MAPPING OUT YOUR PERFECT WEEK
You can hear the audio version of this discussion on my podcast at Lola’s Frugal Life Podcast, on Apple Podcast, and many other platforms!
WHAT WOULD YOUR PERFECT WEEK LOOK LIKE?
Have you ever taken the time to think about what your perfect week would look like? Designing your ideal week is similar to creating a roadmap for a life that aligns with your goals and priorities. It’s a practical exercise where the purpose is not to expect perfection. The purpose is to know what the ideal looks like. From there you need to build in flexibility. While you can dream big, it is important to make sure your ideal week is achievable. If the things you want to do each week do not fit into the time available, you may need to rethink how much you are trying to squeeze into your days. Maybe if you can’t fit in doing two activities that you really love each week, you can do each one every other week. Or give up the one that isn’t as much of a priority to you so that you can have time for what you love most. Your ideal week isn’t about doing more work—it’s about doing the things that you need to get done and also things you want to get done and love to do.
WHY SHOULD YOU MAP IT OUT?
When you plan your week, you gain clarity about your priorities and tasks. This can really help you stay focused and avoid distractions. Mapping out your week allows you to allocate time intentionally. Knowing what’s ahead reduces anxiety. You won’t wake up wondering, “What should I do today?” A weekly plan helps you batch similar tasks together. This minimizes context switching and helps improve productivity. Planning your week effectively can significantly enhance your productivity, reduce stress, and keep you focused on your goals. Do you ever feel overwhelmed by tasks and responsibilities, unsure of where to start or how to prioritize? If so weekly planning can be a big help to you
BENEFITS OF PLANNING YOUR PERFECT WEEK
While most of us know that the chances of us having an actual perfect week most weeks are highly unlikely. The nature of life is that things do not always go as planned. There will always be at least that one thing that comes up that we were not expecting. However, even if our week does not work out to be exactly perfect, there are still many benefits to planning out our perfect week.
ENHANCED PRODUCTIVITY
By creating a framework for your week you will have a guide to help you take actions you have already decided are important for each day. This increases productivity because it allows you to get right to work rather than spending time considering what might be good to do. When you have manageable tasks for each day things feel less overwhelming and you can focus more on doing than worrying about all you have to get done.
REDUCED STRESS
When you map out your week in advance you will feel more in control which helps reduce stress in anxiety. It lets you see any potential conflicts or overlapping tasks in advance so that you have time to think about how to address them. You can take some time to think about how you will prioritize your essential activities.
TIPS FOR SETTING UP A SUCCESSFUL WEEKLY PLAN
While everyone’s perfect week is going to look a lot different. Depending on the phase of life you are currently in your priorities will be very different than other phases of life. So, a perfect week will be whatever perfect looks like for you. There are some guidelines you can use to think about what your perfect week looks like.
DECIDE WHAT MATTERS MOST
Take time to think about what your priorities currently are. If you could accomplish one thing this week what would it be? Remember accomplishing something can be a task that needs to be done, but it can also be going for that hike that you have really been wanting to do, or checking out a new local shop. Priorities do not always have to be getting something productive done, they should also include the fun things you want to do in your life.
SCHEDULE AND PLAN
Similar to last week’s episode about time blocking your day, when mapping out your week you will apply the same practice. In order to see how and when you can do the things you want to do in your weekly roadmap, you will need to plot them out in a timeslot. Think of it like a business calendar with meetings on it. Meetings happen and things get done because they are assigned to a date and time. Consider your energy levels throughout the day. This is so important in planning a successful week. If you plan to do a high-energy task at a time when all your energy has been drained you are setting yourself up for failure. Plan high-energy tasks when you know your energy level is at its highest and easier to accomplish tasks when you are a little less motivated to get stuff done.
BE PROACTIVE AND PREPARE
Anticipate upcoming commitments and set reminders for deadlines, meetings, and events. Review your calendar regularly. I have been using a simple planner that I got on Amazon to map out my week at a high level. On Sunday I check the upcoming week for any doctor’s appointments or other scheduled events we have so that I don’t forget about them. I do have them in my phone calendar with reminders, but seeing them mapped out as part of the week just helps me be more mindful that they are coming and when.
BALANCE WORK, REST AND FUN.
As I mentioned before, it is important to have time in your weekly schedule for rest and fun. Some weeks there will be more time for that than others. But, even in a really busy week, it’s important to build in some downtime. Even if it’s a short amount of time we all need some time to do something we enjoy.
CONSIDER DAILY THEMES
If you want to help streamline your days further you can try out theme days. Maybe one day you can focus on making needed appointments or any other phone calls you might have to take care of. Another day could maybe focus on groceries and meal planning. Long-term projects could be focused on during another day. It doesn’t matter what the theme is, the point is just to help you streamline your focus and tasks.
ADJUST YOU PLAN AS NEEDED
Life happens so you need to be flexible. If you treat your schedule in a rigid way it could end up causing more stress than stress relief. There will be times when you will have to reschedule tasks. A plan is a plan, we cannot determine what things will pop into our week that we were not expecting. Sometimes things might take longer than we expected. Having a plan will always put you in a better spot. So, if you feel like you could be getting a little bit more out of the time you have each week try mapping it out and see what you find. You may have more time available than you think.
Thanks so much for checking in! If you would like to hear the podcast version of this topic check out Lola’s Frugal Life Podcast! Also, be sure to check out my other blog posts on this site!
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