You Don't Have to Sacrifice Peace for Progress | Bricen Tate

What inspired the creation of the Hustle & Harmony Planner, and what gap were you hoping to fill?
There are only 24 hours in a day and we are constantly juggling multiple, competing priorities leading us to decide between ambition or well-being. We grow up hearing sayings like, “Get rich or die trying” or “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” which lead us to hyperfocus on the hustle. The problem with that narrative is that we are putting an emphasis on the grind without a balanced strategy. This can lead to, as I see it, one of three things: 1) your grind can just become busy work getting you nowhere fast; 2) you can burnout and quit; and/or 3) you succeed and reach your goals but you feel regret or emptiness because you may have abandoned other areas of your life.
We designed the Hustle & Harmony Planner to inspire a fervor for greater balance across multiple areas in life. We wanted this planner to give the user a structure to focus their ambitions and produce their dreams while also prioritizing well-being. We also wanted to make sure that we took a different approach and encourage our audience to break down their goals into quarters instead of annually. By focusing on smaller steps, we are more likely to remain motivated and have a higher probability of achieving our goals.
I initially quoted two sayings—notice that they both have the word “death” in it. We’re done dying to live. It’s time to live while we’re alive and thrive in every area of our lives while doing so. It’s time to have that hustle mentality but create a harmony that we need for a prosperous life. We believe that the Hustle & Harmony Planner’s layout is built to encourage you to create alignment with your dreams while ensuring you’re being mindful of the things that truly matter and that is simultaneously producing and holistically growing.

---

Can you describe the moment that you realized that this planner was something people needed?
The moment that I realized the Hustle & Harmony Planner was something that people needed was when I noticed and started hearing how exhausted so many family and friends were, lacking the balance necessary to fuel their dreams. If you walk into any big-box retailer or office supply store and look at their planners, you will notice that they are overwhelmingly task-oriented. They’re an exercise in checking the box. There is no human element or connection to it that empowers a person to keep going when they want to give up.
That is when it clicked…we need a tool that motivates us, celebrates the small steps, sets intentional goals, and creates a space for both drive and well-being. That’s why I created the Hustle & Harmony planner – it’s built to build you and shift your mindset from “everyday I’m hustling” (but five years later you’re still in the same place) to I’m seeing success because I have built a framework that focuses on the small steps that lead to my big dreams with focus, clarity, and the necessary structure. 

What were some of the most important elements you felt had to be included in the planner?
When I set out to create the Hustle & Harmony planner, I knew that it had to motivate real-life transformation. So I focused on building in elements that would guide people to set both professional and personal goals. Built in the planner are methods such as the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goal framework and the Wheel of Production, a weekly self check-in tool that helps you to re-center. Additionally, our daily pages incorporate the 1-3-5 method and a wellness check-in box that focuses on scaling production instead of completion. For example, we have a five circle gradient for six distinct categories in our wellness check-in section instead of a checkbox that simply shows completion of that specific goal. The gradient scale helps you to rate how satisfied you are with various areas of your life. Five shaded circles mean you feel very satisfied, while one shaded circle means you see a need for improvement in that area.
Every area of this planner possesses these elements of balance. It’s not about just doing more, it’s about being more impactful doing what really matters with purpose, precision, and peace.

What challenges did you face during the development process, and how did you overcome them?
I never looked at Hustle & Harmony Planner as a product or a creative project, rather it was a mission to create a tool to amplify the spirit of production with balance.  Like any mission, it came with challenges.
In complete transparency, the mission to build this planner was born out of the very tension it is designed to solve. One of my biggest challenges was finding a healthy balance while juggling a full-time job, building a digital marketing agency, trying to regularly workout, and making sure that I was present with my family—all while doing investigative research to develop this planner. My motivation to build it was personal but I knew it would help others in my position who were also struggling with burnout, lack of motivation, and other elements that sometimes discourage us from reaching our goals. And I used this tool to overcome it! I used the planner to help me focus on taking small steps, stay engaged and motivated, and remain present in all areas of my life.

