How To Prepare For A Productive Week

Do you know how to prepare for a productive week?

If you’ve ever picked up a good planner, one of the first things it’ll prompt you to do is reflect on your previous week.

Although an important piece in how to prepare for a productive week, it is not the only piece.

Start your week with intentions and preparation if you want to kick butt and take names in your life.

Pick a day and a quiet place.

Most productivity gurus and experts will tell you that Sunday is a good day to spend time planning your week.

Now, find a quiet space in your home where your family know not to bother you. You want time to reflect and think- this requires quiet. Call it self-care time.

Brain Dump (aka… beginnings of a to-do list)

It might take some time to get into your Sunday preparation, so why not start with a good old-fashioned brain dump.

Get everything out of your head and down on paper. Brain dumping improves focus, reduces stress and anxiety AND improves productivity.

If you need some help creating a good to-do list, check out our blog on How to Make A To-do list Work For You here.)

Reflection

Reflect on the previous week. Here are some questions to help you.

What went well?
What did you enjoy?
What would you like to repeat about last week?
What don’t you want to repeat about last week?
What did you achieve- what goals did you reach?
What didn’t you achieve, why and how can you turn that around this week?

Take some time with these questions. Be careful not to get down on yourself because you didn’t take specific action or didn’t accomplish what you set out to accomplish.

Take this time to figure out how to rework the actions needed to achieve your desired outcomes. Also, realize the things that don’t make you happy. Take note of what you procrastinate on because it doesn’t bring you enjoyment.

Then, figure out ways to bring more joy, time and success into your life. If you don’t like doing something, can you get someone else to do the task, or can you remove it from your planner altogether?

Plan or Schedule

Schedule the important to-dos and the actions needed to reach your performance goals or personal goals.

The entire planning process shouldn’t take more than an hour at first. As you get into the habit of doing this weekly, it should take less than half an hour.

Remember, keep room in your schedule. Don’t overbook yourself. Keep a lot of white space on your planner for downtime and things that pop up.

Planning should make life less stressful.

Tips To Level Up Your Planning & How To Prepare For A Productive Week

Don’t forget to plan for self-care and things that excite you. Maybe Wednesday evenings, you plan to take the car and get yourself a specialty coffee at your local coffee shop. Plan to sit in the car listening to your favourite music. Schedule it. It’s as important as the meeting with the boss.
Include at least one task that takes you out of your comfort zone.
Prepare your wardrobe for the week.
Meal prep and schedule time to do your groceries
Check in mid-week to see where you are in your week- before it gets too out of hand. Either remove some tasks and make a note to add them to next week- or take a moment to regroup and figure out why you’ve gotten off track.
Schedule downtime. – if you enjoy watching Netflix to wind down- then add it to your schedule. One to two hours of your favourite show Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule but to schedule your priorities.

Steven Covey

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