Since I was a teacher, Sundays have been my start-up day. Of course, I find time to rest and recharge. But, I also spend an hour or so getting organized. This hour helps me to be more productive and action oriented in the week ahead.
Here are the three ways I get ready for each new week:
1. Communicate with my team. We say it all the time – we are better together. Since the entire Focused Schools team is remote, communication is a top priority. Each Sunday, I put together a short weekly update to keep the team informed of what’s happening both as an internal team and with our clients. The team knows that this communication will be in their inbox every Monday morning at 8:00. How do you communicate with your team?
2. Organize my calendar. I start by blocking off all scheduled commitments with clients. Then, I fill the open blocks with work projects by priority. I find that blocking off chunks of time helps me to use every minute more efficiently. It helps me to stay away from the thought of “I can get to that later”. Do you schedule blocks of time to work on the work?
3. Write it down. Once I’ve communicated with my staff and organized my blocks of time for the week, I have to write down the nitty gritty. In other words, I have to identify the daily tasks that connect to the big goals. This helps me to see all of the moving parts on two pages. It definitely keeps me focused. How do you sort and prioritize your to do list?
There’s certainly no perfect system. Mine has actually evolved over the years and I still wouldn’t consider it perfect. I guess at the end of the day, it’s just about having a system to set you up for success. What’s yours?
