How I use my Silk + Sonder planner.

I've finally found it. The perfect planner exists, y'all, and I've got the pics to prove it.

But first, let me just say: Nothing motivates, relaxes, grounds, and excites me more than a well-worn and scribbled-in notebook. You too? Then pay attention. Because as far as I'm concerned, Silk + Sonder's monthly journals take the (flourless chocolate) CAKE for being the most creative and inspiring way to plan.

And I'mma show you why with a little virtual tour, right after I explain how it works. Because it's definitely not just your average, run-of-the-mill planner!

How Silk + Sonder Works

S+S is a subscription-based set of wellness planners that include a variety of layouts inspired by positive psychology, bullet journaling, and self-help books. Each month has a specific theme (March's was knowledge and November's was happiness) with prompts, quotes, and thought exercises centered on that theme.

You pay $19.95 for a monthly subscription or $160 yearly, with a new planner arriving on your doorstep each month. There are also gift options, too! (I personally think S+S would make an excellent gift idea for the mindful creative in your life.)

Why Monthly Is Better

What's nice about using a monthly planner (rather than a yearly one) is:

1. You'll never run out of space.
2. You can start fresh every month with a clean slate, which means no more cases of planner fatigue (or abandoning it halfway through).
3. Have commitment issues? You can cancel your subscription anytime, risk-free!

Now that the basics are out of the way, let's dive in!

MONTHLY REFLECTIONS + INTENTIONS

Each journal starts with a review of the previous month, which I find so helpful for mind-dumping. I am the type of person that is obsessed with fresh starts, and in my haste to begin anew, I typically file away the old without much thought. This section really forces me to wrestle with the revelations of the last 30 days—what worked, what didn't, what I accomplished, etc. Even if it sucked, this is closure!

It also paves the way for setting clearer intentions for the following month. I like that S+S breaks up the intention-setting space into separate compartments for every aspect of life, because BALANCE.

MOOD + HABIT TRACKER

I've never used a mood or habit tracker before now, and I can't tell you why. 'Tis brill. Life flies by so quickly that it's sometimes difficult to notice a pattern in our mental state—but now, the proof is on the page. By tracking my moods, I'm able to check in with myself each day, just for a second, and be honest about how I'm feeling.

If you're habit-driven, the habit tracker might be more your speed. On top of the mental reward I get from knowing I actually completed the thing(s) I hoped to, checking (or in this case, coloring in) the box for each good habit is incredibly satisfying.

WEEKLY TO-DOs

Each Sunday night, I like to sit down with a cup of tea and plan out my week. Most planners have monthly and daily outlines, but I love that S+S includes a weekly view as well!

There's room for to-dos (where I list my household chores for the week and any other one-off errands or tasks I need to complete), major goals (I usually pick my three most time-consuming projects and write them down here), another activity tracker (temporary things that I'm experimenting with, for example) meal planning (I only plan our dinners), shopping list (groceries, supplements, or general necessities), a health plan (my workouts go here), and a mini reflection to finish it off.

I refer back to this section multiple times throughout the week to remind myself of my most pressing tasks and important to-dos.

DAILY VIEW

The layout of the daily pages is self-explanatory, but you can make it yours. Starting with "one thing" at the top—a space that could be reserved for something you must get done that day, but I prefer to use it for something I'm especially grateful for. Yes, Tuesday's was wine (hello, election day!). 

The rest is completely dependent on personal preference! When I was experimenting with my first S&S, I tried planning my days chronologically and color coding my schedule (red for work, pink for downtime/family, blue for breastfeeding, green for spiritual stuff, etc.). While this method did help me get a better picture of where I was spending most of my time, the color coding got reaaaallly tedious and eventually, the whole practice kind of fell by the wayside. 

So, now, I like to treat this section as a diary of sorts. At the end of every day, I jot down something noteworthy about my present life—whether it's related to current events or my own personal feelings about something or other. This has served me so well in reflecting on my day, and I like that I'll have this to look back on in the future.

COLORING PAGE + INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE

I mean, how cool is it that there's a COLORING PAGE?! Even though I didn't come close to finishing, I really enjoyed the catharsis of taking a break from work to color in a couple sections at a time. (Plus, I finally had reason to whip out my box of mini markers for the first time in years.)

CURRENTLY

In the middle of the planner, there's a space for filling in random details of your month, like what you're currently loving, reading, enjoying, feeling, wishing, etc. I found this exercise super fun—I typically do this sort of thing here on the blog—and handy for the future, especially when I go to write my 2020 year in review at the end of the year.

RECIPES

As a foodie, stumbling upon a couple healthy recipes was really the cherry on top of this whole shebang. Meal planning made easy!

NOTES + BULLET JOURNAL

I don't know how to "bullet journal," so for me, these pages allowed for whatever—like a food journal and brainstorming my mission statement.

If you're a doodler or artist, here's your chance to go to town with your creativity.

Meet Your New Favorite Quaran-tool

That's just an itty bitty sneak peek into my most-used pages for March and November 2020, but to be honest, this review doesn't quite do the planner justice...

In the interest of time, I left out most the creative sections (like the Learning Log, Knowledge Prompts, and Curiosity Exercise for March + the Happiness Jar and the Happy Moments List for November). I don't always finish these, I'll admit, but if you are an artist or creative, these will most likely be your favorite part! 

There's also a Monthly Expense Tracker in each issue, which is very nifty.

>>> If you like what you see, and are interested in giving Silk + Sonder a try, feel free to use code WITHCANDORWELLNESS for 10% off your first month.

As bleak as everything has been lately with the world in full-on social distancing mode, one thing that's made a huge difference in my state of mind through all this is actually taking a moment to myself to plan out my days. (Necessary despite our current self-isolation situation.) Setting intentions for my time has always helped me stay grounded, and I find I need that now more than ever.

That said, for those of you looking to keep your plans, lists, reflections, doodles, and expenses all in one pretty place—S+S is your solution.