Scheduling Your Week for Success

By, Vanesa Suazo

Do you like to win!? I love to win! Wouldn't it feel good to win everyday? You can set yourself up to win everyday by planning your week in advance. 

I'm sure you've heard the saying "Failing to plan is planning to fail," and that saying couldn't be anymore true.  Planning your days ahead is the best way to get all your important tasks done and keep your fitness, health and finances in top shape. Let me share with you how I schedule my week.

1. Block some time every week to set your goals for the week and schedule all your major tasks in your planner. I do this every Sunday morning for about an hour and do it on my planner that has hourly slots for me to plan my whole day. I always have a fitness/health goal, a personal development goal, and a career goal.

2. Make a list of tasks that need to be done and rate them from most important to least important (hint: the most important tasks should be getting you closer to reaching your weekly goals.) I also separate my tasks into different categories and color code them in my planner. Some of the categories I use are: Fitness, Job Related, Chores, Self development/personal education, Friends/social circle, and FOOD (yes, scheduling your eating time is pretty important.) 

3. Don't overwhelm your day with a million tasks. Think of your weekly goals and pick up to 5 tasks that need to be done everyday no matter what. Make sure you schedule those tasks first and get them done. If possible, get them done as early as you can.

4. Arrange your tasks in your planner in a realistic way that you are 100% sure you will be able to get done - don't plan too many tasks in a small time frame and give yourself enough time to get tasks done. Be realistic with the time you have and remember to account for driving and prepping time if you have a tight schedule.

5. Make sure your tasks are individually blocked, meaning you are spending time only on that one task. Multi-tasking doesn't work!

I know you may think that you don't have time to workout, or to meal prep, or to read that book that will help you close more sales, or to take that course that will help you get to the next level on your career, or to start that side business that will help you bring in more income, but I assure you that you do have the time. You just have to figure out how to use your time wisely. Scheduling ahead of time is how you can really see how much extra time you really have, and you can put that time to good use.

In addition to planning, tracking will also help you win your day! Track how well you adhered to your schedule and troubleshoot things that you can change if you had a hard time. It’s ok to adjust the plan because we all know life happens, and this year has surely shown us that. Don’t sweat the small stuff; if something doesn’t work for you you can always change it. 

I also keep a separate journal where I reflect on my day and how I felt overall. I like to look at the good things that happened during my day and look at the areas where I could have been better. In the morning I write in the same journal and set an intention for the day and write all the things I'm grateful for. Starting and ending my day on a positive note helps me feel more energized, which allows me to stay focused on my tasks for the day.

In conclusion, to have a successful schedule, you need to plan ahead and you need to track what’s working for you and what isn’t. Make sure your schedule aligns with the people, goals, and things that are most important to you. Don’t forget to also set some time to rest and refresh!