Sundays, for most of us, is a chilled day. Until the evening when you panic that you don’t know what you are doing the following week, nothing is prepared and you forgot to do all the things that needed completing. That used to be me until I started a weekly reset routine in preparation for the forthcoming week. I’ve found this has really helped me and here’s hoping it can help you too.
Weekly wrap up.
First things first, we need to tie up any loose ends from this week so we can move forward once it’s all done. This makes the jobs a lot easier so that you aren’t going back and forth between the weeks.
We all use emails, some more than others but they can be so easily neglected when being distracted by more important jobs. I am definitely guilty of this and I only reply to the urgent ones throughout the week. I like to clear out my inbox first. This way, I can reply to anything that has been sent, delete anything that isn’t needed and note down anything important. When I first started doing this weekly reset, I unsubscribed from all the companies that were sending me emails. I never used anything they sent me so what was the point in keeping them, when all they were doing was cluttering my inbox? I would 100% recommend doing this if you haven’t already. An empty inbox is THE best feeling.
Once I have cleared out my inbox, I like to review any notes I’ve taken that week. Whether it is on my phone or in a notebook, I get rid of any that I don’t need and act on the rest. Being at university and writing a blog alongside my beauty business, by the time Sunday comes around I have notes here, there and everywhere. Any notes that need keeping after I have filtered out the useless ones, tend to be wrote into my planner in the appropriate place. This could be a certain day or a general note for the overall week.
Now we have got rid of all the loose papers, have you got any other paper laid around? For me, it is normally a letter I have received or something that needs keeping. This can really build up if you don’t stay on top of it. A magazine file is a great way to store any paper that needs filing away from that week and I empty that in my weekly reset and put any paperwork into its correct file. Paperwork that needs any sort of action before filing, goes into another magazine file I have. My ‘to-do’ magazine file is next to the ‘file away’ one so that once I have completed the task that needed doing, it can be swapped over ready to be filed.
You must have a phone or a laptop if you are reading this and, in this day, and age, we are always using our devices. My laptop and phone are a huge part of everyday for me. They get so unorganised throughout the week, especially when other tasks take priority. My apps end up showing that I have unread notifications, I have documents all over my desktop and my storage is nearly full from all the unnecessary screenshots I’ve took that week! You’ve cleared your inbox, so now do your desktop. Delete anything you don’t need and create folders for any documents that need keeping. Now, reply to all your unread messages and notifications, tidy up your phone and delete any photos you don’t need. Sometimes, this is such a tedious task so can take me quite a while. I quite often do this on a Saturday to save time on the Sunday but the non-existent notifications is amazing!
Everything from this last week should be clear, neat and completed now. Once you get into this routine, you will feel so much better! I am such a huge fan of the phrase “Tidy space, Tidy mind”.
Get present, get prepared.
I don’t know if you agree, but not knowing what I have going on for the next week, drives me insane! My week flows so much better and I don’t spend time doing unnecessary things, if I follow these steps:
Let’s start with the most important thing which is my planner. I add any major tasks into my week or any plans I have. This is always my first step as this has an influence on the rest of the preparation. Alongside my planner, I use a ‘to do list’ pad. Brain dumping all my ‘to dos’, that have been going around in circles, gives me a much clearer view on what I actually need to do. I categorise my ‘to dos’ into urgent and non-urgent. Urgent tasks can be anything from appointments to emails that need to be sent or deadlines for work. These tasks all go into my planner. Non-urgent tasks are written on the pad and these are jobs that don’t have or need a deadline and can be done in any of my spare time.
Planning is my favourite thing to do. It makes me a lot less stressed and I can tell a difference in the weeks when I have planned and when I haven’t. I’m a student and I commute to university so I have to leave the house early on a morning. I don’t have time to be choosing an outfit 5 minutes before I leave the house. If I didn’t plan my outfits, I would be showing up in my tracksuit every day, which is not okay. On a Sunday, I iron any of the clothes that I need for the week after I’ve planned my outfits. I make sure each outfit is suited to each day so that I am not caught walking miles in heels or going to a fancy restaurant in trainers. As I am at university certain days of the week, I also like to meal plan. I use a pad for my plan which includes snacks. I tend to have dinner with my parents so sometimes this is left blank until they have planned their week. Planning my outfits and meals keeps me organised for the week which I need, otherwise my whole week turns into a complete unorganised mess. To do this, I use a weekly desk pad.
Weekly Goals
Each week, once I have completed my planning and organising, the last thing I like to do is set some goals. For this, I like to be really specific and I tend to narrow the steps down to make the goal seem more achievable. I pick five weekly goals and this can be anything. Waking up at the same time every day or staying on track with studying. Although, I pick five goals, I focus on one in particular. This is the goal I want to achieve most that week and is the highest priority. I also choose a goal that is my lowest priority and that can always be achieved another week. Once I’ve chosen my goals for the week, I reflect on what I’m most proud of from this week. I do this afterwards as I try to make it something that I haven’t set as a goal, for the new week.
I hope you’ve found this blog post helpful and have found a way you could make your weeks less stressful.
Hope you have a lovely day! Katy x
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