Speaker 1: 0:26

Welcome back to Plan Like a Boss. Today I'm giving you a peek behind the curtain into my weekly planning ritual. This is the routine I swear by. That keeps my business running, helps me focus on what really matters and, let's be honest, it keeps my brain from melting into a puddle of chaos. Because when you're juggling content, client work, admin tasks and that whole, you know, life thing, you need a lot more than a to-do list. You need a system that's actually going to work for you. So today I'm going to walk you through my exact weekly planning process, from the tools I use to how I prioritize tasks, to what I do when everything falls apart because, spoiler alert, it does happen. So let me ask you this have you ever had a week where you work nonstop but then you get to Friday and think what did I actually do? I've been there. I've been there many times, and that's what happens when we let the week run us instead of planning with intention. Because weekly planning helps prioritize what actually matters in both your life and your business. It helps you set realistic expectations for your energy and your schedule, because every week is going to be a little bit different, and it helps reduce decision fatigue I know everybody talks about decision fatigue, but it is real and by having an intentional plan, there's no more. What should I do today? Moments. You have it all planned out and you know exactly what needs to get done. And then it also just helps me stay focused even when life gets messy. And listen, I don't care if you're using a paper planner, a Google Doc, a whiteboard in your office or a sticky note on your fridge. What matters is that you have a process that brings clarity to your week.

Speaker 1: 2:27

So let's break down my personal weekly planning ritual, because this is the ritual I have spent so much time working on and editing to find something that really and truly works. So let's walk through my exact routine Now. I usually do this on Sunday evenings, sometimes Monday mornings. If it's Monday morning, I've got a good cup of coffee with me. If it's a Sunday evening, you know, I'm usually just relaxing.

Speaker 1: 2:56

So the first thing I do is I review the previous week. I ask myself what worked and what didn't. I look back on my week and I think did I actually hit my priorities or did I get caught up in busy work Because let me tell you, it does happen to the best of us and then what needs to be carried over from last week to this week, and I want to let you know I do this completely without judgment I look at it as data, data of how the previous week went and data that will help me plan out this upcoming week in a better way to get more accomplished. Once I've reviewed my previous week, I move on to step two of my process. I reconnect to my big picture, my process. I reconnect to my big picture.

Speaker 1: 3:49

I look at my quarterly goals and I ask myself what is the one thing that is going to move me closer to achieving my quarterly goals this week? What is that one thing I can do? So it might be that I plan out a launch that's coming up. It might be that I spend time in my Instagram DMs chatting with potential clients, seeing how I can help them. It might be that I script out my YouTube videos for the month, because I know that's one of my goals is growing my YouTube channel, and getting those videos scripted out is going to move me towards being consistent and getting out the two videos a week I try to do. But by doing this, by revisiting those quarterly goals and asking myself what the one thing is that's going to move me closer to them. It keeps me from chasing those shiny distractions. I call it shiny object syndrome and we all get it. We get this new idea, something that we want to work on, but in reality it needs to be moved to the future ideal parking lot and instead you need to focus on what you're working on right now.

Speaker 1: 6:11

Okay, so once I've done that, I move on to step three. I plug in my non-negotiables. So I'm talking about my appointments, any client calls. I have personal commitments. I've made medical stuff because hello, real life I literally just finished my last round of chemotherapy two weeks ago and I have a lot of medical appointments coming up, but I plug those into my calendar first. The reason I plug them in first is because that way I can look at my calendar and see what my actual capacity for the week is and plan around that. Not planning what I should get done, because we don't should ourselves around here Looking at what kind of time I realistically have and planning around that amount of time. That's what sets me up for success. Sets me up for success.

Speaker 1: 7:12

So once I've done that, I move on to step four and I set my top three priorities Only three, not four, not five, not 12, not 15, only three. And in order to determine my priorities for the week, I ask myself what tasks are directly tied to revenue or visibility, because those are my main priorities right now. What is going to bring in revenue or what is going to give me visibility that will, in turn, bring in revenue later on? Also, what must get done for my future self to thank me? Think about your next week's self. What must you get done this week to make next week's you Thank you. And then I write these three things in big letters at the top of my planner.

Speaker 1: 7:54

Once that's done, I move to step five, where I break down these priorities into a daily focus, so I give each day a theme or focus based on my energy. So what I'm doing here, basically, is I'm task batching, I'm grouping similar tasks together and assigning them a day, so that might look something like Monday is my CEO slash admin day, where I am working behind the scenes, I'm writing emails, I'm building funnels, I'm setting up automations, all of that stuff that goes into running a business that no one ever sees. And then Tuesday might be my content creation day, where I spend the time creating Instagram posts, reels, TikToks, youtube videos, shorts, writing blogs for my website. But Tuesday would be all about content creation. And then Wednesday might be a client work day where I do one-on-one calls, I do group coaching calls, I check in with my membership, I answer any questions in there, and then Thursday might be a buffer day, because Monday, tuesday and Wednesday might have some stuff that bleeds over. So Thursday can give me time to buffer in what didn't get done. And then maybe Friday is a catch-up day or a strategy day. So a catch-up day to finish anything else that didn't get done, tie up loose ends, or if everything on the list got done, then Friday can be a strategy day to start planning out how I'm going to move my business forward.

