3 Tips for a Productive Week

What’s the saying about getting off on the right foot? I know that usually applies more to relationships, but I’d say it could be applied to your workweek too. How you start your week, guides how the rest of your week will go. I am definitely not someone that can just fly by the seat of my pants, in any aspect of my life. So if I want to have a productive week, I have to be intentional about what that looks like. For me, it starts with these 3 simple tasks:

1-Plan your week on Sunday - dump it all into your planner/calendar

I know I say do this on Sunday...but I have found that I need to keep my weekends free of work thoughts as much as possible. And I have blocked my Monday’s off from client appointments, so I take the time on Monday morning to figure out my week. This is what works for me. But if you need to hit the ground running first thing Monday, then you should definitely do this on Sunday.

That can look several different ways for people. Some need to have it all on paper. Some rely solely on digital stuff. And then others use some hybrid of paper & digital. I’m in the “other” group.

First, my actual appointments have to go into my phone calendar. If it’s not in there, it’s not happening. I also have an actual planner book that I put my appointments in, along with weekly personal tasks (housekeeping & such). But then I’ve created a paper Work Day Planner that is helping me break down my days into client stuff, business stuff, & personal stuff that I can look at at a glance.

So Monday morning I print 5 pages of my Work Day Planner & fill in days/dates.

Then I add any appointments that are already on my calendar.

Then I add any personal tasks that need to get done each day, laundry, floors, bathrooms, etc.

Then I look through my email & see what I have pending for current clients. 

Then I look through my business task list & add in those items for the week.

I usually just write out the tasks for each day split by high & low priority.

Then each morning, I block off chunks of time for Clients, Business, & Personal.

Want to see what my Work Day Planner looks like? You can download it HERE

And I can show you how I fill mine out if you want, just ask!

2-Plan your meals & shop only for what you need for those meals

I have been using this Meal Planning List for several years & it’s so helpful in planning out my weekly meals. I usually do just 1 week at a time, but if you need to plan more, just print more pages. 

I go through my recipe box & Pinterest (I get a ton of meal ideas there!) and write in the name of the meal & any sides I may want in the Meal Box. I will usually do 5 for a week, this allows for a night of leftovers & a night out.

Then I write out every ingredient needed in the list.

Then I go through my fridge, pantry, & freezer and mark off any ingredients I already have

Next I make my shopping list based on what I’m out of, or low on

I also use a Grocery app to make my shopping list. I have it organized by aisle in my favorite store. I know, my OCD is showing :)

I also have a menu board that I write in the meals for the week, planning for nights of leftovers or when I want a night off from cooking. This helps me remember to get meat out of the freezer, or start my crock-pot so I’m not caught off guard at dinner time.

3-Automate anything you can (bill payment, social media, emails)

I have many of our bills on auto-pay. Either through the company, or through my bank’s online bill pay. Things like our mortgage, cell phone bill, insurance, etc. These bills are the same amount every month, so having them on auto-pay means there are no surprises.

My social media I don’t actually automate much anymore...Facebook’s algorithm sees that and limits your visibility. But, I do create my content for a couple weeks at a time, and set everything up in my task manager…or Canva’s Content Planner has been a game changer!!! Then I get a reminder when I need to post something. It has any images I’ve created, plus any text for the caption. I just copy & paste everything into my FB or Insta post, and it’s ready to go.

My emails are mostly automated via my CRM, Dubsado. So when a new client reaches out to me, all the emails needed to get a consultation scheduled, quotes sent, and on-boarding done are 99% done & sent for me.

And that’s it...that’s how I stay productive. 

I will say that anytime there is a major change to your routine, you may need to re-think how & when you do these things. Like for me, as of March 1, 2021 I had quit my part time job and was solely focussing on my business. That meant I needed to get on a good schedule. A month later & I had it pretty dialed in. Mostly for me it means creating buffers around my business & personal life so I have the time I need to focus on both and give both the energy they need.

Do you need help with your productivity? Need to just chat through some stuff and see where you’re not being as productive as you could be? That’s what I’m here for! Let’s do a virtual coffee and see how we can get you focused!