Why I Started Imperfectly Planned (Even Though I’m Still Figuring It Out)
Hey there. I’m Sarah—founder of Imperfectly Planned and mom of two. I didn’t start this business because I have it all figured out. I started it because I don’t.
After trying digital planner after digital planner and following productivity systems that looked great on paper but didn’t work in real life, I finally realized I needed something different. Not perfect—just functional. Something flexible enough for real life and real motherhood, with all its to-dos and curveballs.
I’m not a productivity expert or coach, and I don’t want to be. I’m just a mom who got tired of searching for the perfect system and decided to build her own instead.
The Problem With Most Planners
I married my husband in 2017, and we spent a few years chasing our careers and adjusting to adult life. I worked in a physical therapy clinic until COVID hit, and like many people, it made me rethink everything. We moved to a new town, and I found a remote role and decided to go back to school—this time for computer science. (Spoiler: I dropped out.) My background is actually in sports management, so yeah… it was quite the pivot.
While juggling full-time work and online classes, I discovered digital planning. I convinced my husband to let me buy an iPad and Apple Pencil—and I fell in love.
For the first time, I felt organized. I had templates for everything. My digital planner became my new best friend…
Until it started becoming the thing instead of helping with the thing.
I’d spend more time making fun, cute spreads and color coded to-do lists than actually doing the stuff on them.
Real Life vs. Aesthetic Spreads
That’s when it hit me: I didn’t want a planner that just looked good. I wanted one that helped me get things done. Especially when my time and energy were limited.
Fast forward to summer 2022: I found out I was pregnant. And like many first-time moms, I started Googling everything. My husband, who works in medicine, had a better sense of what to expect—but I felt like I was drinking from a firehose of information.
By the end of pregnancy, I had a million mental tabs open. I downloaded so many planners and templates and tried different planning apps thinking this one would finally help me “get it together.”
But nothing stuck. Everything either felt too complicated or too impractical to actually use.
Where All the Systems Fell Short
As a self-proclaimed productivity junkie, I’ve tried just about everything:
✨ Color-coded Google calendars
✨ Goodnotes planners
✨ Printables
✨ Notion (& Notion wannabes)
✨ Journals
✨ Vision Boards
Some worked for a while. Most didn’t.
I still love the idea of planning, but so much of what’s out there feels more aspirational than practical. Especially for moms.
Why I’ve Started Building My Own Tools
Then came baby number two.
Now there’s even more to manage—and still no perfect system.
So I’'ve started building my own: simple, flexible digital tools like Notion dashboards, simple planners, and one-page templates that work in my messy, real, imperfect life.
Sometimes I follow a system. Sometimes I don’t.
But what I’ve built works for me—and maybe it’ll help another mom too.
Want to Try What’s Actually Working for Me?
I created something called The Imperfect Reset Kit—a free starter tool to help you get your thoughts out, reset your week, and feel like a real human again.
It’s not fancy. It’s not pressure-filled.
Just a calming place to start fresh—especially if everything feels like too much right now.
🧁 Grab your free copy here -> THE IMPERFECT RESET KIT
What’s Next (Even If It’s Messy)
Not everything is a finished product. But I’m done waiting for perfect.
Imperfectly Planned is a love letter to me. It’s my way of building tools that work in real life—and I’m happy to share them as I go.
No pressure. No perfection. Just small steps forward from someone who’s figuring it out.
Thanks for being here. I’m really glad you are.
