How I use Silk and Sonder Planners for my ADHD Life

Are you looking for the perfect planner to manage your ADHD? Here’s my honest review of the Silk and Sonder journal and planner!

There’s one thing that a lot of ADHD folks struggle with, and that’s planning.

I don’t like structure, but I absolutely need it or else I’ll do nothing all day long.

Do you ever get the advice, “Just get a planner!”? These people are trying to be helpful, but it’s more complicated than that.

We need something that works with our brains. That will give us structure to know what we need to do, but be flexible enough to allow for our creativity and fluidity.

I started using these Silk and Sonder journal and planners in April 2023, as a desperate attempt to get my life in order. And this isn’t just a planner- it’s a way to keep my mental health in check, too.

Below, is my Silk & Sonder review: What it is, what it does, and my experiences with it. This is not a sponsored post, but is my full and honest opinion!

What is Silk and Sonder?

The Silk and Sonder planner was created by Meha Agrawal. This is a monthly planner subscription service where you get a new journal every month, with each month having a different theme.

The first 20-ish pages have trackers and journal prompts. A lot of them are the same every month (Mood trackers, habit trackers), but the journal prompts and activities are different.

So it’s not just a planner, and it’s not fully a bullet journal either. It’s a perfect blend of both; it gives me a chance to be creative but also has the gentle guidance to keep me on track.

How I found the journal

One day I was browsing Amazon and Google for a new planner. I use a paper planner for business to-dos and checklists, and I was having trouble sticking with them. I’d get bored and switch halfway through the year.

Then I scrolled through Instagram and came across a targeted ad for Silk and Sonder. Yep, the Internet watched me and showed me what it thought I needed. And apparently it was right.

After reading the reviews and watching some videos on it, I decided to get a 3-month subscription to start out. If it still wasn’t clicking after 3 months, I’d stop it and find something different.

And, well, I never stopped. Traditional planners just aren’t the same anymore.

How much does it cost?

This is a subscription service, and the price varies depending on the plan you get.

As of March 2024, here are the prices. And this also includes free shipping:

• 1 month: $24.95/month
• 3 months: $19.95/month
• 12 months: $15.75/month

Sometimes they’ll run specials. So if you sign up for their mailing list, they might send you a coupon code.

And when you sign up, they’ll give you a chance to buy that month’s planner at a discounted price- usually somewhere around $5.00. That way you can get started even before getting your first month down!

I started out with just 3 months. And it helped so much I immediately went for the annual subscription!

My favorite sections

Like I said above, the first 20 pages or so has journaling prompts and trackers. Here are the ones I use every month:

Reflections and intentions

On the last week of the month, I sit down and fill out the next month’s planner. These two pages help me look back on the events of this past month, and set intentions for the next month.

Mood tracker

I’ve been tracking my mood ever since I started these planners. Sometimes it’s nice to look back and pinpoint what was going on in my life based on my moods, and work on improving myself.

Habit tracker

On this page, you can list up to 7 habits that you want to track every day. They could include things like drinking water, reading a book, exercising, etc.

Every day that you complete the habit, you color it in or even use stickers. I’m a visual person, so I love seeing the progress as the month goes on.

And habit tracking was something I definitely struggled with. This page has kept me accountable on SO many levels.

Sleep/cycle tracker

This planner also includes a sleep tracker, where you can keep track of how much you slept and how you feel.

But one cool thing is you can customize these trackers to what you need them to be. I use my Fitbit to track my sleep, so instead I turned this into a cycle tracker.

This info’s highly personal to me so I’m not showing a photo, but here are the things I track:

• The day of my cycle, along with when I start my period
• Mood
• Hours of sleep
• Energy level (From 1-5)
• Symptoms (Physical or mental)

This is where your creativity comes in, because you can use washi tape to cover up the original text and write in your own!

Gratitude

I believe that showing gratitude is key to improving your mental health. And this journal has a page dedicated to listing what you’re grateful for that day.

Sometimes it’s a lined list. Other times the page shows a gratitude jar, like what you see above. I make it a priority to write something in it every day, even if it’s something small like “Waking up in the morning”.

