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Silk + Sonder is a monthly planner subscription that makes planning, reflecting, and achieving easy and fun by delivering a new pen-to-paper experience every month. Every month features new layouts that are "inspired by positive psychology, bullet journaling, and self-help books."
Including a personalized note, I am already impressed with the passion Silk + Sonder stands for!
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
Silk + Sonder June 2023
Back in 2018 when my boys were 5 and 3 years old, I suddenly started worrying excessively about everything. While my family told me to "stop worrying," I just plain couldn't — and then started worrying about worrying. Anxiety is not fun to deal with, but now that I have tools and knowledge to keep it under control, it can be managed.
One tool I found extremely helpful was to journal, and while a plain notebook to get your thoughts down onto worked, I wanted to take it an extra step and discovered the Silk + Sonder planner. Centered around a different theme each month, this month's theme is "Loyalty" and encourages us to explore just how loyal we are to ourselves. With 60 pages of writing prompts, trackers, calendars, fun activities, and more, I find myself looking forward to opening this daily journal each day!
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Straight out of the gate, I was impressed with this journal. Not only are the watercolor florals absolutely beautiful, but the lay out of this planner is top notch. Featuring an index page, welcome letter, resonating quotes, and a calendar up front, it has it all. I'll admit, because of it's beauty, I was nervous to start marking it up, but once I got going, I couldn't stop! Starting with the calendar, I color coded our events and realized just how darn busy we actually are! I do have blank days but that is because this is my first month and I subscribed a week into June. Typical of a planner, this calendar is a great go-t0 for planning purposes and keeps things neat and organized.
After the calendar, I was greeted with a "Future Log" and gridded paper. The future log shows small calendars for the two following months and a sheet of graph paper. While I haven't filled out the "Future Log" yet, I did utilize the grid paper for some Biblical quotes. I've had a lot on my mind lately, and find coupling this journal with my morning Bible study to be extremely beneficial.
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Plugging right along, I discovered the "May Reflections" page. This page gives you the chance to reflect on the past month and write down wins, challenges, and favorite moments. This is similar to the questions I ask my kids at bedtime each night, because it's a good way to check in and see how things are going. Because there is so much negativity in the world, I love how intentional this piece is, and enjoyed marking it up with some of my favorite pens!
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Following the "May Reflections" page is the "June Intentions" page. Instead of creating a "to-do" list, setting intentions is asking something of yourself, and then giving yourself the strength to do it. It was really fun to watch this list grow and evolve during the month. I was able to stick with a lot of my listed intentions, though didn't get as much exercise as I was hoping. Dang!
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Page 10 and 11 focus on tracking data. When I subscribed to Silk + Sonder I also downloaded the app. While I haven't used it to its full potential, I have listened to a few of the podcasts and found some interesting data when it comes to habit tracking and mood tracking. Finding patterns can be helpful, especially when tracking down root causes of feelings and struggles. Because I received this journal during the middle of the month, I wasn't able to detect patterns yet, though am excited to see what next month's journal looks like!
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One of the things I absolutely love about this journal is the multitude of ways it can be utilized. Focusing on nearly every aspect of a person's life, this journal really can hone in on areas that may be in need of a mindset shift. Because I routinely get over 8 hours of sleep a night, I didn't focus on the sleep tracker page, but loved the gratitude jar. This jar is where I write a thing I am grateful for each day, and I love going back and reading it. I've done this with a real jar in school with my students, and it really sets a tone for a mindset shift. Impressive stuff!
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Digging even deeper, this journal gives you prompts about areas you might not even think of journaling about. Being loyal to ourselves means taking the time to get to know ourselves, and these prompts help you do just that. Listing things that can help you "fill your cup" or remind yourself of when negative self-talk starts to creep in, this was a great prompt for those days that just seem to (for lack of a better word) suck. Following the prompts are "Dream Job Reflection", "Connect the Dots Exercise", and a Laura Ingles Wilder quote. I have to say, when I first opened this journal I felt a little overwhelmed with all of the pages, but taking 20 minutes a morning to flip through, add, and cross out has really helped my brain organize itself and start my day in a good way.
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I love coloring, so the addition of a floral motif coloring page was spot on for me. I find color extremely relaxing, especially when high quality materials are being used. (Hello uni-ball Signo broad gel pens!) Here I utilized some fun markers and pens, and can't wait to see the finished project. Adding a little color everyday, it's nice to know that this journal can be utilized how the individual person sees fit. If there is a page you don't like or don't want to complete, skip it! Nobody will ever even know!
