

Best Laid Plans
Sarah Hart-Unger
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
Mentioned books

May 17, 2021 • 26min
Simplified Planner Review EP 43
In this episode, Sarah provides an honest and candid review and walk-through the Simplified Daily Planner by Emily Ley. The Simplified line of planners contains both a daily and weekly option, and all feature beautiful colors and thoughtful design elemnets. Sarah shares her favorite aspects and some of the (few) things she might change if she could! This episode is brought to you by PrepDish! PrepDish is offering Best Laid Plans listeners two weeks free. Go to PrepDish.com/plans for this great offer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 10, 2021 • 26min
Q&A - Long-range planning, less feminine planners, travel planning, and more! EP 42
It's another all Q&A episode, featuring your submitted write-in and audio questions! Question 1 opens with a question on "manly" planners for a 25 year old who has just received a promotion. Q2 is from a soon-to-be medicine resident wondering if she will still have use for her Hobonichi. Q3 is all about the aesthetics of planner pages -- does Sarah have use for terms like "pre-planning" "messy planning" and "post-planning"? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

6 snips
May 3, 2021 • 32min
From Essentialism to Effortless with Author Greg McKeown EP 41
This episode features author Greg McKeown, known for his work Essentialism and now introducing some powerful new ideas in his latest release Effortless. In the conversation, Sarah and Greg take a deeper dive into the why around planning and what questions we should all be asking ourselves as we plan, especially: "What is truly essential" and "How can I make this easier?". Greg shares some of his favorite planning methods and the conversation also delves into the value of reflection and gratitude journaling. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

4 snips
Apr 26, 2021 • 23min
Routines and More with Ashley Brown of Routine & Things! EP 40
In this fun conversational episode, Sarah welcomes Ashley Brown to the show. Ashley is a mother, nurse educator, podcaster, and routines expert! She has her own suite of products designed to help people (especially women) optimize their routines, and she has so much wisdom to share! She also has designed beautiful notepads and other products to help others further curate their own routines to promote a life intention and joy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 19, 2021 • 26min
Midyear Planner Switchup and Review of the Erin Condren Softbound Weekly EP 39
If you have felt the pull to switch planners 3 or 4 months into 2021 -- well, just know that you are not alone! Due to a few factors, Sarah jumped out of the (lovely!) Wonderland 222 and into a larger more colorful Erin Condren softbound weekly, with the hourly layout. She give all listeners official permission to switch if needed and explains what she enjoys about her new system (hint: the paper. EC has really amazing paper). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 12, 2021 • 25min
Q&A Episode: Filing miscellaneous information, tackling the important but non-urgent, tips for planners shopping online, and more! EP 38
In this Q&A episode, Sarah answers listener questions. The first asks about how to handle bits of information that you might need later-- but are unsure exactly when. Then, a listener asks about the Eisenhower matrix, and relates it specifically to her academic job which requires both teaching (urgent + important) and research (non-urgent but still important). Episode Sponsor: Visit The Literacy Teacher’s Life at www.theliteracyteacherslife.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

9 snips
Apr 5, 2021 • 31min
Digital Planning Hacks from Gmail to Tasks to Groceries with Kelsey Wharton EP: 37
In this fun interview episode, Sarah interviews Kelsey Wharton, a mother of 3 (ages 1-8!) and fellow podcaster -- she cohosts The Girl Next Door Podcast, which happens to be one of Sarah's favorites! Kelsey has always impressed Sarah with her organization hacks and tricks, especially in the digital realm! In this episode, she shares many of her favorite digital methods as well as some key apps (Google Keep, Todoist, and more!) and rituals she uses to help keep the entire family organized. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

19 snips
Mar 29, 2021 • 18min
Quintiles or Quarters: How to Consider Your Year in Seasons EP 36
In this episode, Sarah does a deep dive into planning larger chunks of the year, whether are quarters or quintiles. She details the feelings and rituals that generally occur in each Quintile, as well as the use of breaking up the year in this way. This episode is sponsored by interactive online yoga studio Stillness + Movement. You can learn more and sign up for class by going to StillnessAndMovement.com and take your first class for free when you use the code BLP. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 22, 2021 • 24min
Spring Reviews: Day Designer, Villa Beautiful Pens, and A Photo Sticker Printer! EP: 35
Today's episode includes a deep dive review of the Day Designer, a monthly and daily planner with beautiful patterned covers and a distinctive layout. Then, Sarah discusses her recent purchase of two Villa Beautiful crystal gel pens and a photo sticker printer! Episode Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by interactive online yoga studio Stillness + Movement. You can learn more and sign up for class by going to StillnessAndMovement.com and take your first class for free when you use the code BLP. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 15, 2021 • 22min
Q&A Question: Your Voices & More! EP 34
This episode features 3 listener audio questions, plus a couple of extra bonus questions at the end! Episode Sponsor Note: This episode is sponsored by interactive online yoga studio Stillness + Movement. You can learn more and sign up for class by going to StillnessAndMovement.com and take your first class for free when you use the code BLP. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices