How I Plan My Week Using Week Agenda
Planning doesn’t have to be boring and controlling. It can actually be freeing, because if you’re constantly flying by the seat of your pants to do something—there’s less time for experiencing and creating what you really want to do—due to you constantly winging it.
First, I don’t believe in “to do” lists. Having something that you know needs to be done, or that you should be doing on the back of your mind 24/7 is an energy sucker. Don’t believe me? Try it my way consistently for 30 days, and you’ll see it too.
Second, it all starts with a braindump. I write everything that’s on my brain (back burners included) down on a sheet of paper.
Questions I ask myself to help get it all out are:
What would make me feel nourished this week?
My list can include: daily walks at the park, drinking fresh juice, lifting weights, 7.5 hours of sleep, watching a movie, FaceTiming my Grandma, reading a book before bed, taking a shower everyday, visiting my chiropractor, drinking water everyday, taking vitamins, listening to a podcast, a coaching session, eating lunch from Chipotle, getting my hair blown out, getting my eyebrows threaded, dancing my ass off, receiving a deep tissue massage, laughing with my sister, visiting my chiropractor, organizing photos on my iPhone, getting my car washed, going out on a date by myself… you get the idea.
What would make me feel accomplished this week?
My list can include: writing and serving my community through a blogpost and daily posts on Instagram and Instagram Stories that either encourage or educate, sending that blogpost to my email list, promoting that blogpost at the end of each Instagram post, selling 10 consultations, creating my next online workshop, etc.
What else would I like to have done?
My list can include: washing clothes, cleaning the house, getting gas, getting groceries, writing lawnman a check, pulling out trash can to curb, checking email, answering missed calls, checking text messages, opening mail, running errands (like a trip to office depot, package drop off at post office, grocery shopping) and anything else that I need to get done.
After I write everything down on my notepad, I ask myself another question: what do I not want to do? Yes, just because it’s on my list doesn’t mean that I have to do it, need to do it this week, or even at all.
Case In Point: I don’t want to clean my house, mow my lawn, or wash my car.
My Solution: I’ve hired a housekeeper to clean my home 2x a month, a lawn caretaker to mow my lawn 2x a month, and I take my car (when I hire a local personal assistant this will be delegated to them) to have it washed and detailed 1-2x a month.
These activities will still go on my schedule, but they won’t take as much time because I won’t be doing them. For example, my housekeeper usually cleans our home for 2-3 hours two mornings out the month, and while she’s cleaning I’m working on something else.
Now that I’ve decided on what I don’t want to do myself, I look and see what else I don’t want to do at all (or at least not in this season).
Things like being fluent in French, mastering ballet, taking a pottery class, etc. have all been on my list, they kept popping up and I’d be frustrated because they weren’t getting done.
The truth was I didn’t want to do them right now in this season of life. Once I gave myself permission to complete them by crossing them out and not scheduling them. I became free. Sure, I can revisit the desires in the future, but giving myself the permission to cross off and complete gives my brain more space for more essential things like living and enjoying now.
Next step is scheduling.
Melodee’s Tips: Notice inconsistencies (i.e. why do I keep scheduling ______ but I don’t follow through) and if you really want to do it, break it down the activity into bite size steps. Automate what you do everyday.
If I’m going to create a blogpost or a workshop, I don’t put “work” on my calendar, because that does nothing for me mentally. I break it down into smaller steps on my schedule. I’ll include a screenshot of today below:
If running was something I wanted to do, but found I kept scheduling but I wasn’t doing it—instead of putting “go run” on my schedule I’d break it down into smaller steps like a) get shoes and socks b) prep bag (i.e. water bottle, towel, bar) c) set alarm d) drive to gym/park e) run for 30 minutes. See how it’s more doable?
Other activities that you naturally do automatically don’t need to be this detailed like showering — I know I’ll use soap, a wash cloth, a shower cap, etc and this is so on autopilot that I don’t need to break that down for my schedule. Putting “shower” on my schedule works beautifully.
I automate daily activities like lunch, sleep, walks, work, etc. Monday – Friday and do my best to keep a consistent morning routine because that makes me feel good, and my energy is high in the mornings (you have to decide and know how your body best works).
And what I love about Week Agenda is that it’s SO simple to plan your day and as you can tell from the schedule screenshot above — it’s like you’re using an agenda notepad. I also love adding an emoticon before the calendar activity to make it a bit fun!
Did this help? Lemme know your biggest takeaway!
Hi! I’m Melodee Forbes, and I help leaders declutter better so they can create more time for selfcare. I’d be happy to support you in decluttering your physical items and digital systems. You can start to create more self care by clicking here.
