This week I have seen first hand the value of creating a weekly plan. I am the type of person who LOVES to check things off her list. I make to-do lists all the time, and I find that there is nothing quite so satisfying as checking off that little box after followed through on a plan. There was, however, a problem: I consistently overextended myself. The anxiety caused by task overload would often result in inactivity. On this “daily plan” I would basically write down everything I wanted to do EVER! The obvious result was I wouldn’t know where to start, and so I wouldn’t do anything. Is this predicament familiar to anyone?

In 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey provides a template for a weekly plan. He is adamant that it makes much more sense to plan your life in weeks rather than days, and I agree. This system allows you to plan ahead, and it allows you to slow down your guilty and panicked mind. You don’t have to get everything done this second. Planning by the week allows you to separate your goals into manageable intervals. By organizing your week in this way, you also allow for opportunities for play. Having fun is important too you know.

The following is Stephen Covey’s Criteria for this weekly plan:

1. COHERENCE

• You must create harmony, unity, and integrity between your vision and mission, your roles and goals, your priorities and plans, and your desires and discipline.
• Check out my post on living by your values.
• There should be a place for your personal mission statement in your planner so that you can constantly refer to it.
• There should also be a spot for your roles and for both short and long-term goals. We should always be working towards something – not just doing work for the sake of doing work.

2. BALANCE

• Identify various roles and keep them right in front of you, so that you don’t neglect important areas such as your health, your family, professional preparation, or personal development.
• Having these different roles, that I had decided to focus on, right in front of me was huge. Maintaining balance is sometimes difficult for me, and having space underneath each role reminded me that I needed to fill that space in some way with a goal for the week.
• Success in one area does not compensate for failure in another, true effectiveness requires balance. You want to be growing in all areas, so fill in those spaces.

3. QUADRANT II FOCUS

• By organizing your life on a weekly basis, you allow much greater balance and context than planning on a daily basis.
• The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.
• Choose a quadrant II activity to accomplish this week, and come up with a battle plan to accomplish it. Although these “priorities” aren’t urgent, they are important – if you want to live a fulfilling life and grow as a human being, you have to schedule them in.

4. A “PEOPLE” DIMENSION

• Life and relationships could conflict with your plan. Make sure you leave some room for flexibility so you can reschedule (and aren’t plagued with feelings of guilt) if you’re pulled away from your work for an unforeseen, maybe fun, circumstance.

5. FLEXIBILITY

• Your planning tool should be your servant, never master
• It should be tailored to your style, your needs, your particular way.

6. PORTABILITY

• You should be able to carry your schedule with you so that you can consistently review your mission statement.

I hadn’t used this weekly plan in a while, but this week I thought I’d try and implement it again. I colour in the tasks as I complete them, and so this template provides me with a visual reminder of how much I have accomplished during the week. Try it yourself. Click on the link below to access my interpretation of Stephen Covey’s Weekly planner. I have added a section to incorporate items you want to work into your daily routine, as well as a section at the bottom to map out an exercise regime and a meal plan.  Let me know how it works for you.

Weekly Planner BLANK template