As our lives become more hectic, being organised is a must. Plan your week like a pro using my 5 rituals and set yourself up for a successful week.
I love Sundays! It’s the perfect day to plan your week like a pro. Every Sunday, I perform the 5 rituals below, which give me extra hours in my week, allowing me to use my time for the things that really matter.
The truth is – we all have the same amount of time each week. However, what we do with those 168 hours is the key is managing that time efficiently. Allocating one day to plan your week like a pro, can shave time off your everyday tasks, allowing you to work smarter – not harder.
One thing the past year has taught us, is the importance of spending time reconnecting with ourselves, those we love and activities that bring joy and balance in our life.
You can create the space to do this by ensuring you plan your week, to work in your favour.
PLAN YOUR WEEK LIKE A PRO:
It time to plan your week like a pro and take back precious time to spend on your priorities.
One of the major issues that plague us, is the feeling of overwhelm. This is mainly because we spend so much time adding actions to the to-do list in our head.
The first thing I do when I’m planning like a pro, is get everything I have to do, out of my head and onto paper. I mean everything!
From appointments and phone calls I have to make. Household chores that need attention. Family issues that need to be addressed and everything in between. I purge it all out in one place. (The relief is amazing when it finally leaves my head!). It’s then time to decide if these things ‘actually’ have to be done this week.
All too often we give ourselves internal deadlines that overwhelm us. The majority of the time, a lot of those things are not actually a priority. If it does not need to be done in the next 7 days – shelf it!
We tend to think joy and happiness is something that should happen spontaneously. But life has a way of filling our time with things we ‘need’ to do. It’s so important to plan the things you enjoy – or they may never happen!
Write down at least 5 things you love to do. Things that will add some enjoyment in your day-to-day life. It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant or expensive. If you like to paint, write down painting. If you like to dance, write down dancing. Need to re-connect with someone either in person or by phone, write it down.
If you don’t make your joy a priority and plan for it, it will not happen.
For your ‘joy’ actions, plot at least one thing each day to look forward to.
With the items identified from your brain dump, plot two actions to complete each day into your calendar. If you have actions that are similar, like phone calls or making bookings/appointments, batch those action on the same day.
You now have a scheduled, realistic and manageable view of what you need to achieve for the week.
How many times have you got home and not had a clue of what you’re going to eat? You then take about 30 minutes to decide and then realise you don’t even have the ingredients for what you fancy!
Planning your meals for the week on Sunday, means you’re not scrambling at dinner time each day. Not only that, it gives you the opportunity to make healthier choices, they’ll be no last minute trips to the shops, (saving you money) and you will waste less food. Win Win Win!
Check out my post Meal Planning Hacks to Save Money and Time for tips on how to get the best out of your meal prep.
This is a major pro tip! The amount of time wasted each morning picking outfits for the day, can calculate to about 3.5 hours per week! Taking 30 – 40 minutes on Sunday, to put together the outfits you will wear over the next 7 days, gives you so much extra time in the morning.
I have 7 specific hangers with the day of the week labelled on them. Once I decide the outfit I want to wear on that specific day, I put every single item I plan to wear (including underwear!), onto the hanger. But it does not stop there! I also have day of the week labels for my shoes. With the shoe I have picked out for the outfit, I pop the label in and place them on a specific shoe rack, ready for the week.
In the morning all I do is go into my wardrobe pull out the outfit of the day and get ready!
To have a fulfilling and rewarding life that doesn’t overwhelm you, must plan your weeks and days to allow you time to live to your fullest potential. Try using your Sunday’s to plan like a pro and get the most out of the time it gives you.
Let me know what you do with all your extra time in the comments below.
