My Top 5 Tips For Planning The Week Ahead

Do you ever feel as though you week seems to get away from you? Not enough hours in the day, running out of space on your to do list? Overwhelmed by the laundry basket that is meeting you at the front door? The demands of family, who no matter their age seem to have needs that somehow are your responsibility to attend to? Somehow just once in a blue moon you say no, and what happens? You are the one who feels guilty for daring to refuse to attend to this mayhem. Sound familiar?

All of this confusion and guilt can be controlled but we must be determined, focused and tenacious. We can not expect to continue with our current routine week in and week out and somehow expect a different result, if we truly want to carve some time for ourselves, which incidentally we totally do deserve, then it's time to set some new habits and it all begins with a plan.

Planning sounds very daunting and time consuming but it doesn't have to be. It should however take priority over a lot of your tasks. Making a plan and scheduling your tasks can become your own personal assistant. If done correctly you will never need to feel so overwhelmed by your never ending list of chores, tasks and appointments because you will now be in control, you will know exactly when you are doing what, and when you can or can not add to your busy schedule.

Where to start

This is the easy part. To start , grab a coffee, a notepad and a pen. Yes, of course you can spend two fortunes on a beautiful leather bound planner and a solid gold pen but it is not necessary. A blank notepad, a pen and your thoughts and we are good to go. Our first port of call is a brain dump - simply without distraction write down every chore, task, appointment or date that you need to fulfil this week in a list form. It doesn't have to be pretty, just get it all from your head to your notepad.

Phase 2

Now that you have a master list lets try to categorise every item on your list, for example it could be, appointments, bills to pay, children, family, meal planning, work, date night, entertainment. Your list will be unique only you can categorise for yourself.

Phase 3

Now you get to decide what best suits you for distributing your tasks. I would suggest that each topic has its own unique colour. You can use a calendar format or perhaps you prefer a more listed set out. Either way , choose where to put each of the items into your week or month. I personally would begin with urgent tasks, i.e appointments, special occasions and then add the rest. Remember there are only a certain number of hours in your day where you can fulfill these tasks, don't add more than you can handle in any given day.

Phase 4

Keep your plan handy, you need to check in with it often to keep yourself accountable and to be reminded of :

1. What you need to do.

2. How much you have achieved.

My Tips for Successful Planning

1. Start Simple

Don't over complicate this process or you will become overwhelmed and you will not complete the process. remember planning your week ahead is not a chore, ok it is but the benefits outweigh the challenge. Taking a few moments at the beginning of the week to plan your time will free you up later in the week to have some quality time with you.

2. Prioritise Yourself

Too often we put everyone before ourselves. How often do we put our own needs, plans and decisions on hold to assist someone else? When was the last time you put you first? Aren't you worth some quality time with you? Planning your week is the starting point to carving some time that you can set aside for you. A guilt free escape to find yourself again, it doesn't have to be anything elaborate or expensive but it should be something that makes you feel good about you. Simple things like painting your nails without interruption begin to take on a whole new meaning. Going to a coffee shop alone with your book and your thoughts give you a sense of achievement.

3. Own Your Time

Take control of your time and stop letting time control you. How often do we tell ourselves that we don't have enough time for this or that? How often do we cancel plans with friends because we have no time? How often do we dream of trips or vacations but postpone it because we have no time? The truth is that we do have time, we simply are not using our time correctly. If we do not make the time for our dreams, desires & wishes now , when will we?

4. Your Planner is Your Personal Assistant

At the beginning of this post, I said you didn't need a fancy planner to do this, that is true you don't. However, if it is pretty you are more likely to use it. Your planner is about to become your best friend, your very own personal assistant, it will keep you on track, it will hold all your important dates and tasks, if done correctly it will change your life but remember your planner is only as good as the time you take to organise it.

5. Celebrate Your Accomplishments

Finally, don't forget to have fun. This should not feel like a chore. This should feel like a time in the week that you look forward to. As you come to the end of the week, you may find that you didn't get to do some of your tasks, that's ok. You are human, life happens, the plan may have to take a side step, move those tasks ahead to the next week. Don't beat yourself up over things that have to be postponed, instead congratulate yourself for all of your wins, all of your accomplishments no matter how big or small you may think they are, they are incredible. You should feel very proud of yourself.

When you continue with this cycle you now have a reference to look back on. A place where you can see how much you have achieved, rather than feeling overwhelmed you can now feel overjoyed and accomplished.

xx Lei

AN HOUR OF PLANNING CAN SAVE YOU TEN HOURS OF DOING.- Dale Carnegie