Coloring page

Here’s one of my favorite parts! Every month includes a coloring page and it’s wonderful for taking a break throughout the day.

I personally like coloring during my prayer time, because it keeps my hands busy and helps me focus. My favorite markers for this are these Crayola fine-tip markers.

Blank pages

This is where the bullet journaling comes in. If there are other things you want to track this month that S&S doesn’t make a tracker for, you can create your own!

I use one blank page to write down my monthly business goals. And I use another as my running tracker, to track my mileage and speed.

Silk and Sonder also has a free mobile app you can download where you can see examples that other users have uploaded. I love looking through the Sonder Club for new ideas!

Other features

The fun doesn’t stop there. I don’t use these every single month, but here’s what you can also find in the planner and the app:

• A monthly calendar page with some room to write
• Pages of writing prompts, most of which relate to that month’s theme
• Fun activities, like word searches or mazes
• A new recipe every month
• Virtual classes- some are free, and some are at a low cost
• Weekly Zoom meetings for all occasions: Filling out the coloring page, planning your week, etc. There are multiple every week, for different days and time zones.
• Daily rituals on the app. Usually about 5 minutes long and gives you prompts to fill out on any of your blank pages.

How I use it in everyday life

In addition to using the above tracker features every day, I use the rest of the pages as my weekly planner. Let’s check it out.

Weekly spread

Every Saturday, I get out my planner and fill out these two pages. Here are the prompts:

• This week I want to feel:
• Weekly to-dos
• Weekly major three goals
• Habit/activity tracker: This is for habits you may not need to do the entire month, but maybe specifically for this week
• Meal plan and water tracker: I only use this part for dinner
• Mind/body health plan
• Shopping list
• I am loving

So there are a few things here as guidelines, but you can choose how you want the page to look.

For example, I put washi tape around the Weekly To-Dos and the Shopping List for decoration. And instead of using that one section as a shopping list, I’ll add a Bible verse that relates to how I want to feel that week.

The weekly to-dos are my business goals for the week. Those are things that have to get done, and I can cross them off the list once they’re completed.

Daily goals/ to-dos

The next couple of pages are for each day of the week, and as you can see you can customize this completely.

On the top of each day is a box with the “One Thing”. You can write down your most important task for the day, or even the daily affirmations that appear in the app each morning.

There’s also a box for the weather, if you like to keep track of that.

The space below is for your bullet journaling mind to have fun with. Will you put a daily schedule? Maybe a journaling prompt? This is where the app comes in again, where you can look at what other users have done.

I use washi tape and stickers to make three separate sections for each day. One is for work tasks; one is for home tasks; and the third I try to use for random stickers or notes.

On the right hand side is a Scratch Pad you can use for random things. I’ll use this for random things I need to add to my to-do list for the week, but don’t know what day they’ll go to yet.

The last two pages of the week have Saturday and Sunday, and a spot for weekly reflections. What went right, what went wrong, and what opportunities arose. And across from that is a blank page you can use for notes or other things.

I do my best to fill out everything every day and every week. Not everything gets done, and that’s okay. I do what I can and don’t feel guilty about it.

Customer service

I have nothing but good things to say about the customer support! One month I received a planner in the mail and it was obvious this thing had gotten trapped in the rain. It got totally soaked and then curled up so it was no longer usable.

I sent a picture to customer support, and they immediately sent out a new one at no charge. They’re quick to respond, and always super friendly!

Give it a try

In the full year that I’ve used this, my brain has done a much better job of staying on track.

I don’t get bored of planning anymore. This planner has enough structure to keep me organized, but enough blank spots to let me be creative and use it for what I need.

I’ve been able to flip through this every morning as part of my morning routine, and it’s now become a habit ingrained into my mind.

If you’re looking for a way to stay organized, feel creative, and develop your personal growth, I highly suggest you try this Silk and Sonder planner/journal! Try the 3-month option like I did and see how you feel. It changed the way I plan, and chances are it could do the same for you!