Speaker 1: 9:33

Now I don't assign every task a time block, unless I need to, because this is more about rhythm than rigidity. So on Tuesday I'm not going to say I'm going to do Instagram posts from eight to nine and then I'm going to film TikToks from 10 to 11. No, I just do it organically the way it seems, unless it's a day where I need to make sure I get something done or if it's a task I don't necessarily enjoy doing. So two things that I assign a time block are my CEO hour, which I've talked about on the podcast before, and my CEO hour is non-negotiable, so it goes on the calendar. As a matter of fact, it's set up on my calendar as a recurring appointment. The other thing that I assign a time to is Instagram engagement, and I'll be honest here, because this podcast is all about being open and vulnerable as an entrepreneur. I hate Instagram engagement and the only way I'm going to get it done is if I assign myself a block of time to actually do it. So it is also on my calendar and I do it 30 minutes a day, five days a week, because more than 30 minutes I'm just not going to do, and I know that. And sometimes, if I really get into it, I'll do more than 30 minutes. But having it on my calendar make sure I do it, okay.

Speaker 1: 11:01

So now, once I've gotten that broken down, I do a big brain dump. So I grab a notebook and I jot down all those little tiny tasks swirling around in my brain. I get them out of my head so I'm no longer thinking about them, and then I group them into categories Are they admin tasks? Are they marketing tasks? Maybe they're personal tasks or errands I need to run, or client work, and then I go through and I slot those tasks into little empty pockets throughout the week only after my big priorities are scheduled. So we start with all of the appointments we have, the things we're committed to. We get those down, then we start adding in our big priorities and then after that we can take all those tiny tasks and plug them in. That's how you set yourself up for success. Now I know you're thinking it. We all are.

Speaker 1: 12:06

What happens when things go awry, when it all goes sideways? I'm just going to be real with you. This is an ideal weekly planning flow, but some weeks I miss my planning window altogether. Some weeks I get overwhelmed and just ignore my plan and then sometimes life throws you a curveball, like after this last round of chemotherapy. It took me 10 days to recover instead of the usual five, and you know what. That's okay when things fall apart.

Speaker 1: 12:41

Here's what I do. I start by reconnecting with my top three priorities. I look at them and I ask myself what is essential, what is absolutely essential, and I focus on that. Then I rework the rest of my week based on my current capacity and you know what. Sometimes that means letting go of anything that is not urgent or is not aligned with the priority I'm focusing on, and that's okay, because sometimes you have to adjust. We are human. Just because we're entrepreneurs does not mean we're robots that can just keep on going all day long. We need rest, we need time and, because flexibility is part of the plan, we can allow ourself to have that, because planning isn't about being perfect. It's about giving your future self some breathing room.

Speaker 1: 13:38

Now I know you're probably wondering about the tools I use and I'm going to talk about them. I use the Hobonichi Cousin as my main planner. It's my big picture layout. I love it. This is my fourth year of using it and I fully plan on buying another one for 2026. I also use a digital calendar. I use both iCal and Google Cal and I have them linked together for any of my appointments. I have a bullet journal for all my brain dumps. I have post-it notes for when I need to write a quick note to myself. I have a smart speaker and I'm not going to say her name because she'll start talking right now, but for those ideas I get in the shower. Yes, you heard me right. I have an Echo Dot in my bathroom so that when I get an idea in the shower, I can just have her take a note of it, and then I'll use the occasional Trello board or Notion for project tracking.

Speaker 1: 14:34

But again, tools don't matter if the strategy isn't there, so start with what works for you. You can start with. You know your current planner that you're using. You can do a Word doc. You can like literally go buy a $2 spiral notebook. Whatever you want to use, make it yours. Now I know that sometimes planning can feel overwhelming and it can feel like another task on your list of to-dos. So if that's you, I want you to create a little ritual around it to make it feel grounding instead of like another thing. You need to check off your to-do list, so maybe you want to light a candle or play a favorite playlist while you're planning. Whatever it takes, make this planning your me time.

Speaker 1: 15:26

So, to recap what we've talked about, weekly planning shouldn't cause anxiety. Instead, it's going to help give you direction, clarity and really peace of mind. You don't need a fancy system either. You just need one that works for you, whatever that is, and I want you to focus on reviewing your week, reconnecting to that big picture, your quarterly goals, and make sure you set no more than three core priorities, because setting more than three is just going to set you up for failure.

Speaker 1: 16:00

Now here is your weekly action step. This is what I want you to do. I want you to pick your weekly planning day. Maybe it's Monday to start the week off, maybe it's Friday when you finish work, or maybe it's Sunday to get you set up for a good week. I want you to block off 30 to 60 minutes, and then I want you to use whatever tools feel natural to you. So maybe you have a fancy bullet journal you like or your go-to planner, or maybe you just want to use a piece of scrap paper Totally fine. I just want you to start creating a rhythm that supports your goals and your life.

Speaker 1: 16:39

Now, if you found this episode helpful, I would love for you to screenshot it and share it to Instagram stories. Tag me at drtanyalawson that's Tanya with an O so that I can cheer you on. And be sure to subscribe so you don't miss next week's episode, where I'll be sharing a very personal story about how I stepped away from Instagram for three months and nobody even noticed. I stepped away from Instagram for three months and nobody even noticed. So until next time, keep showing up, even if that means it looks messy. You are doing great.