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Moving right along, I was greeted with a "Seared Peppercorn Tuna Steak with Strawberry Vinaigrette" recipe, and "Create Your Own Bingo" board. Food can be music for the soul, so I see where a recipe could be beneficial. Because there are areas for daily menus towards the back of the journal, this could even be a dinner option to add in! I don't care for tuna, so this wasn't a recipe for me, but I do appreciate the information regarding peppercorns, and the photo of the finished product.
On the opposing side was the "Bingo" board, and I headed to the app for inspiration. There are currently 2,335 people participating in June's Bingo board, so if you are looking for community - here you will have it! With activities like "watch your favorite show", "take yourself out on a date", "compliment a stranger", and "listen to your favorite song", you can incorporate whatever you would like. You can't take care of others if you haven't taken care of yourself, and as a mother and wife, this resonates with me deeply. I discovered this is an item that should be filled out at the beginning of the month, so you can play through the rest of the month. Because it is so personalized it should be completely doable and doesn't include things a person would be disinterested in. Neat!
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Page 24 and 25 balance each other out nicely as it's fun and serious. The word search features all sorts of "loyalty" type words and also offers a riddle and last month's answer key. It worked well for me to find one word every few days to draw the activity out and help re-focus my brain. On the opposing side we were given a "Monthly Expense Tracker" but because I utilize a Google Doc, I decided to focus on other pages rather than this one. I do appreciate the inclusion though and may throw some data on it just because I honestly hate leaving a page empty.
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Featuring more quotes and a "Currently" page, you can add notes to what you are currently love, feeling, enjoying, anticipating, wishing, reading, watching, and planning. I have noticed that writing all of these things down has really helped "empty my brain" and free up space. Since this photo I have added daily things I am currently doing and it's fun to watch things evolve and change. This isn't something you must do everyday, but reflecting on it as you flip the pages is really eye-opening!
Now to the meat and bones of the journal, we have come to the weekly planner. Like I mentioned above, because I signed up mid-month, I didn't utilize the first weeks as they were over, but started here at Week 24. With literally everything you can ask for of a journal, you can put everything you need to do, shop for, eat, and plan right onto these two pages. It started out really pretty but as I completed tasks I crossed things out and watched it (like real life) get a little messy, but felt really uplifted. Don't feel bad if your meal plan changes or your goals aren't fulfilled. This journal is to help keep you organized and make life easier. No need to fret over anything. Life changes and we adapt. Just do your best!
After the big planning sheet for the week, we have a coordinating section for each day. Here I wrote more to-do's, and daily in depth schedules. Again, if things don't happen that are scheduled, cross it out! If you are feeling crummy one day, write it down. This journal isn't meant to be all butterflies and sunshine, sometimes in order to move forward, we have to write down/let out the tough stuff.
With the weekly schedule continuing throughout the rest of the journal, we also receive quite a few more pages of grid paper. This paper is for whatever you want to do with it. Do you want to doodle? Feel free! Want to add some quotes? Do it! Need to do some long division? Go right ahead! Add some pictures, turn this into a real life scrapbook! This journal is meant to be used however you see fit and you literally cannot do it wrong.
Coffee, sunshine, and Silk + Sonder = a mindset shift and one happy mama!
The Verdict
As I mentioned above, my struggle with anxiety is real, and though I have it managed for the most part, I am sensitive to the signs of it creeping back in. If you too struggle, you know that you can't "just stop worrying." Getting in tune with myself and my mindsets has been a big part of managing my anxiety, and I really found the Silk + Sonder planner helpful. I really appreciated the "Loyalty" theme this month, and was impressed with the thoughtfulness this monthly design features.
I allocated 20 minutes a day to this journal and flipped from front to back reflecting, adding to, and processing what I had previously written. By the end of the month my brain feels much more organized and stable. The beauty of this planner was remarkable, and the packable size means I can tote it around in my purse. Being extremely impressed with all aspects, I am really looking forward to discovering more about myself, all while staying organized and offering myself a little daily quiet time and important self care. I'm already excited to see what they have in store for July!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, you'll receive July as your first month. The theme is "Acceptance." A note from Silk + Sonder on shipping:
You can expect your SILK + SONDER issue to arrive 2-5 days before the 1st of every month.
Check out our list of the best women's subscription boxes for 2020 to see which boxes were recommended by MSA readers like you!
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Do you think you'll subscribe to the Silk + Sonder? What are your thoughts about my first month?
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