Here’s how to plan your week in 30 minutes: spend five minutes reviewing last week, five minutes clearing loose notes and messages, five minutes choosing three priorities, ten minutes putting those priorities onto your calendar, and five minutes setting up Monday’s first task. Do it at the same time every week – I do mine on Sunday arvo with a coffee – and it becomes the habit that makes every other productivity habit easier.
Before I started weekly planning, my Mondays went the same way. I’d open my laptop, read 40 emails, react to whatever looked urgent, and realise at 3pm that I hadn’t touched the thing that actually mattered. A short weekly plan fixed that faster than any app.
What You Need
How to Plan Your Week: The 5-Step Routine
Step 1: Review last week (5 minutes)
Look back at your calendar and task list. Ask three questions: What went well? What didn’t get done, and why? What do I want to do differently? Write a line or two for each. This isn’t about judging yourself. It’s about noticing patterns, like always underestimating how long reports take, or meetings swallowing every Wednesday.
Step 2: Clear the decks (5 minutes)
Gather everything that’s floating around: sticky notes, voice memos, half-written lists, flagged emails. Add anything actionable to your main task list and bin the rest. You’re not doing the tasks now, just collecting them in one trusted place so your brain can stop holding on to them.
Step 3: Pick three priorities (5 minutes)
Look at your full list and ask: if I only got three things done this week, which three would make the biggest difference? Mix work and life if you like – finish the client pitch, book the car service, run three times. Write them at the top of your plan. Everything else is a bonus.
Step 4: Map your priorities onto the calendar (10 minutes)
This is the step most people skip, and it’s the one that matters most. Look at your fixed commitments, then find specific slots for each priority. A big task might need two or three blocks across the week. Put them in early in the week where possible, so if something goes wrong you still have time to recover. Then add one or two admin blocks each day for email and small jobs.