Hello and welcome to Best Lead Plans.

This is your host, Sarah Hart Unger, and this is the podcast where we talk all things planning and planning adjacent.

Today we're going to open with a really interesting planner piece submission, and then I'm going to go through my thoughts on wirecutters choices for planners for 2026.

All right, so first, I'm going to share this detailed planner piece submission from a listener who I'll call R,

because I'm not sure if they want to share their name out there.

R writes, I've been meaning to write in for a while to share a bit of my planner piece

journey and to raise a question about accessibility in the planner world.

I'm someone with low vision due to a condition called Usher syndrome, which is a congenital

vision loss disorder that's progressive with time.

And while I still prefer paper planners, it's been a real challenge finding options that are both functional and easy on the eyes. So many popular planners are beautiful but use light gray ink, thin lines,

or pastel fonts that are hard to read, even in letter size. I understand that these aesthetics

are appealing to many, but they make planners less accessible for people like me, those who

still have enough usable vision to work with paper planners, but need more

contrast and clarity to do so comfortably. For me, it's not just about page size. The boldness of the

layout matters just as much. Clean contrast and strong lines make a huge difference. As a full-time

working mom of two elementary-aged kids and the director of a teacher education program,

planning is essential to help me stay grounded and organized. I don't drive so getting from place

to place takes extra time and coordination. I need to be intentional with how I structure my days,

whether I'm managing work meetings, family logistics, my usually long to-do list, or commuting

across town. Having a clear and accessible planner system really impacts how smoothly everything runs.

Right now, I use a bit of a hybrid system.

I rely on Google Calendar at Outlook for personal and shared calendars,

...