I imagine we all have busy weeks... we start the week off with a list of things we would like to accomplish and a sense that we will need to be very efficient with our time in order to accomplish them all. But oftentimes our week fills up with tons of tasks that get in the way of us accomplishing all that we had wanted! Luckily, I have some good news... there is a way to plan your week better so that you can be more efficient with your time, and I want to share it with you today!

Check out these three tips for planning a productive week with the GoalCrazy planner. Or, if you don't have one yet, download our weekly layout below.

3 Tips For Planning a Productive Week with GoalCrazy 

1. Categorize Your Tasks

Often times we start out week out with one major focus (which is good!) Unfortunately though, this can lead us to neglect the other areas of our life, causing us to get behind and feel overwhelmed. To help with this, at the beginning of the week, look over the different areas of your life and think about what you need to accomplish in each section. This will allow you to build your schedule including everything you need to do, rather than focusing your schedule on your priority, and trying to squeeze the rest in. Still keep your major focus the priority by dedicating the most time towards it, but be sure to also dedicate time towards the other areas of your life too.

In your GoalCrazy Planner, the different categories of life are listed at the top. However, remember that these are just recommendations! You might have different areas that you need to focus on, so feel free to cross a category out and replace it with a different one. Let's say your parents really need help one particular week, and you will be spending a lot of time with them. You may want to cross out one of the categories (or preferably combine it with another) and dedicate one category towards your parents.

2. Have Seven To-Do Lists Instead Of One

I know TONS of people make to-do lists every day, and it is a very powerful habit. However, if you only have ONE to-do list, it can also be stressful! Many people just have this one never-ending, overwhelming, to-do list with 20 items on it. Although this is better than no list at all, there is a better way! 

Instead of having just one to-do list, use your weekly layout to create 7... one for each day of the week. Then, divide all your tasks among the 7 daily lists. This way instead of having your usual overwhelming list of 20 items, you will have a list of 3-4 items to do each day, with a written plan to get everything else done throughout the week.

When a task comes up, before just adding it onto your current daily list, look to see if there is a better place to put it. Often times we have an urge to handle any tasks immediately. Although this may seem like a good thing, it often pulls us from our more important projects! Most tasks can wait a few hours or even a couple of days if needed. If you are in the middle of an important project, instead of breaking your focus to go handle a small task, look at your weekly to-do lists and see where it could fit better. Try dedicating a certain time of your week as a "junk drawer" time when you can get all the oddball tasks done. (Read more about that strategy here.) Don't let your small tasks get in the way of your large project!

This can also help you have more guilt-free time too!

After you accomplish all your tasks for the day, if it is only 4 pm in the afternoon, take the rest of the day off! You've earned it! Since you have a written plan to accomplish everything you need to throughout the week, you can relax knowing it won't throw off your schedule. Compared to having one long to-do list, when you would finish a few tasks, and feel guilty taking a break to relax. 

3. Plan Your Week On Saturday

When do you plan your week? Try to designate a specific day you will do it. Ideally, try making this the day BEFORE your day off. For myself, I take Sundays off, so I plan my week before I finish work on Saturday. Doing this allows me to be MUCH more relaxed on my day off. Instead of having my mind thinking about what all I need to be accomplishing the coming week, I can let my mind better relax because I know that I have a written plan to accomplish all I need to. I no longer feel guilty about taking a day off, and don't feel overwhelmed about my coming week!

So Get To It!

If you don't already have a GoalCrazy Planner Check them out below! You can also download a FREE copy of the weekly overview page below so you can test this process out too!