5 Weekly Planning Habits For Getting More Things Done

If you’re like me, managing both your personal and professional life can be tough. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the things you need to do—and all the things that inevitably come up when you're working on your own. Whether you run a full-time business or have a side gig, here are some simple habits that will help make sure you have time for everything in your own life:

Use your calendar as a brain dump and an organized tool

Your calendar is a tool of convenience, but it's also one that's easy to take for granted. If you don't use your calendar as an organized and useful tool, then your schedule will become cluttered and chaotic. Your daily tasks can quickly get lost in the mix if you're not careful about how you plan them. But when you make time at the end of each day (or even better, at the beginning) to write down what needs to be done tomorrow, next week or longer-term projects becomes much easier.

Here are some ways I use my calendar:

• Tracking appointments and meetings so that I know when people are expecting me; this helps me prioritize my own workload so that I'm not double booked on busy days or trying to complete multiple projects at once on slow days (which never works).

• Tracking daily tasks such as calls or emails that need replies; this allows me to see if anything has been delayed or forgotten over time so that I can adjust accordingly going forward which helps prevent stress later on due being overwhelmed because there was too much going on at once."

Consider using a combination of both digital and paper to manage your tasks

Any entrepreneur knows that it's important to keep track of all the things you need to do. But how do you decide which method works best for your business?

There are pros and cons to both digital and paper planning when it comes to getting more done as an entrepreneur. Paper planners can be great for brainstorming, making lists, or keeping track of your weekly goals. They're also easy for others (including clients) to see what needs doing in your business. On the other hand, if you don't have a large wall space in which to pin everything up or an endless supply of sticky notes at home with which to write down thoughts throughout the day, using a digital planner might be easier on everyone involved.

The best thing about both methods is their ability to work together: try using one as a reminder system while keeping another nearby so that you can use them interchangeably throughout the week!

Set aside time every week to build in your personal life

Every week, set aside time for your personal life. This may include family and friends, fitness, religious observance or meditation, hobbies and recreation—anything that helps you maintain a balance between work and life. If you don't plan for this time and allow it to slip away from you each week, it will soon become difficult to fit into your schedule. This is especially true if your business grows quickly or the demands of running a business increase dramatically over the course of several years.

When I started my first company in 2009 (which I sold in 2012), I had no idea how much my life would change as an entrepreneur—nor did I realize how important it was for me to maintain certain aspects of my pre-entrepreneurial identity as frequently as possible during those first few years of working on my own.

For example: one thing that helped me stay sane during those early years was being able to spend quality time with friends every weekend night at least once per week (and sometimes twice). Even though this meant getting up earlier on Sunday mornings so I could get home in time for breakfast before heading back out again later that afternoon/evening...it was worth it!

Set aside time every week to schedule in the things that bring you joy

Schedule in time for the things that bring you joy.

Whether it’s a long bike ride, a few hours at the beach with your dog or watching your favorite TV show, take some time to do something that brings you happiness. As an entrepreneur, it can be easy to get caught up in the hustle of running a business and forget about yourself. So make sure you schedule in time for the things that bring you joy every week!

In addition to scheduling time for those things that bring you joy, also try scheduling some family time into your calendar as well (this can include friends too). Sitting down with your spouse over dinner is an excellent way to reconnect after another busy day at work and celebrating birthdays together is an awesome way to show someone how much they mean to us even when we are so busy with our businesses.

Schedule in your self-care, too; it’s never going to fit in if you don’t create the space for it

Interestingly, the one thing you might not be allocating enough time for is self-care.

When we’re busy, it’s easy to forget about ourselves. But if you don’t give yourself the time and space for self-care, the stress will build up and make everything else harder.

So schedule in self-care too. It doesn’t have to be something huge; maybe it means taking a bath or getting outside on your lunch break instead of eating at your desk every day (or both!). Or maybe setting aside an hour every Sunday morning where you can plan out your week ahead — even if it just means staring blankly at Google Calendar until inspiration strikes! The important part is making sure that it gets scheduled so that you don’t accidentally leave it out of the equation altogether — and then surprise yourself by getting way more done than usual!

As an entrepreneur, you have to be able to juggle multiple things at once and balance a lot of different priorities. These five habits can help you do that: they will help you keep your tasks organized and on track, while still allowing space in your schedule for personal time and self-care. By building these habits into your life on a weekly basis, you’ll find yourself much more productive—which is exactly what every entrepreneur needs!