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. Each planner features new layouts that are "inspired by positive psychology, bullet journaling, and self-help books." For an annual plan, the cost is $15.75/month. There are also quarterly and monthly plans available.
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 April 2024
I can't even believe I am writing this, but April is already here! After the weirdest winter I have ever experienced, spring is on the horizon, and I am so ready for it. With an uptick in basketball practice, and baseball evaluations next week, our schedules are getting a little chaotic again. These reasons (and more) are exactly why I need Silk + Sonder in my life.
While Silk + Sonder is a journal, it is also a planner, stress reliever, focus improver, mood booster, and productivity increaser! 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.
As we head into April, the theme is "Play" and it has really inspired me this month to let loose and have a little fun. With only two months left of school and nicer weather headed our way, I am ready to stroll into April with a fun, playful attitude and this month's prompts were really helpful. Now let's dive in!
One of my favorite parts of Silk + Sonder is receiving a new planner each month. Starting "fresh" has been really helpful, as yearly planners make me feel overwhelmed. While this does feature an entire year calendar, it is too small to start filling, but big enough to reference for the future. To start my month, I fill in my calendar with dates I already know, and watch the month fly by! (Thank you, basketball and work!) Staying organized is a huge help in managing my anxiety, and being able to quickly reference this calendar at the front of this planner is exactly what I need.
On page 6, we are greeted with a "Future Log." This includes two small calendars for the upcoming months. With just enough space to write small notes, my calendar generally stays pretty open. Honestly, because we are just finishing up our spring break, my goal was to not focus on the future but to enjoy the moment, and my blank calendar is showing just that! On the opposite side, you find a page titled "Wheel of Life", which is a great inclusion! This wheel gives you space to rank areas of your life along with ways you can increase your level of fulfillment for all of the different sections. Intentional and helpful, it's nice to see on paper just what we need to focus on each month, as well as what things are going well.
Page 8 offers a space to reflect on the previous month. With an area to write down your wins, challenges, and favorite moments, this is a great way to learn what works and what doesn't. This page is one of my favorites, as it shows all of the month's accomplishments. It also features an area to write things down that you want to start, stop, and continue. This month I would like to back on my low carb diet, stop being so negative, and continue Bible time with the kids.
Setting intentions for April was a really helpful activity because it is just so darn busy. I am a planner, but these days I have only been able to handle focusing on one day at a time. This spot isn't designed as a to-do list, but rather a list that asks something of yourself, and then gives you the strength to do it. With six boxes available to meditate on yourself in specific categories, it is truly helpful to write these down. Time is a thief, and I really want to make the most of life and live in the moment, so this activity helps with that. As you can see, I've added big things, as well as "low hanging fruit" to keep things achievable, yet goal-worthy.
Like I mentioned above, this is more than just a planner, and these trackers are proof of that. Page 10 and 11 offer a mood tracker and habit tracker. We are given space to fill in what our typical moods are, and fill it out throughout the month. This is great for tracking patterns especially for me and my anxiety. If you don't like to do a ton of writing, these pages are definitely geared toward you. When I first started this planner, I felt the need to complete every page perfectly, but in finding myself, have realized I can do whatever I feel on each given day. This is YOUR planner, and you can fill it out as completely, or not completely, as you feel necessary. This same response goes for the habit tracker. Wonderful when you are starting a new habit, I write mine down and sometimes forget to fill them in. Is that okay? Yes! Do what works for you.
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. Page 13 offers a Gratitude Log to jot down what we are grateful for each day of April. Although I generally receive this journal the last week of the month for the upcoming month, I obviously don't fill out my daily logs until the month actually starts, which is why I've only got the first day filled out. By the end of the month, I love going back through and reminiscing on all of the things I have to be grateful for in this wonderfully chaotic life!
Because this month's theme was "Play", we received three prompts regarding this topic and how it resonates with us. These prompts were very thoughtful and had us write down what the word "play" actually means to us individually, and how it makes us feel. Page 15 offered a "Bingo" activity, where I added activities I consider "play" into the board as self-care practices, and strive to get a row or full house this month. Love this idea!
The next activity was a fun one that was pretty low-key and easy. We needed to fill out 8 boxes with songs or artists that inspire a sense of play. While I only had 3 specific songs, the other ones contain entire albums that make me want to sing or dance. A fun activity that unwound me a bit, I appreciate the nostalgia this particular page had to offer. On the opposing side, we were given a poem by an unknown author. This poem encompasses "play" perfectly, especially as an adult. While play is extremely important for children to grow - it's just as important for adults!
Page 18 and 19 offer two more fun activities: an adult coloring page, and a "Noticing Nature Game" page where you do some cloud watching. Honestly, my life has been crazy chaotic the last couple of weeks, so I haven't been able to sit down for some important "me time" to work on this journal as seriously as I would like, but I'm hoping with spring break winding down, my normal schedule will resume.
Every Silk + Sonder journal comes with a recipe, and though I typically don't try them, do appreciate the thought. This month's "Steak Street Tacos" actually looked really tasty, and I might just give this recipe a go. Has anyone tried this particular version out yet? How did they turn out?
On the opposing page, we received "Affirmation Clouds" and it was definitely one of my favorite inclusions. With thirteen clouds, we were given space to write affirmations. I had a pretty easy time filling this in with daily reminders, and always enjoy going back and re-reading these for a douce of positivity.
Blank sheets are always helpful and a great place to do some long division, write notes, and jot down addresses!
Each month we are given some sort of mind puzzle, and this month it was a crossword puzzle. I am really terrible at crossword puzzles, and honestly, these answers are way longer than the ones I typically do in our weekly newspaper! Maybe I'll figure one out tomorrow with my morning coffee....
The opposing side features an expense tracker. I've mentioned before that I use a google doc, so I don't fill out this page, and that's okay! Feel free to use this planner as you see fit!
While all of the activities are really useful, helpful, and great, I tend to put most of my time into these calendar pages. With sections for meal plans, to-dos, habits and activities, shopping lists, and specific day sections, I write everything here. It keeps me on schedule for each day and feeling accomplished, and there is NOTHING more satisfying than crossing out an item on my list.
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 when I sit and fill out my planner with my cup of coffee, though these last two weeks have been without that! This quiet time happens before the kids are awake, and I can snuggle Scout and Buxton all to myself! Now that we are in the 4th quarter of school, our routine is ramping up again, and I MUST be intentional about carving time out to adhere to this schedule that helps ease my anxiety and create a more positive life.
The Verdict
As we embark on the fourth month of the year, we are busier than ever, but I feel a lot more organized with the help of this journal. Silk + Sonder is a lifesaver, and without it, I'd definitely be lost. This month's planner was especially beautiful, and the theme of "Play" was perfectly chosen. I continue to be impressed with this subscription, and can't wait to see what's in store for May.
I typically 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 May as your first month but there is an option to add on April 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 2024 to see which boxes were recommended by MSA readers like you!
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