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."
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 August 2023
I love the theme of "Tranquility" for August, and while I find it hard to find calm in the month before I return to school, I am in desperate need of doing so! If you have read any of my past reviews, you know I have struggled with anxiety in the past. Staying organized is one of my strategies for keeping anxious thoughts at bay, and this journal has me completely covered!
When I discovered the Silk + Sonder planner I was thrilled. Not only did the concept and lay out align with my needs, but it's absolutely beautiful too! Centered around a different theme each month, this month's theme is "Tranquility" as I mentioned above, and it encourages us to take a breath and calm down. With 60 pages of writing prompts, trackers, calendars, fun activities, and more, I find myself looking forward to opening this daily journal each day!
Tranquility: The quality or state of bing tranquil; calm.
Like I mentioned above, I am riding the coat tails of the last of summer vacation, and tranquility has been far from my mind all of July. Because of this months theme, I've really been able to churn over the meaning of tranquility and what it means to me. With this, I have put a few daily things on hold that aren't of complete importance and changed up my priorities a bit. Just reading the definition is calming, and I appreciate this simple gesture more than I thought I would - a fantastic way to start this month's journal.
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Pre- Silk + Sonder, I lugged around a gigantic planner. While this monstrosity housed calendars for years, it was too big to tote around, was misplaced more often than not, and just wasn't helping. Receiving a fresh planner each month not only gives me the chance to "wipe my slate clean", but also focus on a new theme all while shifting my mindset to a much more positive one. With the inclusion of a yearly calendar as well as a monthly one, I can still plan for the future, but in a much more reasonable way. Here I have noted future appointments, but without flipping hundreds of pages in. I can also see exactly what I have planned for each day of the month, with an area for more description in the back. Perfect!
After the calendar, we are greeted with a "Future Log" and extra note paper. The future log shows small calendars for the two following months which was great for jotting down future plans. The blank page gives you the option of writing lists, lyrics, or inspirational quotes. If that's not your thing, feel free to doodle, glue in pictures, or leave blank. The best part of this journal is that it is completely yours - you CAN NOT screw this up!
Zipping right along, I made my way to page 8, which was the "July Reflections" page. This page offers space to reflect on the past month and mull over wins, challenges, and favorite moments. It also includes space to detail what you would like to start, stop, and continue into August. Being extremely intentional, this piece is a great way to reflect on yourself as a whole. Sometimes we tend to focus on the negative, so having to write down wins and favorites really brings out the glitter in a sometimes drab routine. July went surprising well, so I'm hoping August does too!
Speaking of that rascal, August, here we are setting our intentions. with simple boxes and headlines, this space can get as detailed or simplified as you would like. I just write small sayings and include some drawings because I love to doodle, but you can fill it out for you. Obviously I have a lot of intentions for August, and some may be a little far fetched, but writing them down is one step in the right direction and really has helped!
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Up next was the "Mood Tracker" and "Habit Tracker" circles. Like I mentioned last month, I have listened to a few of the podcasts found on the Silk + Sonder app regarding interesting data found when it comes to habit tracking and mood tracking. Because I started tracking from the beginning of the month it felt good to watch my progress. Everyone has their up and down days and it's okay to accept that. Sometimes it's not pattern related, but sometimes it is. A very interesting area to just keep an eye on. Along with that was the "Habit Tracker" circle. This guy was all about tracking habits. These can be big or small. I keep choosing health related ones and need to get more creative. I'll be heading back to the app for some better ideas!
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Page 12 and 13 focus on sleep tracking and gratitude. Since I generally get plenty of sleep, I haven't routinely filled this tracker out, but may have to start as our new puppy has totally disrupted my REM cycles! While I'm hoping that is a short lived situation, I do love the inclusion of the "Gratitude Log". Writing down and being intentional about the things we are grateful for can make for a huge mindset shift, and as a mom and educator find it extremely important. A little more simplistic than the jar and sunshine ray from the last few months, this does give more area to write and draw, and I'm 100% okay with that!
