Four Ways to Prepare For a Productive Week On Sunday
I am a big fan of efficiency. I think through every decision when it comes to finding the most efficient route or way of doing something. Sometimes when we are driving somewhere and my husband takes a different route than expected, I get frustrated. I have already thought through the different scenarios and have found the most efficient way of driving, so it doesn’t make sense to go a different way! The good thing about marriage is that it makes you a better person and helps you let go of your controlling ways, amiright?!
Control issues aside, running my business has to be very efficient right now. I have an infant to take care of and my working time needs to be maximized and efficient. One of my best secrets/keys to maximizing my work week is by preparing for the week on Sunday. It saves me time and when Monday rolls around I am ready to get to work.
Here are my four tips to help you prepare for the week:
Set Intentions:
think about the most important tasks for the upcoming week and decide what you want your intentions to be. Do you want your week to be about creating content? Or do you want it to be about editing all your recent photo sessions? I like to have different intentions/themes for different weeks. Otherwise, I am trying to do all the things, every single week. And this eventually leads to burnout. When I can focus on one or two things at a time, I am way more productive!
Make a master list:
I like to create a huge list of everything I want to get done during the upcoming week. I write it all down and it pops into my head. I include errands I need to run, chores I need to do, phone calls I need to make, and so on. The list does not just include work tasks. We all know that we still have countless responsibilities outside of our work, and we need to be intentional about those things as well. So, on Sunday night, take 10 minutes and do a “brain dump” of everything you need to do in the upcoming week. Just let it all out and get it onto paper! The next step is to break the master list into smaller lists for each day. Which, in my opinion, is pretty self-explanatory :)
Meal Plan and Exercise Plan:
eating healthy and getting exercise are really important to me, so if I don’t make a plan to make that happen, it won’t happen. I take time on the weekend to figure out what days I will workout, when it will happen (time of day), and what meals we will eat for dinner. This plan makes it so I don’t have to spend mental energy during the week to decide what’s for dinner and what workout I will squeeze in at 5pm. It’s all decided in advance.
Communicate:
Take time to communicate with your clients, spouse, customers, employees, etc. If you have expectations: communicate them. If you have a dinner date with a friend, make sure you tell your partner. If you need extra help from an assistant during a certain day, let her know in advance. I truly believe communication is key in business (and life!) success, so make sure you clearly communicate with those who need to be kept in the loop.