Truth be told, I am a self-development junkie. I’ve journeyed through countless time management methods, planners, organizers, and journals in pursuit of that mystical balance that truly doesn’t exist- or does it? What if I told you I found something transformative?

In October 2021, I stumbled upon a simple monthly planner/journal that completely changed my life: Silk & Sonder!

My Discovery of Silk & Sonder

When I first switched over to Silk & Sonder, I was skeptical but I was desperate for some clarity. I knew how to create goals that I could crush (find my exact strategy here). But, I had a hard time balancing my roles: wife, mom, entrepreneur, boss, daughter, sister, friend, etc… I know you can relate.

This typically meant I felt frazzled and stressed most of the time. I could feel I was hitting burnout being at home with a new baby and my oldest off at college – I felt like I was just keeping my head above water.

So, I gave Silk & Sonder a try. After just one month of setting my intentions, making goals for each area of my life, tracking those habits alongside my workouts and meals, and breaking down each day to ensure all my tasks for work and life were met I finally felt at peace.

One thing you may not know about me is I used to own a savings membership club, so I can be a little frugal at times. I assumed I could take some principles from the journal and apply them in my notebook. So, I attempted that for November. But, at the end of the month, I had no peace, I was frazzled and stressed all over again.

That is when I asked for an annual Silk & Sonder subscription (back in December 2021) I haven’t looked back since. It’s life-changing and I want that clarity and peace for you so I am going to break down (step by step) how I use mine.

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Step By Step Guide For Using Your Silk & Sonder Journal

• Step 1: Reflect on your previous month. The journal prompts you to go over your wins and losses for the month. I have always had a difficult time celebrating my wins and this has helped with that. I also love the prompts for what you want to Start/Continue/Stop in the next month.

• Step 2: Set your intentions for your new month. Your intentions are broken down into different sections of your life: Spiritual Health/ Personal Life/ Physical Health/ Key Relationships/ Money Management/ and Professional Goals. This separation and the practice of setting goals and intentions for each area in my life is what has allowed me to create more balance in my life.

• Step 3: Next, you set up your Mood and Habit Trackers. The mood tracker allows you to see how things like sleep might affect your mood. Over time this can become an incredible tool. When you approach the Habit Tracker it’s important to set your habits based on your monthly intentions. I try and create one intention for each area in my life. Or if I am in a busy season in life- for example during the holidays Nov/Dec. Then come Jan, I might lean into a busy season professionally to balance things back out. I think it is important to give ourselves grace and lean into different seasons of our lives without shame or guilt.

• Step 4: The Sleep and Gratitude Trackers are up next and you will enter those daily, as you will with the Mood & Habit Trackers. I typically do it every morning as part of my morning routine.

• Step 5: There are journal prompts, coloring pages, word searches, quotes, poems, recipes, and more spread throughout the journal in between the weekly planners. I do these in my free time and for someone who hates journaling, these have been transformational for me.

• Step 6: The Weekly Overview. This is where you will set how you want to feel this week, list your most important to-do’s, and your 3 major weekly goals, there are 5 spots for tracking habits or activities for the week, a weekly meal plan, health plan, shopping list, quote for the week and a spot to write in what you are loving this week.

• Step 7: Following your weekly overview are the Daily Planning Pages. These are columns for each day of the week and the perfect place to jot down appointments and daily tasks.

I know what you are thinking, 7 steps is a lot. But, I promise you it’s worth the peace it will bring you. Realistically, it probably takes 30 min at the beginning of each month to set up and a few minutes a day to track your habits.

It has become my favorite thing to do each month, almost a sacred time reserved for me to design a life I love. And, I invite you to do the same!

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Mama Munchkin

Amber is not only the dynamic CEO and founder of our team but also a dedicated mother of six and savvy entrepreneur. Her extensive travels with her family have not only created lasting memories but have also led to their tight-knit bonds. Helping you bring your family closer together and finding community with all of you is what gets her out of bed everyday (although her toddler plays a role in this as well).

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