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Because this month's theme is tranquility, we received two prompts regarding the topic as our society praises busyness. Because there is more to life than go-go-going, it was really powerful to write down and reflect on what gets me worried and how I know it's time to rest. I have grown up feeling guilty for taking a break, but as I get older am realizing just how important a little rest can be. It never ceases to amaze me how words and feelings just start flowing when you put the pen to paper. Just taking a couple of minutes to be intentional and get these feelings off my chest really takes a load off! Opposite of the tranquility prompts was a "Brain Dump" area which offers a blank space to write down everything that is churning around in your mind. My mind is always churning, and this was an exercise I started out doing when first diagnosed with anxiety. It truly does help!
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Page 16 and 17 featured a "Calming Elements" prompt and a beautiful poem titled: "A Tonic of Calm". Again, being intentional I rolled around these three topics in my head and listed a few each day. Adding some doodles, I noticed my breathing became more relaxed while just writing. And the poem - what a beauty!
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Yay for another coloring page! Like I mentioned earlier, doodling is extremely calming to me, so this is one of my favorite pages. Paired with those metallic gel pens, the ink just flows into the lines on this sheet and is so strangely fulfilling. Once I get started, I almost can't stop. Taking a minute or two each day to color takes the edge off of a busy day and relaxes me from the get-go. And when it's complete, it looks beautiful! On the opposing side we have a "My Favorites" section. This is new and super fun. Filling out 12 questions on your favorites, you fill up the boxes with whatever you see fit. I added some text with doodles, but you could design it to fit your needs. After I filled this out for myself, I asked my kids their favorites and we had a great time discussing the similarities and differences. Re-reading these makes my heart smile, and helps me to stay positive.
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Honestly, I have yet to create one of these recipes, but have really good intentions of doing so! Truly, this chicken meatloaf sounds delicious, and I want to try it with pheasant. Because I am actually growing sage in our garden, I do have this earmarked for the future and will relay back with how it turned out. Next to the recipe, we received a customizable BINGO board. This board is blank, which allows you to fill it in with self-care activities. I actually have already completed a lot of these items this month, and we're not even halfway through! Whoa!
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Here we have a few pages shown. Pages 22-23 feature graph paper that can be utilized in any way you see fit. Grocery list? You got it! A message from a phone call? Fine! Jot it down! Not only does this planner keep you organized, positive, and collected, but it also is fun! Featuring a Sudoku and riddle, this isn't all about business, and keeps your brain working in a multitude of ways. Opposing the fun is something a little less fun - the "Monthly Expense Tracker". Simplistic in design, I already track my expenses on a Google Doc, so felt it redundant to enter here, but can see how it would be beneficial to have all in one place.
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Getting into the nuts and bolts section of the planner, it was nice to see they take a few days in July and give you space for those as well as September. Adding a few little notes, as the days go on, they get a little more scribbly, but there is honestly nothing like crossing out an item on a list! With space for meal plans, health plans, shopping lists, goals, and to dos, this really has it all in one easy to find place.
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Tidying up with some more scratch paper, the dictionary definition of "Sonder" and the back cover, that's all there is to it! What a fun and helpful subscription!
I have come to find that a key part of my day is the morning in which I sit and fill out my planner with my cup of coffee. This quiet time happens before the kids are awake, and I can snuggle the puppy all to myself! This journal has swiftly changed my mindset and helped me lead a more positive life.
The Verdict
Piggybacking from last month's review, summer is busy, and while it is so much fun, it is also mega stressful. Stress and anxiety don't make a good combo, so I am always on the look-out for things to help me manage. Utilizing the Silk + Sonder planner has been really helpful in clearing my head, organizing my thoughts, and being really intentional with how I want my mindset to start the day. I really appreciated this month's "Tranquility" theme, and was impressed by the beauty and thoughtfulness this month's design encompassed.
I allocate about 20 minutes a day to this journal and flip from front to back reflecting, adding to, and processing what I have previously written. By the end of the month my brain feels much more organized and stable. The beauty of this planner is 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 September!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, you'll receive September as your first month. 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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