How to plan your week so you get the important stuff done

Ah, planning.
It’s taken some stick over the years hasn’t it?
And my relationship with it (the word and the activity) has certainly shifted in recent years.
When you think of the words plan or planning, what do they conjure up for you? What meaning do you give them, what story do you attach to them?
One dictionary definition, and my favourite. is that a plan is ‘an intention or decision about what one is going to do’
When I think of it in those terms, it feels less restrictive and constraining, and more expansive and open.
How about you?

So, why plan?
Well, in a world that’s so busy and complex, it’s important that we give attention and focus to the right stuff.
The stuff we want to.
The stuff that’s going to make the difference we want in the world.
The stuff that serves us and those who are important to us.
So, for me, planning is the process of getting intentional about where I’m going to put my focus and attention.

It’s about being intentional in any given moment.
When the external world throws a curve ball and disrupts your ‘plan’, it’s about yielding to that and setting a new intention. What’s most important now? Where does my focus and attention need to be now?
When our energy shifts, when it ebbs and flows, it’s about asking what do I need right now?
When the seasons change, it’s about taking our cues from nature about where to put our attention.
It’s a rhythm we’re constantly dancing to.

Each week (normally on a Sunday or Monday morning), I carve out some time to get intentional about the week ahead. 
I grab my bullet journal and open my Google calendar. 
I look at what appointments or deadlines I’ve got coming up. 
With these in mind and with one eye on my bigger picture vision or strategy, I set myself no more than 3 focus tasks for the week. 

I do all this in the context of what season it is (which informs my underpinning focus). See this blog for more information about the focus for each season.
I do it in the context of where my energy is and how I can best take care of my well-being.
I make sure to leave space in my week for being, pondering and musing.
And I dance to the rhythm of the external and internal world. I’m constantly guaging where my focus and attention needs to be, putting it where it needs to be and letting go of what is not most important right now.

I’d love to hear how you plan your week, do let me know.

Pin It on Pinterest