by Brooke Forry

[ Pssst: are you here for the freebie? Read on, or just scroll to the bottom of the page to enter your email address and get on the list! We’ll send out your free, printable layout within the hour. ]

Tell me if this sounds familiar: you wake up with a million tasks and responsibilities and worries running through your brain, and you feel overwhelmed before your day has even begun. When it does begin, you aren’t even sure where to start with tackling it all. There is just So. Much. To. Do.

And it’s not just work. It’s all of that unavoidable adulting stuff. When are you supposed to find time to do laundry, clean the house, take the car in for an inspection, finally get that flu shot you really need, buy a gift for the family birthday party this weekend, and so on and on and on — let alone find time to take care of yourself?

Life is overwhelming. And exhausting. I, for one, reached a point where I was burning the candle at both ends, taking care of everybody but myself, and always feeling scattered, behind on life, and depleted of energy.

I’ve always loved using a paper planner, and I’m incredibly dependent on my planner to keep from forgetting important tasks, but the planner I was using before was just not helping me manage all the different roles I play and the many responsibilities and tasks that come with each role.

That’s why I designed the Balance Bound Planner, and why Terry and I decided to take the leap to make it a reality. The format I imagined didn’t yet existed, so I created it and began using it, and doing so has brought so much more clarity to my days.

Here’s how it has helped me (and how it can work for you):

• Each day in the dated planner is divided into four signature sections: work, self, others, and home.

• By sorting your daily tasks, you are able to see where you’re spending your time, where you’re trying to do too much (for me, it’s always in the work and others categories), and where you can delegate to free up more time…

• … for self-care. Yes, it’s a total buzz-word (we have some thoughts on that!), but it’s also seriously necessary to take care of yourself so you actually can keep taking care of everyone else — you know, that whole “put your own oxygen mask on first” thing.

• The home section is reserved for all that un-fun but totally necessary adulting stuff that keeps your household, car, bank account, etc. running smoothly. Honestly, if I don’t remind myself to do the laundry, my family may run out of clean clothes entirely… so having a place to regularly remind myself of these routine tasks is so important.

• As your week fills up, you have a front row seat to where you are (and aren’t) spending your time. Is your self section blank for a full week? Is your work section eternally overflowing? Is your others section full of tasks for everyone else, all week long? If the answer to any of those questions is yes, it’s time to figure out where you can either streamline or delegate tasks to free up some time for yourself. (This isn’t always easy to do, but once you make it a priority, you’ll find a way, and it will be 100% worth it.)

• As you continue dividing your tasks into the four sections, you get a better handle on recognizing your personal limitations and bandwidth, you feel more comfortable setting boundaries, and you make a more conscious effort to look out for your own well-being.

We’re not just trying to sell you a product. We really want to get this in your hands because we have seen how it actually works! That’s why we’re giving you the opportunity to try it out for free:

Enter your name and email address in the footer below and we will send you a FREE, abridged, weekday, printable layout of the Balance Bound Planner!

Once you’ve had a chance to test out this mini version, we’d love to hear from you — how do you like it? What is the biggest change you’ve noticed in how you spend and prioritize your time?