The free Even Keel First-Action Kit
Even Keel is our line of budgeting and planning tools for people whose attention slips. This is the free starting point. Five pages you can type into or print, and about ten minutes.
It assumes you will forget to use it, and it still works.
Download the kit (PDF, free)Free.
Why planners stop working
A planner only works if you open it. That has to happen at the right moment, on your own, every day. That is the step attention skips. Then the whole system gets dropped, and it feels like you failed at it. You did not.
One steady day, in three steps.
You write everything down once. The page holds it. One reminder, set for a moment you already have, brings you back.
Empty your head
Write down everything taking up space. Bills, tasks, worries, the thing you keep forgetting. Do not organize it. Just get it out.
Pick your three
One thing for NOW. Two for NEXT. Everything else stays on the brain dump page. Not forgotten. Just not today.
Set one reminder
Pick a moment you already have and set a phone alarm that names the exact action.
When you miss weeks
You will. Most people who use any system miss weeks of it. The system that works is the one that is easy to come back to. Skip the missed weeks, write down what is in your head today, and pick one thing. No penalty. Nothing resets. Coming back is the skill.
What is in the kit
Five pages. A brain dump page for everything in your head. The Daily Board, with one thing for NOW and two for NEXT. A card that turns one phone alarm into your reminder system. And a page on where the ideas come from. Type into it on your phone or laptop, or print it.
Where this comes from
The brain dump, the one-thing-at-a-time board, and the single-cue reminder in this kit are drawn from programs tested in randomized controlled trials with adults with ADHD.
No printable, ours included, has been trial-tested against a plain sheet of paper. We are telling you because it is true.
A self-help organization tool. It is not a medical device or therapy, and it does not replace diagnosis, medication, or professional care.
Check the fit first
Free still costs you ten minutes, so here is where this kit is a poor match.
- You are looking for a diagnosis or treatment. This is a self-help tool and it stays in that lane.
- You love building elaborate custom systems. This kit is deliberately plain. No streaks, no red ink, no walls of reminders. The plain setup is the point.
- You need a team tool. This manages one person's week.
- You are under 18. The programs our structure draws from were tested with adults.
One thing you do not need is an ADHD diagnosis. The kit is for anyone whose tasks and money slip when attention does. We never ask.
Get the First Action Kit. It is free.
A brain dump page, the Daily Board, a reminder card, and a page on where the ideas come from. Five pages, about ten minutes. Type into it or print it.
Download the kit (PDF, free)Free.