7 Tips for a Successful Week
We’re sharing 7 Tips for a Successful Week today!
If there’s one day that makes or breaks our week, it’s Sunday, hands down.
Keeping Sundays sacred is so important to me, I’m willing to come home from a trip or vacation on Saturday.
And unless we’re celebrating someone in our pod’s birthday, it’s Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or Christmas Day we reserve the entire day just for us.
It’s a non-negotiable I look forward to every single week.
Recently, we started theming our days and it’s worked out so much better than I expected.
Creating new systems and habits is never easy, but knowing we had already laid the groundwork with “Sacred Sundays” helped us onboard the other six days pretty seamlessly.
I think the biggest key is staying consistent.
Plus, we continue to make tiny tweaks as needed to make each week even better.
I know some of you are looking to be more organized and to streamline your days this year. So, I thought I would share how we bring purpose-filled value to each week.
Here are the 7 tips for a successful week we use throughout the year…
Choose the Day of the Week That Works Best for You:
Given we work 50 or more hours each week and have a very active family life, we chose to prioritize Sundays.
Choose a day that works best with your current schedule, even if it’s in the middle of the week, to sit down and plan out your week.
Decide How You’ll Spend and Maximize the Day:
Sunday mornings are carved out for rest and worship.
On Sunday afternoons, I sit down with my goal planner and my calendar to reevaluate the week before and to organize, prep and review the week ahead.
Sunday nights are reserved for self-care and anything that makes our lives better.
You might choose to make time for a hobby, a hike, yoga, or a painting class you’ve been wanting to attend. You might even choose to meal prep or wash clothes.
The objective is to spend the first half and last half of the day doing things that fill your cup. That way, you can spend the middle part of the day clear-headed and ready to organize the coming week.
Do a Brain Dump:
On a sheet of paper, list all the activities, events, appointments, or to-dos you need to accomplish in the week ahead.
This could be anything from your menu to your doctor appointments to the items you need to order from Amazon to sending a card to a loved one.
You don’t have to have a fancy planner or colored pens to do this step. All you really need is a piece of paper and a pen so you can do a brain dump.
It’s one of my favorites on the 7 tips for a successful week list!
Review Your Calendar and Your Monthly/Yearly Goals:
After you’ve completed your brain dump, make sure you’ve reviewed your calendar as well as your monthly and yearly goals.
You might find an unexpected birthday you need to buy a present for, a quarterly meeting you’ve forgotten about, or the goal to “create more whitespace” you need to incorporate into your week.
Know Your Priorities:
I’m sure you’ve had one of those days where it feels like you’ve been busy ALL DAY, yet you lay your head on the pillow at night wondering what actually got accomplished.
You might have a sick kid, a pet that needs to go out 100s times, a demanding boss, feel the pressure to make someone else’s emergency your priority, or struggle with insomnia.
Life happens, as do constant interruptions, which is why it’s important to know your priorities.
As you’re going back through your brain dump, place a star or highlight those tasks that are your top priority for the week so you can focus on those things first.
Depending on your life season, that might only look like 3-to 7 things a week.
Assign Each Goal and Brain Dump Task a Specific Day (but Leave Wiggle Room):
Assign (and color code if you like) each task to a specific day. This is where having themed days really comes in handy!
Keep in mind, I work from home and for myself. My schedule will not look like someone who works full time from an office downtown with two kids in soccer, dance, gymnastics, or music lessons each week.
Nor will it look like someone whose days are filled with volunteer work, philanthropy projects, retired, or going to school.
Make time to figure out what will work best for you and your current situation. Even if it takes you a bit, it will be worth the effort to have a successful week.
7 Tips For a Successful Week: Our Themed Days…
- Sacred Sundays – worship, rest, self-care, organize, review and prep for the week
- Make it Happen Mondays – our busiest day of the week where we prioritize taking action no matter how big or small
- Thoughtful Tuesdays – creating content, writing posts, photographing posts, editing content, scheduling pins/posts/content for the upcoming week
- Wellness Wednesdays – decluttering, organizing, cleaning, grocery shopping, running errands, prioritizing self-care appointments, mental wellness, and connecting.
