How I Plan My Week
complete with photos!
Hello!
I wanted to share something fun and more personal for this month's bonus newsletter, so I'm giving you a behind-the-scenes look into my system for planning my week.
This is a system I’ve been honing for years and I like it for many reasons, but here are the two biggest ones:
It provides me with an overview of my week, which helps me predict when I might feel overwhelmed and as such need to build in space for rest and recovery.
It blends scheduling with prioritization and task management, so my plans can function both as a calendar and as a to-do list.
Super nerdy and also incredibly satisfying!
If you’re a paid subscriber, keep scrolling to read the steps in my system, including photos! I’ll be back next week with a free newsletter for paid and free subscribers, and you can always catch more reflections on productivity and creativity on my podcast, Honing In, or in the archive of previous newsletters.
Background: Constellation System and Domains
Before I dive into the how for my scheduling system, I want to start with my why. Long-term readers know that I am a big fan of the Constellation System, which was created by writer and teacher Rachael Stephen. The part of the Constellation System that has been most meaningful for me was shifting from the dichotomy of work/life to separating the ways I spend my time and energy into six different domains:
Genero: Creativity
Divitiae: Money and Financial Life
Domum: Home
Corporalis: The Body
Socialis: Connections and Relationships
Spiritus: Mind and Mental Health
Using Rachael’s method as a model, I’ve given each of these domains its own color code, which helps me to categorize my calendar and to-do lists.
You can hear Rachael talk about the Constellation System in our 2022 interview here and learn more about it on her website here.
Step 1: Review & Update my Google Calendar
I use my Google Calendar to track my schedule. I like to plan the next week on Friday afternoon, when I’m still at my desk but work is winding down for the week. The first thing I do is review my Google Calendar and make sure that each of the scheduled activities aligns with my color for that domain. For example, purple is my color for money and financial life (which Rachael calls divitiae), and I use light purple for client calls and dark purple for work meetings.
Here’s an example of what a week might look like with the color codes (identifying information removed to maintain privacy):
Step 2: Update my Bullet Journal
I use my bullet journal to track my schedule and to-do list. My weekly schedule page is basically a copy of my Google Calendar, which I guess is redundant but I like to be able to see it digitally and on paper.
You can read more about my bullet journal process here.
Here’s an example of what my weekly spread looks like, with personal information redacted. You’ll notice the color code and symbols align with the Constellation System domains:
Instead of using one long running to-do list, I like to dedicate one page for each day and fill it in ahead of time like a daily planner. Here’s what that looks like, again with things redacted:
Step 3: Write a Brain Dump
Of course, the meetings on my calendar are not the only tasks I have to complete each week. I write a brain dump for each of the domains in my life so I can identify which tasks I need to complete that week.
You can learn more about brain dumps here.
Step 4: Use the Must-Do Method to Schedule
Just because a project makes it onto my brain dump doesn't mean that I need to actually complete it this week. You've probably heard me sing the praises of the Must-Do Method, which I love because it helps me to strategically prioritize tasks instead of working non-stop on a running to-do list.
Once I make my brain dump list, I go back through it and select which activities I truly must do this week and which I should strategically put on a back burner for now. I update my daily plans in my bullet journal accordingly.
Bonus Step 5: Post-it Reminders
When I have a meeting or responsibility in the morning or the evening when I know I’ll be away from my bullet journal and computer, I need a little extra support in remembering to do it!
If I have an early morning must-do task, I write little reminders on post-its and then put those on my physical alarm clock in my bedroom and on my cell phone, which I charge in my office overnight. This way, in the morning after I brush my teeth and grab my phone to head downstairs for coffee, I see the reminder that I have a breath work class at 8 or a client call at 9. I like to have at least a half hour to prepare for things, so this helps me not to feel rushed.
Post-it reminders also help me remember things that I need to do later in the day after work, like return a book to the library or pop out to buy an ingredient that I need to make dinner.
Here are three actual post-it reminders I’ve used recently to help me remember I had a morning meditation class at 9AM, I owed an email to Cody, I needed to send a video to SJ, and I had books to return to the library:
If any of this felt inspiring to you or if you'd like to share any tips that you find helpful for scheduling your week, feel free to write a comment or send it to me in an email to kate@katehenry.com. And thanks so much for being a paid supporter of Tending! I truly appreciate you.
Take care and talk soon,
Dr. Kate