How to tune into a powerfully positive mindset, confident and big-picture visionary before heading into each week for the most joy, ease and fun along the way!

Often we can get caught up in the momentum of life, reacting to issues, challenges, last-minute to-do's and putting out fires in our work and personal lives. But this goes against living with intention, consciously creating our lives and leading with vision, clarity and purpose.

To consciously create our lives and lead our businesses and organizations, we need to slow down and re-connect with our vision, goals and purpose regularly.

Setting time each week to do this will help you stay connected and aligned with your goals & dreams so you can live and lead with intention!

You can download your own copy of this weekly success system in the EMPOWERED LEADER Planning Kit here! 

Weekly - Personal Systems for Success

What things do you do to ensure you're prepared to ROCK each week?

One of my key personal systems focuses on meal planning each week. This ensures that I have planned ahead what we'll cook for dinner and eat for breakfast. Plus I'll make up a week of mason jar salads to have quick on-the-go lunches & snacks pre-portioned so we can just grab from the fridge.

Also, home maintenance and house-cleaning are also areas that I focus on each week. Recently I've started following the Fly Lady cleaning system which aims to deep clean one zone of the house per week, plus a weekly quick house clean. This has helped me get around to the dusty corners and make 15 minutes available each day to do the extra stuff.

The idea with having weekly systems is to set you up for the week ahead while allowing time for both massive productivity and rest.

This builds off the daily systems & checklist we covered in the last article in the series on Daily Success Systems which you can check out here. :)

So just as we did in the daily review, let's apply the same reflection questions here:

Here are the steps I recommend you go through for updating your own routines:

• Step 1: What personal activities do you already do weekly?
• Step 2: What habits or routines do you want to add or are you working on developing?
• Step 3: List out your currently weekly professional tasks.
• Step 4: List out the activities you'd like to add into your week from both a personal & professional perspective.
• Step 5: Create or update your weekly routine & checklists.

Weekly - Professional Systems for Success

While weekly planning & systems are super important, I find the biggest difference with having a weekly system comes into play in my productivity at work.

Not only does having a daily work checklist for the repetitive tasks, having a weekly routine gives me time to plan, do and reflect/integrate. This helps to develop a highly intentional approach to getting things done.

The way I see schedules is that the process of identifying your ideal day and week, helps you to see what you're doing well and is working for you as well as the areas you may want to add more time, energy or attention.

So when we look at a schedule and time-blocking, the idea is that you set the intention of what you'll do each day of the week then allow yourself and your work to flow within the framework you set up.

I see this as a balance between yin & yang energies. The yin needs support from the struture of the yang energy to be able to flow, be creative & thrive. While the yang needs the yin energy to recharge, reflect and connect to the bigger picture so it too can thrive.

By bringing the two sides of energies together, then whether you're a super structured "A-type" or more of a free-flowing creative type, both are actually supported more to bring out their genius.

This is the main point and philosophy behind my whole Exhale & Thrive Strategy... which I developed over years of my own journey to find the "sweet-spot" in productivity & creativity, of inner reflections & outer activities, of high levels of excellence while also enjoying the joys in each moment.

Creating a weekly system & checklist

My own weekly system includes a weekly planning session for about 30-60 minutes on Sun or Monday where I look at everything that's on my schedule as well as my top tasks to complete.

I also take time to consider what my team or clients need that week and make sure to set aside time for them. Then through the week I focus on each daily tasks & focus.

By the end of the week, I set aside about 30 minutes to reflect on the week, identify areas for improvement & what I want to celebrate!

Weekly Review for the Previous Week:

• What were your weekly wins? How are you going to celebrate?
• What was left incomplete? Why?
• What did you learn?
• What will you do differently to increase productivity/impact or other areas next week or in the future?

Planning for the Week Ahead:

• List your 5 Most Important Tasks for the week
• Additional "must-do" tasks like pre-scheduled meetings, appointments, etc
• List secondary "nice to do" tasks
• Review upcoming meetings, appointments & important events in your schedule
• Slot in the top tasks in the space remaining

Each Day (before leaving work or first thing in the morning):

• Identify your top 3 BIG ROCKS (the items that if you get one done, you're winning!)
• Consider creating themes for each day or week
• Try doing one CEO-type strategic task each day and two more tactical tasks
• What can be delegated?
• What should be changed, improved or ceased from doing all-together?

Bonus Tips...

 Here are some Bonus Tips to help you set up your weekly systems & schedule:

If something continuously isn’t getting done, is it the right task?

• Is there a smaller step you can do to get closer and stay in action?
• Should you delegate it?
• Or is it unimportant and can be removed from your list?

Are you working against the flow and stuck in struggle?

• Remember the power of a positive mindset and confidence.
• Where is your mindset at?
• How can you boost it daily?
• How can you realign your mindset so you are working & living from your best self?

Feeling uninspired or stuck?

• Stay connected to your top values as your focus.
• Connect to your values and why daily by including them in your morning mindset routine, in your journaling.
• Add inspiring visual reminders of your goals around your office.

Not feeling in flow or not having any fun?

• What can you do to shift to ease and joy?
• Connect with your intentions for your work, career, life.
• Shift to big-picture thinking to make the small actions and tactical much easier.

CONCLUSION

Want to try this planning & reflection approach in your own work and personal life? Download the free EMPOWERED LEADER Planning Kit for a weekly template that you can use for your own weekly review & planning success sessions!!!