311 episodes
July Q&A: Seasonal Slumps, Editing Your "To Read" List, Planning in New Motherhood, and More EP 311
13/07/2026 | 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 watched" collections when they add up to wayyyyy more time than you actually have to read/watch?
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 visiting prepdish.com/plans
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices- 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 visiting prepdish.com/plans
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices - 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://organize365.com/podcast/my-three-new-years/The 10 filters I use to plan my week episode 704https://organize365.com/podcast/704-the-10-filters-i-use-to-plan-my-week/The 15-minute pivot from reactive to proactive planning https://organize365.com/pivot/Escaping Quicksandhttps://organize365.com/escapingquicksand/June 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.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.PrepDish: Make your menu planning so much easier! Try it free for 2 weeks by visiting prepdish.com/plans
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices - 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 IXL membership when they sign up today at https://www.ixl.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.
PrepDish: Make your menu planning so much easier! Try it free for 2 weeks by visiting prepdish.com/plans
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices - 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 visually in future episodes!Episode 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.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.PrepDish: Make your menu planning so much easier! Try it free for 2 weeks by visiting prepdish.com/plans
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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About 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!
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