Reduce Overwhelm By Planning Out Your Week

Sunday is the perfect day for planning out your week.  You may be thinking that a structured week sounds so busy and overwhelming.  You’d rather not have anything planned during the week because it feels freeing.  But the truth is, you’ll remain feeling overwhelmed because you’re not planning out your week to accomplish tasks that are nagging at you.

There are plenty of tasks floating around in your head that you need to get done.  Those tasks are causing you unneeded stress because your brain is trying to remember them all.  Your brain is trying so hard not to forget what you must get done this week.  That’s why planning out your week is essential to your success.

Brain Dump

A brain dump is getting all of your to-dos, errands, and must get done tasks down on paper.  Take everything that’s floating around in your head and write it down.

Also, think about things that will prevent you from getting these tasks done.  Perhaps you need to ask someone for help and need to coordinate schedules.  Write down these steps as well. 

You may think you’ve come up with an exhaustive list, but often times you’ll think of a few more tasks to write down.  Keep going! Don’t stop to edit.  Just go with the flow and write it all down.

Each week start with a new brain dump list.  Do not reuse your brain dump from previous weeks.  It’s important to start fresh and get your current ideas out of your head and down on paper.

Plan Some Fun

Write down activities that you would enjoy doing.  Maybe it’s going to a new movie that just came out, dinner with your spouse, coffee with a friend, a little road trip, or taking a walk outdoors, etc.  Plan some fun activities that you can look forward to and get excited about.

Delegate

Go through your list and see if there are any tasks that you can delegate to someone else.  You don’t have to do it all.  Do not be afraid to ask for help even on small tasks.  Reduce the overwhelm you’re feeling by delegating tasks and taking them off your plate.

Time Blocking

The key here is to give yourself a certain amount of time to complete your task.  Don’t just say you’ll get it done in the afternoon or evening. Literally block out a certain amount of time on your schedule.  If you can get the task done in an hour or two hours, set a limit as to the amount of time you’ll allow yourself to spend on the task.  You will work smarter and more efficiently when you time block.

Sometimes you may be unsure how long a task will take.  If you give yourself two hours to do something you may be unproductive and waste time versus scheduling one hour of super focused time.  Know that you will get better at time blocking as you continue to plan each week.

Schedule

Filter through your list and decide what needs to get done tomorrow, this week, this month, and this year. Take those tasks that must get done this week and schedule them by time blocking.

Most importantly, schedule in your free time.  Give yourself time to think, relax, recharge, and of course dream!  This time allows you to clear your thoughts and gain new perspective.

System

Your success each week relies on a system.  Trust the system of brain dumping all your tasks, planning some fun activities, delegating, and time blocking your tasks on your schedule.  Each week commit to sticking to this system.  You’ll be amazed how much you can accomplish.  Best of all, you’ll be in control of your schedule and feel less overwhelmed.