Organizing My Week Ahead
Planner: Sugar Paper LA.
Every Sunday evening I sit down with my planner and go through my week ahead. I compare my Apple/Google/Outlook calendars to my written calendar and make sure I’m organized. Doing this helps me to start my week out on a good note and saves me from major overwhelm each night that I come home from a long work day.
Create Projects & Associated Tasks
The way I tend to organize myself is to make a long list of projects and then break out projects by the to-dos to get there. I do this monthly and then, on a smaller scale, weekly. The problem with our average to-do lists is that a lot of the to-do items are actually projects that take multiple steps to get done (so we don’t get them done because we’re overwhelmed). Once I decided which projects I’m going to complete that week, I divvy up the tasks per week day (2-3 task per day, at most). I also give myself nights after with no responsibility. I try to schedule 1-2 work outs a week (at least fifteen minutes to get me moving).
Who haven’t I talked to?
I think about the friends or family members I haven’t called in a while, the bffs I’m due for drinks with, and the appointments I’m due to make. Who do I owe thank you notes to? Relationships take work and, in my opinion, take a little proactive planning when you get busy with everything else.
Shopping and meal planning
I think about what’s falling apart in my house and needs fixing, what needs organizing and what I need to buy to restock my inventory. I know I’m speaking in technical terms but I’m just a nerd like that. I make my “home” shopping list and then I move onto meal planning. Many times, I’ll take a cook book into that Self-Care Sunday bath with me and decide on one special recipe to tackle that week. When I decided on a recipe, I make a list of all the other ingredients I need along with other items I’m running out of. I’ll try to do meal prep in advance (sometimes my nanny, very generously, helps me out with this), but the best is when you can come home from the work day (or off a long day taking care of your kids/responsibilities), and throw all the prepped ingredients together to whip it up quickly. As I put all this together, I set reminders on my phones for more timely items. I rely on these like mad because, well, mom brain is real.