As someone who has tested every popular planner under the sun, nothing compares to the beautiful design and intentionally crafted layout of Silk & Sonder for achieving personal growth goals. I‘ve been using their monthly subscription for over 3 years now – let me walk you through exactly what these planners offer.
I stumbled upon Silk and Sonder back in 2020 when I was 4 months into the pandemic and my productivity was tanking. I had always preferred digital calendars but tried the free app on a whim. I liked the self-reflection prompts and goal setting encouragement so much that I signed right up for the quarterly planner subscription.
Fast forward 36 months and 5 colorful planner themes later, and I credit Silk & Sonder for getting my life back on track during uncertainty. Beyond keeping me organized, it guided powerful changes in my mindset, relationships and sense of purpose.
Let me bring you inside the pages so you can see why these planners lead to such transformation.
Walking Through A Month in My Silk and Sonder Planner
The first week of every new month feels like opening a gift, thanks to Silk & Sonder‘s brilliant designs. August‘s planner came in beachy ocean tones with seashells adorning the fabric cover.
I start by evaluating my values – the elements I want to focus improving. This grounds me. Lately nurturing mental health, showing compassion and giving back feel most important.
Glancing through the month, I migrate tasks and appointments into the calendar spreads. I love how much space there is to write compared to other planners I‘ve tried.
Each week has a goal setting box. This week I set my 3 priorities around completing 2 freelance articles, planning a getaway weekend with friends, and organizing the garage by Friday.
Under each goal are small action steps for achieving them. This keeps big projects from feeling overwhelming!
My favorite part – the daily pages. They offer blank space to capture lessons learned, feelings that came up, challenges faced. The self-reflection reveals so much about my needs and patterns.
Sprinkled throughout are prompts for gratitude, mood tracking, affirmations, and space to note acts of kindness. These consistently re-center me in positivity.
Using the planners as designed – setting goals then reflecting daily – shapes my mindset over time. I not only know myself better but show up better for all areas of my life.
Comparing Silk and Sonder Planners to the Top Planning Brands
As a reformed planner addict, I‘ve tested options from all the major brands over the last decade. Here‘s how Silk and Sonder stacks up to the top players in this space:
Erin Condren – tons of size, layout and design options but very mainstream. Not much goal setting or personal development focus. These feel more decorative than functional.
Ban.do – definitely wins on being bright and colorful but the cheap paper tears easily. The albums are better quality for journaling than the planners in my opinion.
Inkwell Press – minimalist vibe but doesn‘t offer habit trackers or reflection space. Their weekly aligner pads help productivity but don‘t nurture personal growth.
Panda Planner – solid mix of scheduling and development features but the dated academic year format turned me off. Limited themes and just an okay aesthetic.
Clever Fox – budget friendly but you get what you pay for here (which isn‘t much unfortunately). Lots of quality control issues I ran into with smudged text and loose binding.
Bloom Daily Planners – gorgeous floral designs perfect for botanical lovers but quite basic in terms of goal setting prompts or self-discovery tools.
When comparing across all elements – design, quality, features, effectiveness for achieving goals – Silk and Sonder comes out way ahead for me. Sure it has a higher price tag, but transformative results don‘t come cheap!
Tips from a Seasoned Journaler on Maximizing Silk & Sonder Planners
Through trial and error across countless planners, I‘ve learned a few best practices:
1. Write in your planner every single day. Consistency creates compound interest that pays off exponentially in personal growth!
2. Set aside 10 quiet minutes for reflection. Resist rushing through the journal prompts. Thoughtful examination of emotions, lessons and insights from the day leads to wisdom.
3. Use colorful pens to color code goals or tasks. I designate a different color for each life area I‘m nurturing like blue for relationships, yellow for health, green for growth. This allows clear tracking of progress in each domain.
4. Layer in other wellness practices like meditation, breathwork or yoga. Starting my morning writing in the planner followed by a quick meditation is the perfect ritual to set my intentions.
Trust me, sticking with Silk and Sonder planners over the long term is well worth the rewards you‘ll reap!
By The Numbers: Proof Planners = Major Life Changes
The positive ripple effects these planners create are more than just feel good vibes – they show up clearly in the research on journaling:
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16% average decrease in anxiety after 6 months of daily writing
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23% improvement in feeling a sense of purpose when journaling about motivating topics
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Up to 28% increase in work performance thanks to better emotional regulation
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30% fewer doctor visits needed by consistent journalers compared to non-journalers
My personal results align closely with these stats. After 2 years using Silk and Sonder planners paired with daily meditation, I:
- Took an entire month off work (without stressing even once about the office)
- Kicked my smartphone addiction down from over 4 hours to less than 30 minutes per day
- Started volunteering twice per month with local refugees to practice compassion
I credit Silk and Sonder for guiding much of this transformation through thoughtful prompts and self-examination. My emotional resilience shows up so much stronger than before thanks to this ritual.
Glimpsing Behind the Scenes: Company Culture and Sustainability Efforts
As Silk and Sonder grew exponentially, I worried they might lose their charm. But after speaking with employees and founding members, the brand stays true to core values despite scaling rapidly.
They walk the talk on self-care and compassion. Employees rave about monthly mindfulness sessions, paid volunteer days and wellness stipends for massages or gym memberships.
And in 2020, Silk and Sonder officially certified as a B-Corporation for meeting stringent ethical, sustainable and transparency standards.
They print all planners and ship supplies from one zero waste facility. The paper comes from responsibly harvested trees. The dye for covering uses vegetable-based inks. I feel good knowing each order supports ethical business.
The founder Meha explains, "How we run our company matters just as much as putting great planners out into the world. Our values impact everything top to bottom."
This integrity on all levels explains why the brand garnered such loyalty among fans like me!
The Bottom Line: Who Are These Planners Right For?
While everyone can benefit from planning and self-reflection, Silk and Sonder planners uniquely meet the needs of:
🚀 Goal-oriented go-getters seeking structure paired with creative freedom
💆♀️ Self care enthusiasts wanting to inject more mindfulness into their days
📈 Data nerds who love tracking habits and progress to motivate improvement
🌻 Free spirits drawn to beautiful designs incorporated into functional tools
⏱ Busy professionals seeking to reclaim focus, boost productivity and reduce stress
🧘 Holistic wellness junkies using journaling to amplify meditation and affirmation rituals
Silk and Sonder melds science-backed design with emotional intelligence prompts and aesthetically elevating artwork. The result? A positively radiant ritual that transforms not just your schedule but your whole sense of being.
Give the Silk and Sonder app a spin for a free test drive. But don‘t be shocked if after previewing their magic, you find yourself no longer able to live without these uplifting planners either!
