Here’s How to Use the First 30 Minutes of Monday to Set Yourself Up for a Productive Week
Before you dive in to your busy week, take time to set yourself up for success.
EXPERT OPINION BY MINDA ZETLIN, AUTHOR OF ‘CAREER SELF-CARE: FIND YOUR HAPPINESS, SUCCESS, AND FULFILLMENT AT WORK’ @MINDAZETLIN
What can you do on Monday morning to help make your whole week more productive? And in a work world full of distractions, how can you stay focused on your most important goals?
One simple practice can help with both these things. Take half an hour to plan your week. After 14 years of writing this column, interviewing experts, and trying out different approaches, this is how I do it. Taking the time to plan the week can feel like stealing time from my “real” work. But when I take the time to plan my week, I get more of the important stuff done. Feel free to steal my system, or adapt it in any way that makes it work for you.
1. Get mindful.
I start my process with nine minutes of meditation. I personally prefer unguided meditation, using my own mantra (often it’s my word of the year). But for many people, guided meditation works better, and that’s just as good.
What if you hate the idea of meditating? Then don’t do it. Find another way to become centered and to bring yourself into the present moment. That could be as simple as closing your eyes and taking three deep breaths, slowing your exhale. It could be stepping outside for a few minutes. Or take a few moments to notice one thing you hear, one thing you see, and one thing you feel.
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2. Plan the week’s schedule.
I’m a lifelong journal writer, so I always write my week plan into my journal. But you don’t have to. Write it on an electronic device, scrawl it on an index card, or even say it out loud and let AI transcribe it for you.
I take a page of my journal and divide it into seven sections for the days of the week. Then I fill in whatever appointments or events I have. To be clear, I don’t use this as my calendar, I use an online one instead. But writing in those appointments gives me an idea of how the week will unfold. It tells me whether I’m loaded up with meetings, which may cut into my most productive time, or whether there are meeting-free days when I can really dig into my most important tasks. And if I do have one or two days like that, planning my schedule can serve as a reminder to keep them free.
3. Review last week’s tasks.
On the next page after my calendar, I write “Tasks Week of…” and the date at the top of the page. Then, before I write anything else I leaf back through my journal and find my list of tasks from the previous week. I put an X next to those I’ve completed and cross out any I’ve decided not to do for whatever reason. I mark the ones I still plan to do with >, and write them into this week’s list.
Source: www.inc.com
