Planning Your Day/Week
Estimated Read Time: 5.5 Minutes
I used to be the gal who would fly by the seam of her pants! Whatever I fancied doing that day I did.
I never kept track of what I did, when I did it, or paid any attention to anything coming up. 😬
I’m pretty embarrassed to admit that this caused me to be surprised by so many bills that I was asking my parents to help me out often….toooooo often 🤡
Then I discovered Bullet Journalling!
It took me literally 5 years to get my bullet journalling to a place that I’m super proud of, but thanks to creating a monthly calendar, thinking about what was important to accomplish that month, then creating weekly layouts, I found my love for planning.
[Now, I’m not saying you should get into bullet journaling, but I definitely recommend you get a planner.]
I could see when my bills came out, when I got paid so I could ensure there was always money in my account, wrote out appointments, included deadlines, and then planned out my work schedule accordingly.
Now, keep in mind that making a plan and planning are two different things!
When you make a plan you have to accept the moment you make it that things can change in a moment.
Meanwhile, planning helps you prepare for different situations and outcomes.
Because as US General and later President, Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.”
Because maybe you’ve heard about Murphey’s Law? Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.
Which is why I am saying to make a plan, then let it go.
I know that sounds a bit redundant and you’re probably thinking, “THEN WHAT IS THE POINT?!”
Clarity. Peace of mind. Preparedness.
Why Plan Your Day/Week?
As I was saying, planning your day or your week will give you this sense of clarity because you know what to expect.
It gives you peace of mind because you’re less likely to forget bills, appointments, and priority tasks.
And of course, it helps you prepare for the unexpected!
You have the opportunity to take all of those things that are rolling around in your head and get them out on paper. From there, you’re able to make some plans of what you’ll accomplish, when.
You won’t be surprised by your doctor’s appointment and you’ll be able to plan your priority tasks around it. You’ll remember that at the end of the month it’s your mom’s 50th birthday and you’ll be able to plan a beautiful surprise for her.
You miss less and remember more. And for me, I find that I’m able to enjoy the moment IN the moment because I’m not frantically trying to remember ‘that thing’ I forgot about.
How to Do Some Planning
First, I will always recommend that you fill in a monthly calendar. Whether it’s in your planner or you print off blank monthly calendars, that’s up to you. Remember that simple is best!
If you make a hugely complicated system, you’re not going to use it. And I’m trying to help you set yourself up for success, my friend. 😄
When it comes to regular planning, I personally have a better time planning out my week over planning out my day. I have a sticky with my priorities on it and then I try to get them done within a week, which I find to be much less overwhelming.
[PS- It took practice, but I am finally getting better at making realistic to-do lists. We can’t do everything, especially by ourselves. So try to make a priority list that is going to be realistic for your life. You don’t want to set yourself up for disappointment!]
Unfortunately, I don’t have much control over my days because I have a toddler. And when her dad isn’t home to take the lead to hang out and care for her, my days are run by her.
I found when I was planning out my day every day I was wayyyyy more stressed out because 1) I felt out of control of my days and 2) I wasn’t able to accomplish what I wanted in a day.
This lead to an immense amount of guilt for me too, because I felt I shouldn’t be stressing over what I’m ‘accomplishing’ when I have my beautiful daughter with me who just wants to hang out and all I can think about is the work that isn’t getting done…
So I moved to weekly tasks lists and try to allot days for the tasks, but life happens, which is why I said to makes plans but let them the heck go.
But if you thrive from planning out your day every day, then, by all means, do it. I would suggest you test out both ways for a few weeks each and see which method works best for you. Go for the one that makes you feel the clearest, the least stressed, and feels manageable. Remember, keep it simple.
[If you have children, I’m going to bet that the weekly planner works best for you. But I’d be very interested to hear from you and learn what worked best for you! I’d love it if you EMAILED ME.]
The goal with planning is to help you go into the new day feeling prepared and excited. You are no longer bogged down by trying to remember what you were supposed to do that day and you definitely aren’t stressing about forgetting any appointments or meetings.
Finally, I am want to recommend that you create a routine of looking at your task list and week first thing in the morning. Whether you brew up some fresh coffee and review it while you wait, or you go through your morning routine and finish it by sitting down to review your planner, it doesn’t matter —whatever works for you.
And then, sometime before you go to bed, make it a routine to review your upcoming tasks (whether it’s for the next day or for the remainder of the week) and double-check if there are any upcoming appointments or meetings so you don’t miss them.
Give yourself clarity and peace of mind and go into your day/week feeling prepared!
Okay, so quickly, here are the key takeaways:
- Make a plan then let it go > Rarely do plans ever go accordingly but it feels good to know what is coming up
- Keep it simple > A complicated system means you won’t keep up with it and will fall of the rails sooner rather than later
- Plan on a monthly calendar and weekly and/or daily > This gives you peace of mind and clarity
- Write and review in the morning and evening > This will have you go into your days and weeks feeling prepared
So after reading this, are you feeling the power of planning? Do you plan to do weekly or daily planning or a combination? I could honestly talk about planning and organization all day, every day! I would love to hear from you!
Just shoot me an email and tell me all about your planning process, if you agree with me or disagree. I’d love to talk planning and organizing 🤓
In the meantime, I truly wish you nothing but success, prosperity, and happiness! 👋
Until Next Week,
Jordan
Want help clearing up your schedule? Let us take content creation off your plate! Contact me and ask me how I can help you.
I’d like to suggest a few blog posts I think you may be interested in!
The Power of Planning Part 2: Planning Your Content
Content Planning Part 1: Getting Started
Content Planning Part 2: Content Calendar
