Guide EP 296 Mar 30, 2026

Show notes

In today's episode, Sarah shares 10 tips for getting through a particularly full season of life, inspired by a very travel-heavy spring schedule coming up for her.
Interested in BLPA2.0? Be sure you are getting Sarah's newsletter, out in early April with signup details. Visit theshubox.com/newsletter!

Episode Sponsors

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: Healthy meals that fit your nutrition goals (and are delicious too!). Head to Greenchef dot 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: Save money by changing your wireless plan to Mint Mobile! Shop plans at ⁠⁠⁠⁠mintmobile.com/BLP⁠⁠⁠⁠.

PrepDish: Healthy meal plans straight to your inbox (and now with easy Instacart ordering!). Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠prepdish.com/plans⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠for a free 2-week trial.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Where To START, and Planning to Revolutionize Your Social Life EP 295 Mar 23, 2026

Show notes

In today's episode, Sarah answers a question from Nate (who heard Sarah on Cal Newport's Deep Questions Podcast), who asked where it makes sense to START in terms of implementing all of the planning systems she talks about on this podcast (and in her book!). How does one begin to build a system - all at once, or piece by piece?
Useful references mentioned:
Airtight Task Management Episode: https://theshubox.com/2026/02/blp-ep-288-your-guide-to-airtight-task-management.html
Annual Planning Episode: https://theshubox.com/2024/11/ep-226-your-mini-guide-to-2025-annual-planning.html
Seasonal Planning Episode: https://theshubox.com/2024/03/blp-episode-189-diving-into-quintile-2.html
Monthly Planning Episode: https://theshubox.com/2025/05/blp-ep-252-monthly-planning-rhythms-completist-mini-review.html
Weekly Planning Episode: https://theshubox.com/2020/08/day-140-blp-ep-2-weekly-review.html (note: this is the SECOND EVER ep of BLP, so stay tuned for a renewed weekly planning episode coming soon!)
Daily Planning Episode: https://theshubox.com/2021/02/blp-ep-28-daily-planning-routines-and-crowding-out-bad-habits.html
Then, Sarah interviews September Gerety, an CEO in her empty nest phase who has found herself with a thriving community and social life -- and it all started with some planned. She shares her story (as well as a bit about her current systems!). If you have questions for September, you can find her via this episode's show notes at theshubox.com.

Episode Sponsors

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.

Mint Mobile: Save money by changing your wireless plan to Mint Mobile! Shop plans at ⁠⁠⁠mintmobile.com/BLP⁠⁠⁠.

PrepDish: Healthy meal plans straight to your inbox (and now with easy Instacart ordering!). Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠prepdish.com/plans⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠for a free 2-week trial.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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