Weekly planning is definitely one of my favourite things to do as far as planning goes. There is just something about the start of the week that feels like a new opportunity to accomplish goals.
As a part-time planner shop owner, structuring my week does not only boost my productivity, but it also helps with accountability (i.e. I have it written down so I have to do it). This is especially helpful for someone who works for themselves and works from home.
Here is my approach to weekly planning for optimal productivity.
Step 1: Allocate time for planning
Yes, plan for planning. I find Sundays to be the best day for me to sit down and plan. That is the time when I feel most relaxed and I can think straight. I can also review last week's accomplishments (and challenges) and think about what I need to do for the next week.
Step 2: Review my monthly calendars
I maintain two calendars in my planner: a personal calendar and a shop calendar. At the start of each week, I review both to remind myself of any important dates such as events or appointments. My shop calendar is mostly project-based, so I would look at the projects that I have planned for that week and take note of any deadlines and deliverables.
Once I know what my week will look like, I start writing things down.
Step 3: List down tasks and goals
First, I review the previous week to see if there are any personal or shop-related tasks that I need to bring forward. Then, using this Weekly Planner, I compile and write down a list of important tasks and goals that I want to accomplish for that week.
I sometimes struggle with being realistic, whereby I tend to schedule in way too many things and end up feeling overwhelmed. To overcome this, I select three things on my list as my top priorities. Everything else I would attempt if I have enough time.
Step 4: Plan each day
With my tasks and goals in hand, I start planning out each day of the week. Since I also use daily pages, I don't go into detail at this stage. Instead, I write a general theme or an overview of what I want to focus on that day. For example, if one of my goal is to publish a blog post on Friday, then I would allocate Tuesday or Wednesday to work on it.
I really enjoy this Weekly Planner because of how the daily section is divided into three columns. For planning purposes, I dedicate the first column for shop-related tasks, the second for personal tasks such as chores and appointments and the third for events or reminders.
My weekly plan is now ready!
I can now use it as reference throughout the week to stay organised and productive.