How to create a Week Plan and become more fulfilled

How to create a Week Plan and become more fulfilled

How to create a Week Plan and become more fulfilledIf you are feeling overwhelmed and stressed by daily life tasks, creating a week plan might be the solution for you to get back on top of your life. By planning ahead you will find it easier to accomplish your tasks and goals – while at the same time reducing stress and avoiding unnecessary uncertainty. This blog post will share easy steps to create your own week plan, and help you get rid of overwhelm in your life.

“If you have a goal, write it down. If you don’t write it down, you do not have a goal – you have a wish. Steve Maraboli”

What should be included in your Week Plan?

Committed activities

Your week plan should include all the activities you have committed to do in the upcoming week. These activities might be your work (including transportation time), education, appointments and other activities you have committed to. You should also schedule time for sleeping. Try to schedule at least 7 – 8 hours so that you wake up well rested and ready to create an awesome day.

Fulfillment goals

After scheduling things you have committed to, you should add the activities, which help you reach your full potential and become fulfilled. These goals and priorities might include fitness, learning, socializing, meditation, volunteering, creative activities, planning and family time.

Meals and groceries

Another important part of the week plan is to create at meal plan. You should specify the meals for the entire week and create a shopping list in accordance with the meal plan. Make sure to schedule the grocery shopping with respect to the plan, and write a list over the specific items you need to buy. If you have a smartphone you can use a shopping-list app to manage your grocery shopping. Otherwise at pen and paper will do.

Household chores

Add time on the week plan for household chores like preparing meals, sweeping, dusting, vacuuming, and doing laundry.

Keep momentum

Finally it is very important to schedule time to create the week plan for the next week. If you schedule one hour, you should be fine. After a couple of weeks you will be able to finish the week plan even faster.

Where to create your Week Plan

It doesn’t matter if you prefer to write your week plan on paper, physical or digital calendar, spreadsheet or on a whiteboard in the kitchen. But I does matter that it’s easily accessible, and that it suits your (and your families) needs.

You should create a week plan that contains the activities for all family members in your home. Write a column for each adult, but also enter the children’s activities. If necessary you can add extra columns for them. Of course, creating a week plan is a collaborative job in the family (unless your single), and especially between the adults, it’s a useful tool to align expectations and to make sure you work toward the same goals.

Become more fulfilled

By planning ahead on the tasks you have to complete and at the same time scheduling your goals and priorities you are on the way to living a more fulfilled life. Try to start with a realistic schedule. By only adding tasks you are certain to manage in the upcoming week you will build momentum and self-confidence to advance even further next week.

Action steps for creating a Week Plan

1. Decide on where to write your week plan. Use pen and paper, notebook, digital documents, worksheet, apps or whatever works for you.
2. Create the week plan by writing the weekdays as columns on top of the document. Write hourly intervals as rows on the left hand side of the document. If you have several family members in your home, then ad a column for each adult under each day.
3. Make a list of things you have committed to do in the upcoming week. Include work, transportation time, sleep, appointments, dropping off & picking up your kids and other relevant items. Ad the activities and the time needed into the appropriate timeslots in your week plan.
4. Add your priorities to your list. These may include fitness activities, hobbies, reading, writing, learning, socializing, volunteering, planning, family time, creative activities and similar goals. These goals help you live at fulfilled and happy life.
5. Create a meal plan for the week, make a list over needed items and schedule when to go grocery shopping. Add all the meals to a lists for inspiration for upcoming weeks.
6. Plan when and which household chores you need to do in the upcoming week and add time for household chores on the week plan.
7. In the same way, make sure to add cleaning activities, doing laundry etc. to the plan.
8. Schedule time for creating the week plan for the next week!
9. Make sure to make the week plan easily accessible, and look at it every day. Print the plan and put it on the mirror, the fridge or somewhere else where you will se it often. Also create a reminder in your calendar or on your phone to review it every day.

I wish you best of luck achieving a higher level of happiness and fulfillment in your life, and I hope you will benefit from using the week plan. Use the elements that are improving your life – and discard the others.

Let me know how using the week plan has worked out for you in the comments below, and feel free to suggest improvements or further additions to this post.

Thanks for reading,

Sirius

 

Week Plan Example:

Week plan for a family of 2 adults and 2 children, created in excel:

When you create your week plan, make sure to plan more specific then showed in the plan above. For example you should have planned which specific chores should be done on the timeslots reserved. Also make sure to plan the entire meals on your dinner plan – and remember to add the ingredients to your grocery-shopping list right away.