How to create a weekly planning routine for productivity
If you like to be intentionally productive, then you need to have a weekly planning routine that you can rinse and repeat every single week.
However, if you never tried it before or you’re never been consistent with weekly planning, it’s understandable that you might find it daunting, even boring.
But don’t worry, after reading this post, you’ll walk away with simple and easy-to-follow weekly planning routine guide.
Then, you can create your own weekly planning routine. It’ll help you stay focused and consistent so that you can boost your productivity and take control of your time. (or take control of what you do with your time).
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What is Weekly Planning?
Weekly planning is a process of reflecting on the past week and planning for the following week.
A weekly planning routine is essential in creating a more productive week that gives you a sense of accomplishment. It may sound too rigid and restrictive but it’s not. In fact, having a weekly planning routine is the best way to find free time.
Why?
Because this practice helps you improve your time management skills.
The weekly planning process may also involve looking at the bigger picture, such as your vision, mission, and long-term goals for your professional and personal life.
Looking at the big picture doesn’t have to be done every week though, because normally, long-term plans are set and reviewed during high-level planning, such as yearly and quarterly planning.
I don’t do yearly planning anymore, I set intentions instead. But if you like to plan yearly, this is a good time to work on your yearly goals and then break them down into short-term goals.
Then from there, you can do quarterly, monthly, and weekly planning.
What is a good Weekly Planning Routine?
Weekly Planning is personal and I don’t think there’s a standard way of doing it.
But generally, a good weekly planning routine has the following characteristics.
- Simple and Clear
- Flexible
- Personalised
Simple and clear
It has a straightforward structure and each step is clear and well-defined.
Flexible
It should be flexible enough to accommodate unexpected events and changes in priorities.
Personalised
It suits individual preferences and work styles. So it should work for different lifestyles whether someone is a student, a professional, a business owner with or without team members, a parent, or a combination of roles.
Additionally, a good weekly planning routine should encourage consistency. And it’s ideal for a weekly planning routine to incorporate reflection, integrates technology (optional), and foster balance, motivation, and positive experience.
I also want to mention that, after establishing a good weekly planning routine, you can go back a step and set monthly goals first.
How to create a weekly planning routine
Creating a weekly planning routine isn’t going to be the same for everyone. So, as much as I want to offer you a step-by-step guide, I’ll just give you the 3 core steps for setting a weekly planning routine.
These steps are what works for me, but you can easily tweak them to make them work for you.
Step 1: Gather your weekly planning essentials
First things first. You need to get your planning tools.
Here’s a list of the essentials, but you don’t need them all. Honestly, pen and paper, planner, or calendar will be enough if you’re on the minimalist side.
1. Pen and paper (notepad or post-it notes)
2. Physical Calendar or digital, like Google Calendar. Check out this Printable Undated Weekly Calendar or get this Elegant Trio Calendar Collection for better value for money.
3. Digital tools like note-taking up. My all time favourite is Notion.
4. Paper Planner or Digital Planner. This 2-Page Weekly Planner is free.
5. Journal decoration items such as washi tape
6. Bullet Journals are also a popular item when doing a weekly plan.
Here’s a guide that will help you set an intentional and productive week. It’s not required but I highly recommend it.
Step 2: Pick the day and time to weekly plan
You need to find the best day and specific time to do your weekly planning.
Some people like to do it on Friday mornings, on a Sunday evening, or even on a Monday morning. But I prefer doing it on a Friday afternoon. It’s because my work week starts on a Monday and ends on a Friday.
And then I like to treat Saturday and Sunday as relaxed days. Oh wait, scratch that. I meant to say, I like to use Saturday for deep and focused work on my Blog and use Sunday to get ahead for the week. Sunday is when I do get ahead cooking and anything that will make the first few days of the week smoother.
I suggest picking a day when it makes sense to you.
To help you pick the best day, just answer this question. “What day of the week can you consistently show up for weekly planning every single week, no matter what?”
After picking the specific day and time, mark it in your calendar, and treat it like an important appointment.
Step 3: Create your planning routine
Here are the steps I follow when I do the weekly plan.
- Brain dump
- Reflect
- Check Calendars and Notes
- Prioritise
- Create an action plan
This weekly planning routine works well for me but you don’t have to do it exactly as I suggest. If this is your first time, it might take a little longer but you’ll get used to the process. Just give yourself enough time to practise, then tweak and personalise the steps for you.
