My Perfect Week Template π―
Hey gang, Welcome back! Well, September is behind us and this boat is in the water. Thanks so much for the support thus far! I hope you've gotten some value out of these 5-minute weekly writings. Last month I wrote a lot about how to get creative ideas out, in the oven, and baking. Once we've committed to a new idea, we need to turn our focus toward the most precious resource for any professional β time. π°οΈ Today, I'm excited to share an activity that has provided me a lot of value. It has ensured I get those creative ideas in motion (i.e. on the calendar), which then builds momentum. Letβs move the needle! BACKGROUNDI remember a time during graduate school where I was happy to take any opportunity. There was a lot of open time each day for practicing, research projects, and collaborations, and if you needed me, the answer was almost always YES. The first time I remember making a real time sacrifice was when my wife and I got our first puppy, Chloe. Suddenly, one of us had to leave our work bubble and take care of another entity, in this case our new dog. We eventually got the hang of it, but the first few weeks were a learning period. I was going to have to begin planning around this non-professional priority β one that enriched my life in many, many ways β but was also going to be a permanent stamp on my schedule for the long term. Fast forward 20 years and as you can imagine those responsibilities have piled up. I'm no longer serendipitously scheduling each week, I'm more often maintaining my commitments, which fill up my entire schedule typically. It's a very different mode of operation. Essentially, many of us are starting each week at a zero budget vs. having a spending surplus, so it's critical that we review that budget quarterly to make sure we're putting our time where we want it. There often is very little leftover to distribute. It just so happens, this week marks the beginning of a new quarter. π Lucky us! The beginning of each quarter is a major milestone for me as my primary goals are set quarterly. Annual goals is simply too long for most things to be steadily moving forward. For Q3, one of my goals was to launch this newsletter. Check β . During this review, it is an ideal time to review our "perfect week" template and see what we need to:
My perfect week template begins with the end in mind and allows me to budget my time up front and on paper. This tactic, often called time-blocking, ensures that I put the big rocks in the jar first. Those big rocks should include some of those creative ideas we worked out recently, or any other thing that is nagging at our minds. MOTION = MOMENTUM (YOUR CTA)I'm taking time this week to review how I schedule my weeks...just giving it a little bit of intentionality and dedicated time for reflection. For those on an academic calendar, this can be especially useful to ensure we don't go on cruise control in the wrong direction for the next 8 weeks, until the semester ends. There are many ways to approach this, but I encourage you to consider a few things:
As always, I'd love to hear your ideas on this. Also, let me know if you'd benefit from me sharing a template and perhaps we can circulate that in the future! Best wishes, Andy π RECENT FAVORITE THINGS
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