An Unconventional Way to Plan Your Week

Sundays are for floppy hats, hanging by the pool...and for planning.

One of my favorite Sunday rituals is planning out the upcoming week. My planning method is a little unconventional though.

Instead of listing out a bunch of tasks tied to a project or deadline, I plan with a different motive in mind.

Here’s how I do it:

1. Intention: I ask myself what my intention is (intention is always feeling based) because without intention, I end up with a mindless list of to-do’s that I may or may not get to. I also find that on days when I’m not clear on my intention for any task, I’m more likely to push it off for another day. When the things we do have meaning and significance beyond just getting sh*t done, we get more done.
2. Goal set: Every intention has a goal - even the feeling of accomplishment (intention) of cleaning out my in-box has a goal like being better organized. So while I may want to clean out my in-box, my ultimate goal is organization.
3. Action: Success is in the specificity meaning, what specific action will I take to meet my goal and the intention I set? Going back to a clean inbox...my first action can be to sort messages by date or by recipient. Then it’s to have a clear list of sorting categories. Then files created by pertinent category. Then...you get the idea. Just writing “clear out inbox” on a to-do list has no clear feeling intention (accomplishment), it lacks an overall bigger goal (organization) nor does it break down the task into its many actionable parts.

Sometimes I miss the mark - especially when I’m over zealous with my planning. And especially when I skip one of these three steps.

But when I follow this thought process - which boils down to a planners mindset - I win more often than not.

What’s your favorite ritual to prepare you for the week?