Would you like to achieve 30-50% more each week this year?
The habit that makes this possible is pre-week planning.
And, studies show that those who practice this one habit also experience less stress, better life balance, and improved health.
So, in this first of a two-part series on pre-week planning, let’s jump into what pre-week planning is and how to do it (part two of this series will cover what makes a habit and how to make pre-week planning a habit).
What is Pre-Week Planning?
Pre-week planning is to our week – and life – what pre-flight planning is to a pilot.
Would you feel comfortable on a plane if the pilot got on the intercom and said, “I’ve not really thought this flight out, not sure what altitude we’ll fly to, the path we’re taking to our destination, or if there are any meteorological considerations, but let’s take just off anyway and wing it!”
You wouldn’t be comfortable at all! Yet, don’t many people do that with their week – and by extension their life? That’s where pre-week planning comes into play. It is to our week and life what pre-flight planning is to a pilot.
How Do I Pre-Week Plan?
Pre-week planning is a simple four-step process:
- Review your vision and goals (by role) so they are forefront of mind.
- Write out your key life roles (personal, work, family, etc.).
- Identify your most important 1-5 action items for each role in the upcoming week.
- Schedule those priorities into your calendar (i.e., schedule your priorities first).
Below is an example “week” showing how this can be easily done in a physical or online (Google, Outlook) calendar:
When Do I Pre-Week Plan?
Those who practice pre-week planning typically do this sometime between Friday afternoon and Monday morning – choose a time that you can be consistent with.
What If I Don't Complete Every Priority?
At the end of the week, you can look back and evaluate how many action items you scheduled, and how many you completed. Typically, people accomplish 55-85% of the action items they prioritized in pre-week planning. There is no right or wrong completion rate – success is scheduling your priorities first as you consistently pre-week plan.
Where Do I Pre-Week Plan?
Becoming Your Best Physical Planners and Digital Planners (for Google Chrome and Outlook) are designed for writing out your key life roles, identifying key action items, and scheduling them first. These are the most functional two resources available for pre-week planning.
Why Do I Pre-Week Plan?
By scheduling your priorities first for each role, you do what matters most in life.
It’s that simple.
And the studies validate that claim. Those who pre-week plan achieve 30-50% more each week. That equates to 500-1,000 *additional* key action items accomplished in a year.
By doing this by role, they also better prioritize health and key relationships (versus neglecting health and key relationships). And, 100% of study participants report experiencing less stress. They’ve taken noticeable stress out of their weekly schedule and life.
So, make pre-week planning a habit in 2023!
“The best time to start pre-week planning is right now — this week! We invite you to pause what you’re doing and plan for th remainder of this week. Pull out a sheet of paper or your BYB planner, write down your roles, brainstorm your proiritities by role for the remainder of this week, and schedule a time for each one.” – Rob Shallenberger
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