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 October 2023
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For those that don't know me, I have a very type "A" personality. I like things in order and organized, tend to have multiple lists going at all times, and am quite impatient. Along with that, I struggle with anxiety, and am working on giving myself grace to spend time living in the moment, rather than worrying about the dust on the TV stand. After I had children and returned to work, I found life a bit hectic. After suffering my first panic attack, I started journaling, and have kept on ever since, taking it to the next level with Silk + Sonder.
While Silk + Sonder is a journal, it is also a planner, coloring book, mood tracker, habit tracker, sleep tracker, and more! Centering around a new theme each month, this book has it all, and aligns with my needs perfectly. With 60 pages of amazingness, I look forward to opening this journal each day, and have found it to help keep my anxiety under control.
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I am absolutely shocked to be welcoming October already. With this month's Silk + Sonder featuring the theme "Perseverance", I have spent the last week tossing that word around in my head. As a mom, and as an educator, perseverance is pretty much in my daily vocab, but I have never really focused on it until now.
Perseverance: noun - persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.
Because school his year has been greeted with some changes (both good and bad), this was a good word to chew on, and I couldn't wait to dig deeper throughout the month.
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One of my favorite parts of Silk + Sonder is receiving a new planner each month. With the chaos of life, by the end of the month, my planner looks pretty wore down, so receiving a new, beautiful, clean one is like a fresh start and feels so, so good. I generally start the month off by filling in the calendar. Because it fills up so fast, I am happy to not have more than one month, as it can get overwhelming. Paired with the full size calendar, is a yearly one as well, for references. Staying organized is key to my managing anxiety, and having the calendar at the front of the planner is exactly where I need it!
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On page 6 and 7, we are greeted with a "Future log" and "Wheel of Life". The future log includes two small calendars for the upcoming months. With just enough space to write small notes, I usually only add a couple things to keep in mind, otherwise leave it blank. Also included this month is the "Wheel of Life". This wheel includes areas to rank 10 areas of your life, and how fulfilled you feel. With space to write down ways you can increase your level of fulfillment, you then can fill in the wheel. As you can see, I have some low numbers, and high numbers, and it was actually helpful to see which areas I need to work on.
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The next page offers a space to select on your last month, with a spot to set your intentions for the upcoming one. This page is one of my favorites, as it shows all of the month's accomplishments. Going through the wins, challenges, and favorite moments is a great way to be intentional regarding time and opportunities. Looking back helps me realize just how much one does in a really short amount of time! Going forward, I would like to start smiling more, stop stressing and worrying so much, and continue listening to my daily podcast. What did you jot down in this section?
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With a month of school done and gone, I have slowly gotten into the swing of things when it comes to work. Though our schedule is extremely wild with work meetings, cross country, and fall baseball, I've really utilized the "October Intentions" page to help me keep in mind what really is important. With 6 boxes available to meditate on yourself in specific categories, I found it really helpful to write a few of these down. Life is more about waking up and going to work, and being intentional with these areas helps prove that.
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Not only does this journal offer spaces to write your feelings and thoughts, but it also offers alternate ways to track, like on page 10 and 11. Here we have a mood tracker, and a habit tracker. If you aren't into a lot of writing, these pages are for you. All you do is color code 6 moods and track each day of the month. Sometimes you are able to find patterns that can be looked into, and sometimes it's just interesting to see when you are at your best. (Mine's definitely on the weekends!) Same with the habit tracker. Here you write down a few habits for the month, and track how well you complete them. Do you have to be perfect? No! No one is. Are you a failure if you don't fill in every box? No! But I can say, it does help you be a little more accountable... try it out!
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Page 12 offers another tracker, this one being for sleep. Because I typically go to bed and wake up at the same times I don't generally fill this out, but it's here if you need it. The opposing page, however, is another one of my favorites. Gratitude is one of the most important traits I think a person can have, and this 31 day log offers space to write something you are grateful for each day of the month. I love waking up and filling this out, and find that it's okay to write down the small things. Another great way to help create a positive mindset, and be a ray of sunshine to others!
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A couple more things I am grateful for this month, is our puppy Buxton (even though he has rolled in rotten vegetables two days in a row) and our beautiful changing leaves!
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As this month's theme was perseverance, we received three prompts regarding the topic to show ways we can improve ourselves through constant effort. This prompt was really impactful, as it focused on other people that show perseverance, and how we can learn from them. Sometimes it's much easier to just give up, but with specific traits and mindsets, we can tell ourselves to keep going, as the results can definitely be worth it. Page 15 offers star shapes to list your superpowers and qualities. This one was hard for me to fill out, so I'm slowly working on it.... anyone else find it difficult to name traits about yourself?
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The next activity was to create a perseverance letter to yourself. This letter is for when the going gets tough. I wrote down a few phrases to encourage myself, and while short, felt better reading it a few days later when having a rough day. And right next to that encouraging activity, was this brilliant poem by Joyce Alcantara. If the perseverance letter doesn't help boost your mood, this poem sure will!
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Page 18 and 19 offer two more fun activities. Perfectly appropriate for October, we received a beautifully decorated pumpkin to color. On the opposing side, there was another perseverance activity, but this one asked us to get creative and sketch. Because of a tight schedule, I didn't get to put in as much effort as I would have liked, but will definitely add a few notes as the month goes on.
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So here I am again, month's in, and I've yet to try these recipes. Because the kids tend to make our menu, I forget about this little token of help! No worries though, Charlie has requested pancakes, bacon, and eggs for supper tomorrow night, so I have this page earmarked. Stay tuned! Next to the recipe, the bingo board is back! With 25 spots to create your own self care bingo, this board is super fun. Being intentional with these activities really does help create a positive mindset, and make you feel better all at the same time!
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Onto some more fun stuff, page 24 debuts a word scramble. Generally I love these, but some of these words are really long! I've used a few of my coffee minutes to decode a couple (don't mind the perseverance spelling mistake!) but need to get a little more serious! Also intriguing is this month's riddle - I'm terrible at these! Any help guys? A little more serious is page 25, which is the "Monthly Expense Tracker". This tracker can be used to track expenses. Because I already do this on a google doc, I don't generally fill out this page, but could see where it would be helpful to others.
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The most helpful part is the weekly planner. This area shows a calendar, weekly to-dos, habit and activity trackers, goals, and meal plans. Adding notes to each day, this is where I spend most of my time. I love that it condenses some of the other pages into a summary here, and it really helps me stay organized.
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Tidying up with one last quote, the dictionary definition of "Sonder" and the back cover, that's all there is to it. 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! While it has changed with school starting, I am trying to still carve the time as this journal has swiftly changed my mindset and helped me lead a more positive life.
The Verdict
October is here, and guess what - our schedules are on their way to being the least busy we've been in months! With a break in sports, we have a couple upcoming weekends with absolutely no plans, and I am so incredibly thankful! While it's not quite as busy as normal, my weekday meetings and work changes definitely call for my Silk + Sonder planner. Without this thing, I'd definitely be lost! This month's planner was especially beautiful, and the theme of perseverance was perfectly chosen for this month. I continue to be impressed with this subscription, and can't wait to see what's in store for November!
I tend to allocate about 15-20 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.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Your subscription will start with November as your first month but there is an option to add on October for 50% off at $10.99. 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 2023 to see which boxes were recommended by MSA readers like you!
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