My weekly planning has become more intentional as time goes by and I learn more about myself. Planning your week is key to reducing overwhelming as Tuesday suddenly becomes Friday afternoon. Knowing what to expect at the beginning of the week makes everything more manageable. So then, you want to work towards getting all your weekly activities written down in your preferred reference point. If you don’t have a preferred reference point yet, grab a notebook and begin keeping all your information in that notebook.
Take some quiet time away to really give yourself time to noting everything you need to do in a week. Everything you need to prepare for. 0r prepare someone else for. Everything you are responsible for goes on your list.
Once you have created your list it is pretty easy to start categorizing each event into days. And then, suddenly, you know where your hardest, busiest day or days will be. Next you want to plug in some preparation ahead of that day. Be kind to yourself. Do not leave everything for that busy day. Try to think through your busy day. You might make a list of the day’s events. Start with “I get out of bed”. And end with “I fall back into bed”. As you create this schedule list you will begin to see things you can do a few days ahead to help ease you through your busy day.
A short list of things to start your weekly list
- Appointments
- All time restricted events
- meals – times, places, and menus
- chores, tasks, homework
To make your planning easier, after a few weeks you can create a master list. This is a list of activities you do every week. With a master list as a starting point, you simply plug in special activities, like birthdays and holidays, seasonal events, you get the idea.
Are you waiting for a normal week? – Welcome to Fresh Mercy Every Morning
Having the skeleton of your weeks mapped out really gives you a handle on your time. You will soon find a rhythm to your weeks and days. Remember, it’s your life, so do what helps you the most. With your plans laid out in front of you, you can begin tweaking activities to suit your energy, mood, and overload feeling, better. So, here’s to you calling the shots in your week.
New Idea to Try Out
I have just learned of a slick idea for tracking our ever-loving to-do list. (I don’t remember my parents having to-do list) Here are the ideas in short form. Label your list “this week”, “next week”, and “everything else”. Begin an “ongoing brain dump” just to keep your brain freed up for space to think. You can also call it an “all the things” list. update 1/7/25
Are y’all hearing/reading about our short memory? I’ve heard it a few times this past week. Bits like “write it down, your brain isn’t for storage”. And then I read that short memory space is only able to hold 2 or 3 thoughts at a time. So, write it down! Designate a spot to keep your thoughts and ideas written. If you only have one spot then you will know where to go to find your list! I use Trello and a planner. Trello is on my phone, which counts my steps, so it’s always with me.
Honestly I have no memory of my parents keeping to do list. They certainly didn’t spend much time thinking up a to-do list. Personally, I suspect they operated on a if-you-see-it-do-it process. They picked up behind themselves before they moved on. Set up the work bench to start again tomorrow. My parents worked for themselves. Successfully. They relied on God with steadfast faith that He would see them through.