Today’s blog post is in partnership with Bloom Planners. Make sure you stay tuned till the end for a very special giveaway! All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my Disclosure Policy for details.
Ever since summer break started, I felt like I had been running around like a dog chasing it’s tail. My to do list was never ending. I stopped making dinner. And I felt like I wasn’t able to do anything fun with Marcus or take a moment to breathe. I realized that I had completely stopped utilizing my planner and couldn’t keep up with the changing schedule of the summer.
Marcus will be back to school in the blink of an eye and I wanted to find a way maximize our last month of summer together. And I really needed to get my groove back before school starts! I couldn’t handle feeling stretched thin anymore. So, I went back to square one with a fresh Bloom planner to start August off fresh!
I wanted to find a way to plan out my weeks with flexibility. But still maximize my productivity and minimize the massive amount of pressure I had been feeling. I did some thinking, research and a made myself a plan. And holy crap, guys. It has been AMAZING! I’m able to bust out my work, maximize the time I spend with Marcus and still end the day feeling like I did something for myself.
How we fail to get our lives working like clock work.
- Distractions – I’m talking to you Target.com and Netflix!
- Haphazard Planning – Do you write your to do list down?
- Irregular Scheduling – Double booked appointments, missed meetings, etc
- Unnecessary Shortcuts – If you want the job done right, DO IT WELL
Instead of sitting down and formulating a plan, we create a disorganized plan in our head of the million and one things we and our families need done in a week and hope to hell we get them done. Shortcuts seem like a good idea, but end up failing when we have to go back and do the job properly and by the end of the week we forgot a few key tasks entirely.
How to Plan Your Week to Maximize Productivity and Reduce Stress
Set Weekly Goals
This is the biggest game changer for me. In my Bloom Planner, there is a spot for yearly goals, monthly goals, and even a small side bar to create a bullet list of your short term, weekly goals that will eventually help you crush those bigger goals you have set for yourself! I generally like to break down my monthly goals into pieces to make them a little more achievable.
Don’t go overboard on your goals, but also push yourself a little! Know what you are capable of, and set some expectations! We often sell ourselves short, but cutting out those pesky distractions frees up a TON of time for us to be the most badass version of ourselves we can be.
Map Out Your Week
In order to be successful at anything, you have to know what is coming at you. I like to go through my week on Sunday mornings, before I meal plan or grocery shop, before I schedule play dates or extra activities and see what I have to get done. If I know I am going to be out of the house on Tuesday until 6 pm, there is no way we are having a roast chicken for dinner.
Highlight the appointments and plans in your schedule that are non negotiable and add a fun little sticker in there to make them a little more appealing. It sounds silly, but we are humans are visual! By adding some jazz hands to a date or meeting not only give it a little boost, but it also adds in a visual reminder and makes you more likely to remember!
Set Your Priorities
List out your goals in order of importance. I think it is super helpful to realize that sometimes life happens. Once in a while things just aren’t going to happen for a boat load of reasons. Set your goals up by priority to make sure you are getting the most crucial things done before the “extra” stuff.
Create Your Punch List
It’s time to take those weekly goals and itemize them into a punch list. Find some holes in your schedule to focus on yourself and your goals. I like to use the Bloom daily to do list when I have a lot on my plate. I can close my planner and just focus on what I need to do in this moment. I add in any important times that I need to remember to avoid getting distracted.
I put my goals in the “must do today” list and break them down into specific tasks. If my first must do is photograph a blog post, I would prioritize my “other to do’s” in order to accomplish the photography from start to finish.
I am in love with how there is a specific gratitude section on the to do list. I am totally an over thinker and can start to get a little caught up in the hustle. Having this continually remind me of what I am thankful for has been such an uplifting change to my daily routine and is one of my favorite features! It is such a stress reliever to look at those few things and remember what is truly important.
Add In Your Extras!
Schedule yourself in. It may sound silly, but if I write down time to myself, I am much more likely to take a step back from mom life, or work and care for myself. If I want to fake tan, I have to plan a night! If I want to paint my nails, I write it in my planner! Don’t pencil in a workout, PEN it in. As moms, we always put others first and being intentional about self care increases the likelihood that it will actually happen!
Meal plan like a boss. I am totally obsessed with the Bloom planners meal plan pad. I like to meal plan at the same time I am planning out my week. It makes it so much easier to stick to a meal plan that works FOR my schedule, not against it. There are days where I need to schedule in some morning dinner prep, or that I just have to suck it up and say we are having Trader Joe’s Mandarin Chicken.
On the meal planner, I am able to fill in each day and create my shopping list at the same time. I can add to the next week’s shopping list as I run out of ingredients! Does it mean I am a perfect house wife and cooking every day? Definitely not. But it is helping A TON in reducing our food budget and decreasing our waste.
Don’t forget your family. I swear by choosing a day each week that you set aside for your family. No electronics. No late night phone calls or distractions. The same night every week that you choose to become a tradition. In our house, that is Friday nights. We don’t schedule plans with friends, we just spend our night together. It usually means a pizza party and a movie or a board game. Marcus knows when family night is, and he looks forward to it every week.
Following these steps has made our summer run so much smoother.
How to Plan Your Week to Minimize Stress and Reduce Productivity
- Set your weekly goals.
- Map out your schedule for the week.
- Set your priorities.
- Create your punch list.
- Add in your extras. Don’t forget to make time for yourself and your family!
Bloom Planners has been kind enough to offer a giveaway for you all! I’m so excited to have partnered with them to bring you guys some of my favorite planner essentials that have seriously reduced my daily stress! The following will be gifted to one random winner!
Planner
Pad
Sticker set
To qualify to enter, you must be following Bloom Planners and myself on Instagram! (just click the links to be taken to our IG pages)
To enter, leave a comment below sharing how you plan your week or what you need help with!!
For an extra entry, subscribe to my newsletter! >>>
The giveaway will end August 20th, 2018.
GOOD LUCK!