In time, you’ll find the whole weekly planning process takes less time. Nowadays I spend less than 15 minutes to do my week’s plan. And to make it much easier for you, may I suggest the Intentional Week Success Guide– A no-fluff, direct to the point and actionable guide that will help you create an intentional weekly plan
Brain dump
Whether it’s a high-level or low-level type of planning, the first step I do is a brain dump. A brain dump is simply externalizing all the thoughts and ideas in your head. You can do it analog style or you can do it digitally. The purpose of the brain dump process is to clear your head and declutter your mental space so you can create a space for thinking and creativity.
Reflect
Do a Weekly Review. Reflect on how your past week has been.
How do you feel about it?
I use a bullet journal, and at the end of the week, I can look at my weekly spread to see how the last 7 days have been. I have a daily planner in Notion, but I have a weekly spread in my Bullet Journal. Here, I do a daily log, of events, moments, appointments, and notes. I don’t use the daily log for my task list because I have a separate task management system in Notion.
Check Calendar and Notes
Check the appointments and events for the next 2- 4 weeks. I know, we’re talking about a weekly plan here. However, looking ahead as far as 4 weeks means that you’ll have ample time to prepare for any upcoming events.
So after checking your calendar, put the events and appointments in your weekly planner. When processing your notes, you need to determine what are the tasks and what are the projects.
A task is any to-do item that can be completed by doing one action step, while a project is a to-do that can be completed by doing multiple actions steps.
With your notes, if you see something that isn’t a task or a project, then evaluate if you still need it. If you don’t need it, then let go. If yes, then it’s a Reference, and you need to store this somewhere where you can easily find it when you need it.
I find it useful to use Printable Undated Calendar as it infuse mindfulness as you fill out the dates in each calendar.
Elegant Trio Calendar Collection
Prioritise
Only you can decide what will go on your list of top priorities. Just remember that everything cannot be a priority at the same time. Because if everything is a priority, then nothing is.
The important part of the weekly planning is leaning more into being conscious every week. This means making conscious choices about where you want to direct your resources – whether they be time, money, or energy.
It’s a hard work keeping a healthy work-life balance. Even though it may not be achievable for the entire week, it’s definitely doable in a string of weeks.
You have to be mindful of your capacity and energy level too. This is worth it in the long run because it’ll help you avoid burnout or spreading yourself too thin.
At a surface level, one way of determining what the true priority is to ask yourself this question:
“Right this moment, what is the one thing that needs most of my attention?
To help you answer this question easily, think of that one thing that’s more important over everything else in that moment.
Most of the time, the biggest priorities aren’t the urgent ones. It just really depends on where you are, what you’re doing, and the real-time situation.
When creating a weekly plan, one of the best practices is to determine your most important goals for the week or the most important thing in your daily plans.
This is where a regular weekly planning session really shines. It creates an opportunity for you to have a look at your specific goals, turning your bigger projects into smaller doable tasks. Then you can put those tasks in your daily schedule in a way that suits your weekly goals.
Action Plan
By now, you know how your previous week was. You’ve decided what goes in your list of priorities and you’ve got your important tasks in your weekly schedule.
The only thing that’s left now is to actually make a game plan on how you’re going to tackle your weekly to-do list.
Bear in mind that your priority every week isn’t always the same. In my case my list of priorities every week is the same but the priority changes.
For example, this week my priority is my family but next week, it could be my business and the next it could be my day job.
For something to truly hold the status of a priority, it needs your undivided attention and effort.
By carefully selecting your top priorities, (your list of priorities) you can ensure that each one receives the time and energy it deserves. By doing so, you create space for meaningful progress in those areas that matter most to you.
When creating your weekly planning routine, take some time for self-reflection and consider what truly matters to you right now. Not yesterday not tomorrow.
What are the goals or projects that align with your values? What brings joy and fulfilment into your life?
By answering these questions honestly, you’ll be able to identify those few key items that should take precedence on your list of priorities.
Remember: prioritising is not about saying no forever; rather, it’s about saying yes intentionally. Give yourself permission to focus on what truly matters at this moment without guilt or hesitation.
Embrace the idea that by choosing fewer but more meaningful priorities each week, you’re setting yourself up for success and personal growth.
Let go of the pressure to make everything a priority simultaneously. Instead, embrace the freedom of consciously selecting only those things that deserve your full attention during any given week. By taking this approach in your weekly planning routine, you’ll find greater clarity and satisfaction as well as achieve significant progress towards reaching both short-term objectives and long-term aspirations.
Your Next Step
So where to from here?
I suggest, Complete the 3 steps above. Grab the Calendars or the Guide from the ieSHOP
Practise your weekly planning routine for at least 12 weeks. Do it for that period consistently. Reflect every week, and don’t be afraid to tweak things.
Have an experimental mind while doing this.
Continue what’s working and change/let go what’s not working.
I also recommend reading Intentional Planning, after setting a weekly planning routine. This article will help you use the power of a Planner.
