by Brooke Forry

The Real Planner Spotlight is a new series, where we feature how our customers are using their Balance Bound Planners — in all their unstaged, imperfect, authentic glory. We are not interested in featuring only the most “Instagrammable” images; we want to show how customers are getting messy and real, planning their days with our four signature sections, and making the flexible layout of the Balance Bound Planner work for them.

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I first met Hillary Rea last summer at a Wellstruck Roundtable, and the moment I mentioned that we were preparing to launch a new planner the excitement in Hillary’s face was not unlike a kid’s in a candy story. She is a self-proclaimed planner aficionado, and was one of the first to pre-order the 2020 Balance Bound Planner. We are so happy to kick off our Real Planner Spotlight feature with Hillary, one of our biggest supporters.

First name: Hillary Rea

Age: 37

Location: Philadelphia, PA

Occupation: Founder of Tell Me A Story + Podcast Producer and Host of Rashomon

Instagram handle: @tmasphilly

Favorite Balance Bound cover design: I love all three but chose the black with subtle stripe so that it would match my desk at work, desk at home, and any bag I was carrying it around in.

ON AN AVERAGE WEEK, WHO ARE YOUR “OTHERS” — THE PEOPLE YOU CARE FOR AND/OR MAKE TIME FOR?

The “others” section is still an area that I am struggling with in terms of balance. I tend to prioritize “work” and “self” because I am still in the trenches of building my business in a sustainable way. Since using my Balance Bound Planner, I noticed that I neglect blocking in time for friends, family and my relationship.

Because I am super introverted, I consider all social events as part of the “others” category. This week (the week photographed) I am supporting friends via their storytelling shows (Wednesday) and book release event (Thursday) and those will also be events where I can spend time with my boyfriend, parents and friends. I’m attending a big party hosted by my barre studio on Friday which I am also thinking of as part of the “others” section of my planner.

ON AN AVERAGE WEEK, WHAT DO YOU DO TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF? WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO TO ENSURE THAT YOU SET THAT NON-NEGOTIABLE TIME ASIDE?

I try to go to 5 barre classes per week. I am in year three of my barre studio’s yearlong challenge. In 2018 the challenge was to take 18 classes per month for the year. In 2019 it was 19 classes per month. And now we’re up to 20 classes per month in 2020. This challenge has been an excellent source for strength building, mindset shifting, and it’s a whole lot of fun. I also take tap class once a week. It’s my favorite form of dance and something I've been doing on and off since I was 10. The class is all women and my teacher Angelica is always a positive light at the end of a long day.

I feel very lucky in that I have more freedom than most to create my own schedule and prioritize my personal needs. I don’t have children (and don’t plan on having them!) My boyfriend and I are in a committed partnership, we don’t plan to get married and live separately from each other. Our relationship style has been coined "Living Apart Together". With all that being said, sometimes I feel like I have too many self-inflicted non-negotiable to-dos and plans! Thus the need to focus in on “others” — both in my planner and in life!

HOW DO YOU USE THE FREE SPACE AT THE BOTTOM OF EACH PAGE?

I’m still playing around with this. I’ve added extra to-dos and written notes having to do with that specific day. On Monday I experimented with taking notes during two video calls in that bottom section. This worked out much better than the pieces of scrap paper I normally use.

Before switching over to the Balance Bound Planner I was very wrapped up in the decorated planner world. I followed planner YouTubers, I had custom inserts and stickers from various Etsy shops and used washi tape to highlight the different sections of my week. Essentially, I had a sticker for every activity and to-do! I spent a ton of time making my planner look elaborate but it wasn’t always functional. I’ve thought about making the free space at the bottom my one place to decorate my Balance Bound Planner but so far I haven’t felt too inspired to do so. Simple is best for me at the moment.

HOW DO YOU USE THE FREE PAGE ON YOUR WEEKEND SPREAD AND/OR THE BLANK NOTES PAGES IN THE BACK OF THE PLANNER?

I’ve been using the blank notes page on my weekend spread for quick brainstorms and for quotes worth remembering from email newsletters, articles and books. Most have something to do with how I am running my business or storytelling in general.

ANY OTHER TIPS, TRICKS, PLANNER HACKS, OR DETAILS ABOUT YOUR PLANNER/PHOTOS THAT YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE?

Beyond an overview of weekly goals and priorities, I’ve pretty much moved away from putting my daily work tasks in my planner spread. I learned that those are better served in Notion, the software I use to manage my business and podcast. This also makes me feel less overwhelmed when I look at my planner. I can look at all four areas and see a bigger picture of how my life is unfolding week to week.

I’m also not worried at all about my weekly spread’s appearance. This is a huge relief for me having previously invested a ton of time and money into making a planner look “perfect” and “pretty”. But if I need to change an appointment or cancel something altogether, I use my trusty Tombow Mono Correction Tape pen. It’s the best!

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Thank you so much for sharing, Hillary! If you’d like to contribute to the Real Planner Spotlight series, please drop us a note.

Ready to test out the Balance Bound Planner to see how it can work for you? Enter your name and email address below and we will send you a FREE, abridged, weekday, printable layout to test for yourself. And don’t forget to explore the shop — planners are available for purchase now.