Are You Running Your Life Or Is Your Life Running You?

Do you ever start the week on Monday morning and already feel behind, confused, or overwhelmed? Let me recommend an easy solution for you - the Sunday planning hour. Just taking on hour on Sunday to tie up loose ends from the previous week, forward ongoing projects on to the next week, and to set your priorities for the upcoming week can be a game changer. Enter a chapter of running your life instead of your life (literally) running you.

Here’s how I set up my Sunday planning hour in three easy steps.

1.

Review Monthly Calendar

First, I review the overall monthly calendar. I check what is on for the week and what is upcoming. I also double check that everything is on the schedule and that I haven’t forgotten to add any appointments or projects. Looking at the monthly view helps to get a sense of the overall cadence of the month; which weeks will be busier and which weeks will allow more time for extra projects or relaxation.

2.

Weekly Schedule

Next I go to my weekly view and add items from the monthly view to their corresponding day and hour time slot. During the week I’ll do a quick morning scan of the weekly spread, but not necessarily the monthly. I next add to each day a list of things I’d like to get done. I purposely front load the week, knowing that I’ll have the entire week to accomplish the majority of my projects. This takes a little bit more advance planning, but as the mother of two toddlers, time often comes in small segments rather than complete afternoons or mornings (or days!).

3.

Monthly Goal Check-Up

Each month I set three main goals. I try to balance them across different areas of my life to make progress toward multiple priorities. Each January, I brainstorm a list of goals that I’d like to accomplish that year.  (I periodically adjust it to reflect life’s changes throughout the year.) After choosing the month’s goals, based on my current priorities, I break them down into manageable steps for each week. Each week I check on the small steps I planned for each goal for that particular week. Sometimes, things don’t go exactly as planned and I need to catch up the following week and that’s ok. I try to see my planner as a guide. For small easily achievable goals I might batch them together and try to check one small goal off the list per week. The ultimate focus is making progress toward your priorities, not checking off boxes, so flexibility is key.

Finally I wrap up by adding any decorations or revising my notes pages. In the notes, I keep track of my quarterly business priorities and goals. It’s always good to check in and make sure I’m on track to be where I need to be by the end of the quarter and to add plans for upcoming quarters.

All this takes usually less than an hour. It’s a wonderful way start the week with confidence and clarity. This week on social media I’ll be talking about weekly planning strategies. Join the conversation and add your thoughts and suggestions for the community!