Real talk this is the number one question I receive from people: How do you plan your weeks. Most moms that I work with who are struggling to “Juggle it all” or “fit it all in”, have no plan. They are simply winging it. And while I understand everyone’ personality is different and for some too much structure in their lives causes anxiety, I still believe there is a way to plan our weeks in ways that work for everyone. Because y’all, you can’t just let life happen and then be upset with the way that it is going. So if you have goals, passions or dreams, you have to be intentional and that comes down to your weeks.
Without proper planning, its easy to feel overwhelmed. By intentionally planning our weeks, we feel more balanced, it reduces stress, increases productivity, and ensures you are allocating time to your most important priorities in your life.
Today I’m walking you through the exact steps that I use to plan my weeks.
I sit down on Friday afternoons and its usually my last task of my work week and do a weekly prep meeting. So I’ve been doing this for quite a while now but let’s break it down for you. There are 5 steps that I use to plan my weeks.
01. Plug in Your Responsibilities
Role out that planner and plus in the things that are time bound. These would be things like classes, meetings, appointments, business calls.
02. Schedule Your Non-Negotiable Priorities
Alright in order to do this step, you have to actually know what you non-negotiable priorities are along with your life vision. (Grab your Priorities Workbook here!) The point is we need to be spending our time and energy on the things that matter most. So first, identify them! Then then should be the next items that go into your weekly schedule. This may include things such as:
- Daily workouts to move your body
- Family fun each week to spend intentional time with those you love most
- Blocks of time to work on your business
- Weekly planning meeting so you can feel prepared
- Monthly date night with your partner
- Monthly hang out with your friends
The KEY is to get these non-negotiables on your schedule so they are much more likely to happen. Because if they truly are the most important things in your life, they should take priority!
03. Determine Your Top 3 Tasks
By identifying the most important things to accomplish in your week and your days, it sets you up to be more intentional with your time instead of getting lost in the cycle of things that don’t really matter. So makes sure you ask yourself “if I could only accomplish three things, what would they be?” Then make sure those are the things you work on first!
04. Schedule Rest
Rest is so important and I’m not talking about sleep (well that’s important too) but rest is really anything that rejuvenates you. Trust me, I’m a doer, and a go-go girl and want to constantly do all the things but that is not how you live a Productive & Present life. So schedule in intentional rest so you are not tempted to think that you have to earn rest. It is not a reward for anything.
Have you ever hear the saying slow down to speed up, well its true. When we rest, it allows us to do even better work. So be sure your are scheduling it in. You might be asking if rest isn’t sleep, what is it. Well rest looks different for everyone but its whatever refreshes your soul. For me that usually looks like reading or dinner with my friends. For you that could be biking, gardening, yoga, watching a movie. Doesn’t matter what it is but get it on your schedule.
05. Be Realistic & Include Flexibility
Make sure to be realistic when planning your weeks. So many times we are going into the weeks with our to-do list that has 5000 things on it and thinking we will get it all done in a 2 hour block on Saturday morning with our kiddos in tow. We need to be realistic and as mommas we all know flexibility is a must too. Things constantly come up when we have littles. So be sure you aren’t scheduling things back to back and trying to schedule every minute to bounce from task to task without looking up.
We must account for transition time or for time delays when the toddler has a meltdown because they don’t want to put their shoes on. For me, I rarely schedule anything from 8-8:30, because I need flexibility because I never know how daycare drop-offs are going to go.
I leave blocks in my schedule that are unplanned that allow me flexibility and then if the day is going well I can fill in that time with things that are on my weekly task list outside of my top 3 priorities.
We don’t want to be having mental breakdowns at the end of the day. Its so important to leave margin in our schedules.
Doing this weekly prep meeting every Friday and following these 5 steps sets me up to make legit progress on my goals without sacrificing my family. I can truthfully say, I rarely sit down and wonder what tasks I need to be working on every day. And that has most definitely not always been the case. Intentional planning and a well-structured schedule can be your keys to achieving a Productive & Present week.
So, go ahead, take control of your time, and start living your best life.
Need a few tools for a more Productive & Present Life?
Looking for Community?
Come to our corner of the internet and get support on all things motherhood + lifestyle +health + productivity
