The Weekly Planning Practice That Has Improved My Life

I have traditionally been a digital calendar type of person. I like having my calendar with me at all times, I like being able to easily move events around, and I like sharing my calendar with others. However, at the start of 2023 I decided to get my first paper planner in a decade and it’s been kind of life changing.

I realized that I didn’t have to choose one versus the other and wanted to give a paper planner a go so that I could see my months more clearly with important events and plan my weeks with more intention around incorporating social and work events into each day.

I also found that my planner has become the perfect place to track goals and reflect. I’ve created a Sunday ritual that I just have to share because it has been so enjoyable and helpful, and I hope it will inspire you!

Choosing a Planner

First, you need to know your goals and purpose of using a planner to choose the right one. I didn’t need to plan out each day in detail because my digital calendar still does that, but I did want a place to jot down quick notes and non-work appointments. That meant I could use a planner with more of a focus on monthly spreads and notes sections, rather than an hourly daily schedule.

I ended up with this planner from Target from the Wit & Delight collection and I’m obsessed. It gives you a place at the start of each month to write whatever you want (I put down my yearly priorities to keep them top of mind) and prompts for figuring out your focus items for the month.

After that you have a weekly spread, blank note pages, and an end of month reflection page with prompts.

The Sunday Routine

1. Set the mood. Sometimes I sit down with a croissant at Maman’s and sometimes I go to my favorite spot at the dining room table with a view. Regardless, I try to create a calming atmosphere, with music and a snack or beverage.
2. Gather your materials. I use my planner, a mechanical pencil, a gold marker, my journal, and my digital calendar.
3. Note appointments across digital and physical. Typically I put appointments in my digital calendar as they come up, so on Sunday I mark down the appointments for the coming week in my physical planner. I also take a look at how packed my work days are and make note of which days I’ll work from home or go into the office.
4. Review work schedule. First I review each day and have started adding in lunch breaks and at least one 15 minute break into each work day. This has been so helpful to keep me recharged throughout the day, though I still need to work on honor them. I also map out the tasks I know will need to get done (like prepping for meetings) and schedule time in.
5. Check for a balance of personal and work events. I use this opportunity to make sure I have something to look forward to. That could be plans with a friend, a solo museum date, or an activity with Joe. If there isn’t anything on the calendar for the week in the personal realm, I reach out to friends and make it happen!
6. Reflect in your journal. I used to journal daily, then sporadically throughout the week, and now I’ve gotten into the routine of doing a longer journaling session each Sunday. I flip back through my planner to remind myself what went on and I dive into anything that’s been on my mind. You might also like this post for prompt inspiration.
7. Consolidate the highlights. After journaling, I make a list in my planner of what went well that week and what could be improved. The purpose of this list is so at the end of the month when doing my monthly reflection I can quickly see if there were any themes and it helps me prepare for the week ahead.
8. Make a personal to do list for next week. The last part of this routine is to make a to do list for the week ahead and then I slot each task as tentative into a certain day of the week.

Final Thoughts

The beauty of this routine is it can take as much or as little time as you want. You can do all 8 steps or just choose what works for you. You could take a long time with each step or just move through them efficiently. Overall I’ve loved doing this each Sunday in 2023 to help me feel more in tune with how I am spending my time and more intentional with balancing out my days.

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How do you prepare for the week ahead? How do you reflect?