organizing the week ahead...
It's Sunday, the start of a new week. I love the weekend and being able to refresh and recharge. It's a time to spend with family and friends...and it goes by far too quickly!!
Each Sunday, at the end of the day after everyone else is in bed, I like to look at the week ahead of me. Since I am self-employed (aka my own boss), I find that organization is key to a successful and stress-free week and one of my favorite organizational tools is the checklist.
I adore checklists. I have created many specialized lists over the years but, really, they don't need to be fancy with lots of bells and whistles. Sometimes the simpler they are, the better. Checklists can be as simple as jotting a few notes down on a yellow post-it note and sticking it on your desk. I tend to do that quite often with small little tasks that come up throughout the day, which is why I always have a pad of Post-It notes in my office, near at hand.
But I also find comfort in having my daily and weekly checklists that I have developed over time that are specifically geared toward my lifestyle. You can see the daily and weekly checklists that I've created below. Please feel free to print them out and use them this week to see if they help you to stay on top of your schedule!
You'll notice that I have my daily checklist divided into three sections: a to-do list, a menu planning section, and an hourly guide to my day. I usually only put dinner items in the Menu section (only including breakfast and lunch on weekends), breaking it down by dishes so that if something requires a bit of prep work, I can check that off as I go. The hourly guide helps me to stay on track and most importantly, not forget an appointment or other scheduled activity! This has helped me avoid running late to a soccer match because I lost track of time that day. The weekly checklist is very basic with space for writing tasks under each day of the week and a smaller box to check them off as they are accomplished.
Try it out, make it your own, and have a successful, well-organized week!!
Each Sunday, at the end of the day after everyone else is in bed, I like to look at the week ahead of me. Since I am self-employed (aka my own boss), I find that organization is key to a successful and stress-free week and one of my favorite organizational tools is the checklist.
I adore checklists. I have created many specialized lists over the years but, really, they don't need to be fancy with lots of bells and whistles. Sometimes the simpler they are, the better. Checklists can be as simple as jotting a few notes down on a yellow post-it note and sticking it on your desk. I tend to do that quite often with small little tasks that come up throughout the day, which is why I always have a pad of Post-It notes in my office, near at hand.
But I also find comfort in having my daily and weekly checklists that I have developed over time that are specifically geared toward my lifestyle. You can see the daily and weekly checklists that I've created below. Please feel free to print them out and use them this week to see if they help you to stay on top of your schedule!
You'll notice that I have my daily checklist divided into three sections: a to-do list, a menu planning section, and an hourly guide to my day. I usually only put dinner items in the Menu section (only including breakfast and lunch on weekends), breaking it down by dishes so that if something requires a bit of prep work, I can check that off as I go. The hourly guide helps me to stay on track and most importantly, not forget an appointment or other scheduled activity! This has helped me avoid running late to a soccer match because I lost track of time that day. The weekly checklist is very basic with space for writing tasks under each day of the week and a smaller box to check them off as they are accomplished.
Try it out, make it your own, and have a successful, well-organized week!!