One Week at a Time: Your Secret Weapon to a Balanced Life
And here we are again, at the start of the year … figuring out what our 2024 will look like.
There seems to be this pressure to start off the year strong, and in a new and better way … but honestly that’s a hard ask … especially coming off the crazy busyness of the holidays.
And let’s face it. At least my brain is scattered. The nagging in my brain is to push forward quickly, while I scan the utter chaos of a home with college boys in residence, and a bunch of Christmas decorations that need to be sorted out.
I keep this little quote box on my kitchen shelf. It always makes me laugh, especially when life gets a little crazy.
So I’m giving myself a solid two to three weeks to step back in … and gear up … in my own time, with a few experiments of trying out new things that I’ve been wanting to work on.
So I want to focus on the idea of navigating the chaos of our schedules, and share some ways of getting things back in control.
We all have a seemingly never ending long to-do list, with a little lack of focus sprinkled on top. That lack of focus typically comes from not finding the time to be proactive with daily planning.
My “to dos” are typically an unrelated set of items. To address them, sometimes it feels like one big game of Whac-a-Mole, hitting back the thing that pops up the highest in front of me at the moment. And when this happens, I know I’m operating in a reaction mode, and not controlling my day.
And then we get to the end of our day way too quickly, and climb into bed thinking of all those things that we didn’t do, instead of what we actually accomplished.
I thought I would tee up some things for you to think about as it relates to this premise of daily time management, because it’s important to figure out how to get to the end of our day, feeling good about what we accomplished and feeling good that we accomplished things that are important and meaningful to us.
Before we start diving into the details of our day, I also want to address a couple of important area of focus that might not be hitting your To-Do List at all.
And that is, making sure you take the time to think beyond the transactional items - in other words, thinking beyond the minutia.
Ask yourself - What is most important for you to accomplish right now?
And I mean YOU - not things that you need to do for your kids, your spouse, your co-workers, or your household.
I want you to think carefully about these two things …
1. Your “Me” Goal. Your purpose. What’s going to make you feel invigorated and accomplished?
It could be anything from the weighty task of looking for a new job or writing a book all the way to planning a get together with friends, or maybe learning a new skill or reconnecting to an old passion of yours.
Working on this goal will likely make you feel most fulfilled. So finding the time to focus on this routinely is important. Some days you may have 2 hours to do this; other days it might only be 5 minutes.
Think about those things that typically get stuck in our brain as wishes. The stuff that creates new experiences and memories, perhaps teaches new skills. This is the important stuff to pull out, figure out, and prioritize.
2. Your health and self-care …
Be mindful of goals you want to accomplish as it relates to feeling at your best. Remember the five platforms of healthy living: food/nutrition, exercise, stress management optimal sleep and community. What 1, 2 or 3 things can you do on this front?
Thinking through those things is the powerful, good stuff.
Over the years I’ve tried various fancy planners, but none really clicked for me. That’s why I created my own - a powerful tool that helps me seize control of my time.
Back to the good 'ole piece of paper and pen.
Every Sunday, I print out my one page Weekly Planer, and invest 10 minutes diving into my Google Calendar to craft my weekly plan.
There are six primary areas I think through:
1️⃣ Weather Forecast
Sounds funny, but I always start with the weather forecast … primarily because I love to be outside walking regularly. Knowing this helps me plan accordingly.
2️⃣ # 1 PRIORITY for the day
Just one thing. Although I know there are many. Think about your “me” goal - is there something to move forward as it relates to only you? Is there a new passion you want to pursue? Learning how to play pickleball or writing a book?
It can be as simple as taking a yoga class … or calling a dear friend that you haven’t talked to in a while … or completing a big project at work. So often we have such a lengthy to do list we end up a bit out of control with no focus. It will feel good when you recognize what you can accomplish when you set priorities.
3️⃣ Key Appointments
This gives you a good overview of your committed time. It doesn’t feel good when we overlook an appointment. By taking note at the beginning of the week, and writing it down into this planner, you remind yourself of what’s ahead, and how you have to prepare.
4️⃣ The Minutia!
All the little to dos that swirl around in our heads … causing stress and driving us crazy.
Get them out of your head and write them down … pay bills, call the plumber, grocery shopping … and spread these “to dos” across the week. Maybe you have a consistent time window you can add to your “appointments” - to give you a time to address the minutia.
5️⃣ Exercise & Self Care
This is the area on our list which for many of us is the first to slip. Really think carefully about this area, and what you can accomplish.
And when you think through exactly what you want to do, and when … it’s likely to happen.
One reason I like to schedule it in is that I try to get in a variety of exercise that addresses strength, cardio and flexibility and balance. If I don’t think through what I’m going to do exactly, I know it’s unlikely to happen.
Some days I have more time than others … so what I have time for expands. Other days there’s not much time. But the important thing is consistency.
Even if it’s just 5 minutes of doing something … that’s a huge win. It can also be 5 minutes of something, three times a day.
Think creatively about how you can start something, and fit it in, in small doses. I imagine soon enough, you’ll figure out how to expand that time, because it will become a priority.
6️⃣ Meal Planning
Because eating well starts with a plan.
Take a look at your week, and figure out which days you have time to cook, and which days are going to be really tight. How can you plan for that? How can you prepare in advance?
Is there something you can take out of the freezer? Can you pre-prep for a day that is particularly busy? Use the slow cooker or Insta-Pot? Wash and prep veggies so they’re ready to go for a salad or cooking? If you have some time, can you double or triple a recipe and freeze the leftovers for a future dinner?
Planning eliminates the overwhelm and frustration of those crazy busy days. And we all know how bad we feel when we’re exhausted at the end of the day … and don’t know where to begin with dinner.
If this way of looking at your weekly plan connects with you, here is a link to the planner:
I also love that is it a one pager to fold, drop in my purse or coat pocket, or leave on my kitchen counter - easily accessible, and immediately available - especially for the “minutia messages” always running through my brain.
What’s really in the power of doing this?
✅ You will have a great sense of control over your time
✅ You will start accomplishing more! And make sure you recognize your accomplishments at the end of the day.
✅ You will sleep better! You will go to bed with a clear head, because everything you need to accomplish is written down, organized and prioritized. It's kind of like dusting the brain. By capturing all those thoughts that are constantly flowing through our head and getting them down on paper, we can forget about them for now, until we're ready to address them.
✅ And maybe the best? Ensuring we’re finding the time to tackle the big stuff, the important stuff. The stuff that requires us to get into the right headspace, and remove ourselves from distractions. Our best priorities.
Because that’s the stuff that is the most rewarding and fulfilling. That's the stuff that makes you proud and feeling accomplished. That's the stuff that creates memories.