If you’re a regular on my stories you’ve probably noticed I am one for lots of lists. It’s how I organize my thoughts and my schedule. Even though much of my life revolves around being online, I still love to write everything out on paper, so I can see it in front of me. Something about doing this makes everything seem a little more bite-size and approachable.
Sundays — for whatever reason, while they are a time to relax and reset — I find a lot of inspiration on Sundays to sit down and map out my week. Usually once I’ve had my morning coffee, I’ll sit at my desk and pull out a fresh notepad to write everything out.
And I don’t just mean grocery & to-do lists. I mean EVERYTHING. Everything I want to accomplish through the week. I like to organize my thoughts into categories, for example; work, wellness & household.
I should pre-face that I keep a master calendar in my iPhone where everything is accounted for digitally. This is where I would typically plug in deadlines etc. about 2 months out. But I like to do this in addition, on Sundays to get super specific with the lists so I know EXACTLY what’s on my plate and where I have time to use for business development etc.
WORK COMMITMENTS + WEEKLY SCHEDULING:
For all work-related commitments and to-do’s, I write them out on a new page of paper. First, I make a weekly schedule for myself by listing out the days of the week and then filling-in the week with anything that’s already existing in my [iPhone] calendar. I include any calls, meetings & deadlines happening this week and schedule in time to shoot, pitch new projects/ideas, and time for sharing on my social media channels.
I plan out blog topics in advance, then edit the week that they go live. Any other development or prep-work necessary also gets plugged into the calendar. Being extra thorough helps 1. keeps me organized and 2. helps me use my time as efficiently as possible throughout the week.
WELLNESS COMMITEMENTS:
This year I’ve made a commitment to myself to be more consistent about my health & wellness. I’ve always been pretty regular about my health but there always seem to be periods where I fall off and it takes some time to get momentum back. This year, not happening. I’ve made a commitment and I plan to keep it. Obviously easier said, than done.
My wellness commitments are simple, but like anything else of value take some time to become a habit, so I find scheduling it in to be the best way to treat it like it’s actually happening. No excuses. For example; I make a note for myself to do things like this each week, based on my mood & how I’m feeling:
+ move daily: been doing Melissa Wood Health‘s guided workouts + meditation and I’m noticing huge shifts in my body and my mind.
+ drink tons of water throughout the day; which is why I have gotten into the habit of making different kinds of water/sports drinks so I don’t get bored.
+ take walks outside; thanks to my dog, he makes this one easy. I normally take him out for a walk following my morning workout. Nice way to ease into my workday.
+ take daily vitamins; I’m really bad about this one. Waiting for Ritual to start shipping to Canada (insert eyeball roll here) so I can get over being a baby & commit already.
+ dry brush; I’ve been dry brushing consistently each night before taking a warm shower (with this). It helps get circulation moving in your legs as well as removing toxins from the body.
+ facial massage: I’ve been obsessed with my Clarisonic facial massager for years (I have this one) but more recently have been exploring more ancient methods including using beauty tools like a jade roller or my rose quartz gua sha. Already a game changer.
+ reading: I love reading about philosophy, business, personal development and mindset type stuff (reading list here) that gets me thinking. I find this really helps me shift my mindset if I’m not having a particularly productive day.
Personally, I’ve found that by scheduling time in my calendar to do these simple things helps me out SO much, overall. Not only am I able to take excellent care of myself both inside & out but I’m also able to get the mental/physical clarity I need to do my best for the week.
It allows me to make steady progress and keep chipping away at my long-term goals. People tend to be quick to dismiss the little, tiny tasks that lay the foundation to bigger things but all those tiny tasks add up day by day, week by week, year by year.
MEAL PREP + GROCERY:
When I think about where in the week provides me with the most stress, I instantly think ‘dinner’. For whatever reason it’s every woman’s groundhog day and something I use to get super anxious over until I got my act together and put more effort into a weekly plan.
I use to be someone who left everything to the last minute, like 4pm looking around for something to jump out at me. This lack of organization resulted in a lot of wasted time, money and trips to the grocery store. Now, on sundays I write out each night’s dinner plan and then on the next page I write out my grocery list of what I’ll need to execute.
I order 2 meals from a local meal delivery service (Fresh Prep) every week, and figure out the other 3 meals on my own which helps to split things up a little. Here’s what this week’s meal plan looks like:
M: Tuna salad
T: Chicken Cobb Pita W/ Avocado, Baby Kale & a Blue Cheese Dressing (Fresh Prep)
W: Beef + Bean Taco Salad w/ Lime Crema Dressing & Crunchy Tortilla Strips (Fresh Prep)
T: Greek Salad + Lamb Skewers
F: Big caesar salad + buffalo chicken
Weekends: we normally eats leftovers or order take-out. No fuss on the weekends so I rarely ‘plan’ anything.
How do you run your week? Give me ALL your tips!
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