Strategy Sunday
Although there’s a very little chance we have our life completely in our control, this Sunday practice helps me get a better grip of my week moving forward.
Over the years, I’ve learned that preparation and planning are the most effective strategies in reducing stress.
A perfect spot for Strategy Sunday
Dreamy view I could get used to. 😍
As the life gets more busy month after month (or am I getting old?), I very much prefer going to sleep knowing what the heck am I doing the week ahead.
Experiencing full-on synesthesia kind of prompts me to write everything down in 2D, using coloured gel pens, stickers and rulers. One could argue my bullet journal belongs to a 12-year old - I can’t travel without my glitter gel pens.
And - I don’t really care. Whatever works - if it helps you stay on top of your schedule, go with it. Digital journal, notes app, calendar, physical diary or a niche app… go with it.
I'm using a physical journal - this setup works for me the best when it comes to personal organisation.
Here’s a simple process I do more often than not on my Sunday evenings.
There’s 3 blocks I usually get to tackle:
Calendar
To-Do Lists
Priorities
Calendar
I usually work on multiple projects - to make notes more distinct, I colour-code each project
the first thing I do is map out my week into a weekly calendar - I split the days to AM/PM blocks
Opening my google calendars, I write down every meeting
this gives me a good idea about the volume of my days - for what and when I need to prep, energise and take rest or exercise
things often change ad-hoc during the week but having this weekly overview helps me navigate those situations and scheduling better
To-do’s
the next thing I do is creating project-based to-do lists
first, I go through my notes and lists from the last week and transfer any tasks that are still relevant
I leave the ones that became obsolete
then I write down any tasks that need to be tackled during the week
TIP: I also add ‘Life Admin‘ list for any errands or tasks not related to work
Priorities
step 3 is when I ask myself a question : What’s the most important one thing I can do such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?
This practice is from my favourite book ‘The One Thing’ by Gary Keller I read back in 2016. Can’t recommend this enough. I wrote more about it back then.
I try to identify one thing (or 2-3) that will make my life (and work) easier, write it down and later, try to execute upon it.
I very much recommend to internalize this question as much as possible - it sped up my productivity, and, most importantly - always helps me focus on the right, most impactful course of action.
Do you have any rituals? How do you start your workweeks? I’m keen to learn more about your workflows! Leave a message in my comments section and let’s chat. :)