- TCG-TCB Thursdays – taking care of TCG business, making sure posts and content are scheduled and ready to go, revamping old content, creating future content, planning upcoming projects, etc.
- Financial Freedom Fridays – paying bills, reviewing bank and tax statements, taking business/personal development classes, reviewing contracts for sponsored posts, affiliate network changes, etc.
- Show Up Saturdays – attending family functions, social events, brunch/dinner with friends, working on house projects, etc.
Take Action:
This might sound like 101 but it’s not enough to know your priorities, have goals and dreams, or have your menu planned out.
To see true results on any of these 7 tips for a successful week, you must consistently take action.
Even small steps can have a big impact, so don’t stay stuck!
Embracing Change with 7 Tips for a Successful Week…
I used to DREAD Sunday nights because I would waste the entire weekend doing things I felt *obligated* to do, instead of doing things I actually *wanted* to do.
As you can imagine, by Monday morning, I was a big ball of nerves with an unrealistic to-do list and expectations I could not manage.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but it was significantly contributing to a life of burnout and constant overwhelm.
Plus, I felt resentful and unappreciated if I’m being truly honest.
While there are times I continue to struggle to balance running my business with a packed calendar, an active family life (November to March is insane every year), need for whitespace and self-care, I know every time I take action no matter if it’s forwards or backward I’m still making progress.
Learning what works well and what does not work well will help you tweak your habits so you can take action and create healthy living systems too.
It won’t happen overnight, but you are worth the effort so keep trying different things until you settle into a rhythm that motivates you to live the life you’ve always dreamed of.
Other Tips for a Successful Week to Consider…
- Batch and Group Similar Tasks Together Whenever Possible
- Avoid Task Switching and Concentrate on One Thing at A Time
- Place Your Phone on “Do Not Disturb Mode” or “Focus Mode” to Avoid Additional Distractions
- Time Block Your Tasks
- Use a Timer to Help You Stay on Track
- Review Today’s Tasks at The Beginning of Each Day
- Review Tomorrow’s Tasks at The End the Day
- Assign Each Family Member a Laundry Day
- Lay Your Work and Workout Clothes Out the Night Before or Give Yourself a Uniform
- Delegate Housekeeping, Carpooling, or Meal Responsibilities
- Set a 15-Minute Clutter Catcher Timer to Pick Up the House Each Night After Dinner
- Ask Alexa to Play “Classical Focus”
- Use Time Management or Task List Apps
- Meal Prep and Plan
- Create a Consistent Morning Routine
- Create a Consistent Nightly Routine
- Automate Bills or Meal Subscription Services
- Don’t Wait for the Weekend to Enjoy Life – Find Joy and Gratitude in Each Day
- Reward Yourself for Positive Habits and Successful Weeks
- Give Yourself Grace When Something Comes Up That’s Out of Your Control
- Have an Accountability Partner
- Schedule Time in Your Calendar for Yourself
- Honor Your Boundaries and Stick to Your Non-Negotiables, Even When (Especially When) It’s Hard
I hope these 7 tips for a successful week have helped. Let us know your favorite tips and tricks so we can learn from you too!
Additional Posts on Organization To Enjoy:
Our Favorite Home Organization Essentials
13 Ways to Feel More Organized Every Day
Many blessings,
CoCo
I so appreciated all of your creative tips for being more intentional and organized with each week. It seems like it is so easy for time to slip doing things that don’t really matter, while the important things are needlessly delayed.
