How I Get (Almost) Everything Done on My To-Do List Each Week
Running a business and being a mom, there’s a lot to do in any given week! But one thing I feel like I’ve been able to narrow down and get in check over the last year has been my weekly planning routine.
It helps me finish all my work by 3:30 pm every day, so I can pick up my kids from the bus, have time to work out three to four times a week, have chill Fridays, AND still grow my business.
Curious about what, exactly, is involved in that process? That’s what we’re talking about today!
It starts on Sunday
Planning my week starts on Sunday mornings — I take out my Full Focus Planner and go through the weekly preview exercise in there. That basically just consists of me seeing what’s going on in the week ahead and how I can plan each day around that.
Why do I do this on Sunday instead of Monday? Because for my house, Sundays tend to be the most laid back after running around all day Saturday. And Monday is the *official* start of the work week, so doing this allows me to get started with a clear idea of what I need to do without any distractions.
Meal planning
One of the first things I do is meal plan for the week. I like to pick three or four meals for the week that we can make double of so we aren’t cooking every night. I’m not so good at making decisions on the fly, and my husband is the one who does the grocery shopping, usually on Sundays too, so we compromise — I’m the one who makes the list and maps it all out!
And knowing what’s for dinner daily helps me clear out more of my brain space during the week for business decisions.
Celebrate the wins
Part of the reason I love my Full Focus Planner is that it gives me space to celebrate last week’s wins. As a business owner, it gets hard to see what IS going right when you’re in the thick of trying to make #AllTheThings happen.
But looking at the positives can help you stay motivated and focused to keep on doing it!
I also assess what didn’t work
I look at some things that maybe didn’t pan out the way I hoped or didn’t work out so well. This helps me identify areas for improvement and helps steer me in the right direction moving forward.
I approach it not only by looking at numbers, but reflecting on time management. Is there something I’m consistently not getting to? Is there anything I keep avoiding or pushing out?
This is how I figured out Facebook wasn’t working for my biz — so I stopped posting. Seriously! It helped me see that YouTube is where all the gold is and reminded me that THAT place is where I need to be.
I brain-dump all my thoughts
I also take Sunday to clear out ev-ery-thing on my mind, write it down on paper, and then see what needs to go. I write down what needs to get done that week and see if it fits my theme for that week (content creation, recording, etc.) and then I put it into Asana.
Batch working like this has been another key piece in keeping me focused. I spend less time going in and out of tasks, allowing me to just knock it all out at once.
I add it to Google Calendar
While I clearly love using my Full Focus Planner, and I’m known to love some sticky notes, using Google Calendar has completely changed the way I do everything, and not just with my business.
By adding in all things business and all things personal, I’m able to get a better idea of what I actually have time for during the week. Plus, it makes it easier for my team and clients to schedule calls with me because they can just click a button and see when I’m unavailable.
I only work on two or three things per day
Once everything is mapped out and scheduled, I give myself only two to three things to work on. I know that doesn’t sound like much, but I’m telling you, after YEARS of doing this, I’ve found that’s the secret to staying productive.
Why? Because It’s realistically what you can get done while in that CEO role. Everything you do in your business deserves your best effort, and keeping big tasks to a minimum can help you do that.
I have a “Big 3” for the week
The “Big 3” are the three most important things that need to get done that week. Of course, my actual list is much longer, but, this is just a way for me to delegate priorities.
On a content-themed week, this could be filming 6 YouTube videos. On other weeks, it might look like getting X amount of sign-ups for an event I’m doing to push to an offer like 10K on Reply.
What that looks like for you just depends on what you’re working on in your business right now. But again, it’s genius for sticking with the highest priority tasks!
Pro-tip: Track your time
Something I’ve done for years is tracking my time, especially if it’s a new type of task. You don’t even know how long something truly takes you to do if you don’t pay attention to it. And that’s especially true if you’ve never recorded a YouTube video, done an Instagram live, or written an email sequence (these are just a few examples!).
If you aren’t sure how long your tasks are taking you, I highly recommend you start tracking your time with a tool like Toogl so you know what you can actually get done in your week!
Plan out your months with ease
If any of this resonated with you, and you’re eager for more ways to streamline your daily tasks so you can get more done in your business, there’s a way you can take everything I showed you today and turn it into a monthly plan! Watch the video below to see how it’s done!
