I recently read an incredible book with the worst title. The only reason I read it was because it was shared on a podcast, and I loved the content of the book that the author discussed.
So what was the book? It was “Tranquility by Tuesday: 9 Ways to Calm the Choas and Make Time For What Matters Most” from Laura Vanderkam.
The 9 Practices? INCREDIBLE. The title? Awful.
It just doesn’t do the book justice because it has so many practical tips to live a more intentional life.
A practice that I had started about a year ago was to start planning my weeks at work on Fridays. In the past, I had planned the day of, and then got better and began planning the Monday of the week ahead, but planning on Fridays before the week starts has been such a game changer. I now not only do this in my work life, but also in my personal life.
So why plan on Fridays? What’s the benefit?
Great question.
As more things begin to be under your umbrella of responsibilities, it’s becomes more impactful if you plan a week at a time. It’s the rhythm in which we live. Laura shares, “A week is long enough to take a holistic perspective, but short enough that the plans you set will likely be doable.”
There’s a few benefits to planning on a Friday versus say a Sunday or Monday –
- Fridays are when the week is winding down but you still are “in it” enough to know what the next week will require of you.
- It also helps you find peace over the weekend and you’re not constantly thinking about all the things you have to do come Monday morning.
- You get all day Monday to actually work on things rather than spend the first part of Monday planning for the week.
So how should you plan the week? I have a few tips –
- Consider the work category as well as the personal life category.
- Look at what’s still unfinished this week or what open loops are not yet closed from the week.
- Consider what has to get done the following week. Consider deadlines and appointments or any intentions you’ve set but haven’t verbalized or written down yet. Now’s the time to do that.
- Think about what you want to do. What would make this an awesome week? Add in not just what you need to do but also what you want to do!
- Don’t just plan Monday-Friday but plan the weekend as well. This doesn’t have to be strict, but don’t forget to consider anything that you have to or want to do on these days as well.
If this is your first time planning for a week at a time, this may take you a little longer your first go around. The more comfortable you become with it, the easier it is. What used to take me an hour or more takes me about 20 -30 minutes.
I plan out my workouts for the week, dinners each day, any appointments/meetings, one kind thing I can do for myself and for others that day, add in our cleaning and tidy schedule, and also add in the fun things we want to do!
Because I’ve been weekly planning for years, and now Friday planning for about a year, I think in this mindset on a weekly basis. So as I think of things during the week, I proactively add them into my following week. This makes my weeks easier and just so much more peaceful. I don’t feel the panic or frantic nature of wondering if I missed something or realizing I didn’t budget enough time to meet a deadline. It does give a sense of calm to my weeks.
I encourage you to try to Plan on Fridays in a way that works for your life and let me know how it goes!