I couldn’t agree with you more, Heidi! I think most people have a sense, goal, or dream that they would like to do but get lost in the steps it takes to actually get there. It can definitely feel overwhelming at times but even small micro-actions are better than staying stuck or taking no action at all. Hope you have the best week! Hugs, CoCo
These are great tips. CoCo. I do try to stay organized, but it seems there are so many things that crop up. xo Laura
Speak to my heart, Laura, I can totally relate! I think it’s why I try my best to stay in some sort of routine. That way when all the life stuff pops up I’m able to give myself lots of grace knowing I’ve made some progress during the week even if everything on my to-do list isn’t crossed off. It’s not a fail-proof system by any stretch but it totally helps to take the pressure off which feels like a win 🙌 Sending you lots of hugs for a peace-filled and productive week sprinkled with your all favorite wins, CoCo
What a helpful and practical post! I’m pinning and planning to go back over it. I’m a list/planner person by nature but you’ve suggested some things that I believe will help me use mine more productively. Thanks for sharing!
I really appreciate it, Donna, thank you so much. We’re always looking for simple tips and tricks to help us stay on top of things so I’m tickled pink you’ve found some of these ideas helpful. I hope your Spring season is all that you need it to be, CoCo
CoCo, my friend, we have the same love of all things organized! You amaze me with your organizational skills! Adore how you put a name to each day! If I don’t follow my list, I’d forget to do half of what’s on there! Have a great week! Donna
ha ha I know, Donna! We could totally be organizing twins! Our lives get so crazy busy sometimes it makes me feel a million times better to know what to expect from week to week and how I need to spend/focus my days. Otherwise, like you say I’d forget half of the things on there and nothing would ever get done 😂 Hope your week has been wildly productive too, CoCo
This is such a motivating post CoCo! You gave me so many great ideas. I love the idea of a brain dump and your themed days were perfect. I’m going to share this on my Saltwater Sounds wrap-up this weekend.
Thank you, Kim! I’m telling you the brain dump saves me EVERY week. I’m totally the person that wakes up at 3 am to dig through files just to make double sure I’ve paid the taxes on our pecan grove 😂 The brain dump helps you get everything down at once, that way you can plan out your week accordingly. You don’t have to finish everything on your list at once but even devoting 15 – 30 minutes a day to knocking out big projects is an 1 and 45 minutes to 3 and a half hours of focused time each week which makes a huge impact! Sending you lots of hugs and thank yous for sharing, CoCo
I always loved the linen tea towels my mom embroidered in the 1940s that obviously informed my housekeeping schedule after I married. (Remaining 4 are displayed in my laundry room.) I’d gotten away from it though so your post brought me back full circle. Following your suggestions & implementing a new schedule since reading this post, I thought I’d share from an older, nearly 70 empty nester woman’s schedule. It has been very freeing to do this & really eliminates my frazzle at week’s end.
Mind-full Mondays-a day of small things & loose strings all crowding my brain
Tackle it Tuesdays-projects & pressing matters
Work it Wednesdays-Hard Things & Hated Things
Tech-Touch Thursdays-all things technology: phone, tv, banking, placing orders. Touch base w/family, friends, make/keep appointments, run errands & curbside pickups.
Freedom Fridays-day off, day out with husband or friends, no cooking & always date night
Selfie Saturdays-mental health day doing whatever I need to practice self care from gardening to grooming
Smooth Sailing Sundays-return to the calm waters of my safe harbor which is the Lord following a blustery, busy week. Refreshing my spirit in His Word to shore up for the storms of the ensuing week.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this so much, Pamela! What a great way to spend the week. It’s been forever since I’ve seen those tea towels embroidered with the housekeeping schedule. It’s really sweet you have several of your Mom’s pieces hanging up in your laundry room – that is such a treasure. Thank you so much for sharing and allowing us to learn from the things that work well for you. It’s a huge gift! Big hugs, CoCo
Thank you for sharing this! I love my planner and staying organized, but I need some work on my routine. I love your schedule for each day of the week!! I’m going to try and implement that. Your tips are great also!