How does your planner differ from others on the market?
Most planners that you find are single-tracked—focused only on tracking tasks or only on personal/life goals. The Hustle & Harmony Planner not only bridges both worlds but is a system built to manage your time and intention. It’s created for the high-achiever whose desire is to stay driven without losing themselves in the process.

Can you walk us through how someone might ideally use the Hustle & Harmony Planner in their daily routine?
Absolutely! There are three sections of the quarterly planner. Each section is designed to keep you focused on what truly matters. First, is the daily section which is divided into four parts:
1.)    The 1-3-5 section:
a.        1 Game Changer - note your most important objective of the day
b.        3 Momentum builders - determine up to three medium tasks that will support or connect to your objective for the day
c.        5 Quick Wins - jot down five small tasks that need to be done but won’t derail your day
2.)     Wellness Check-in – this is where you find your five gradient circles to determine your level of fulfillment in six areas. Here, you shade in the number of circles that reflect your satisfaction in each area. For example, there are days I get so busy and laser-focused that I barely take a moment to lift my head and take a sip of water. By the end of the day, I may have only had one or two glasses of water—of course at the end of the night I’d try to make up for some of that by chugging a bunch of water, but then end up frequently going to the bathroom throughout the night! On a day like that I’d shade in one circle because for me, that is unacceptable, and a reminder to also prioritize my health, regularly taking breaks not only to drink water but to pause and breathe.
3.)      30-minute breakdowns to schedule your day. Assign blocks of time to your top priorities each day.
4.)     Notes & Ideas –  this is a dotted journal to capture notes from your meetings and ideas that come to mind throughout the day.
In addition, we have two other sections. The monthly dashboard helps you set your main goals for the month using the SMART goal framework and the Mind & Sync is built to help you strategize before you begin each week. The Mind & Sync is also your space to check in with yourself to ensure that you’re your best version to accomplish the balance that you and your dreams deserve.

How do you hope people feel when they open the planner for the first time?
I hope people feel empowered. It was built to inspire and encourage the user and to serve as a reminder that they have everything they need to be productive, create a strategy, and continuously get better every single day. 

Do you believe hustle & harmony are in conflict, or can they truly exist?
Hustle & harmony have to exist for us to be well-rounded and balanced individuals. We’ve been conditioned to believe that in order to hustle we have to sacrifice personal well-being including sleep, neglecting healthy eating, and overcommitting ourselves until we have very little left to give. On the other end of the spectrum we often associate harmony with slowing down and taking a break at the expense of losing our edge. 
True progress is when they work synergistically. When your ambitions honors your well-being. When your hustle is aligned with your values. When your goals don’t cost you your peace. 
So yes – hustle and harmony can absolutely exist and work to elevate each other.

In what ways do you see the planner being used beyond just a productivity tool?
We didn’t design The Hustle and Harmony planner to just be a productivity tool. It also serves as both a mirror, reflecting where you are now, and a compass, guiding you toward where you want to go on your journey. 
People can use it as a tool for balance and to shift their mindset. It can also serve as a journal with the self check-in features as well as a record of growth that you can put on your bookshelf or on your desk as a memento. 

How do you measure success – not just for your planner, but in your own personal and professional life? 
For me, success is about taking meaningful steps today that contribute to becoming a better person tomorrow. We plant seeds when we invest time in what we truly value. I believe success can also be seen in the growth and outcomes that come from sowing those seeds. Success doesn’t happen overnight, and there will be times when life feels overwhelming or challenging. Setbacks are part of the journey, but it’s important to give yourself grace, adapt when needed, and stay committed, focused, resilient, true to yourself, and never give up. 

If someone could take away just one thing from using your planner, what do you hope it is? 
Don’t give up! Keep going. You’re going to encounter challenges along the way, but when you have a vision in your heart, don’t let the challenges stop you. This planner gives you everything you need to bring it into existence, from strategy to wellness and balance.