If your week invariably feels chaotic and at odds with your natural energy, personal preferences, and practical considerations, then you’ll love this mission.

Over the next 30 minutes we’re going to create an ideal weekly schedule template – a baseline planner you can use for your weekly timetable.

Remember: you only need 30 minutes for the basic mission. Extended Options are below.
If you’re new, you might like to start here -> 52 Organizing Missions.

Get Organized Mission #51:
Create a Weekly Schedule Template

Step 1: ‘Time of Day’ Preferences (10 mins)

First, think about your energy and motivation over the course of a typical day. Are you at your best in the early mornings? Do you feel most creative late at night? Do you find afternoons leave you mentally tired but up for exercise?

Also consider external practicalities. Would you save time and energy by avoiding peak times on the road, or at the gym? Could you expedite meetings by scheduling them late in the afternoon when everyone’s keen to wrap up? Is there a window for personal time before the kids wake up or after they’re in bed?

Be sure to include all of your key activities, such as:

• Sleeping
• Writing
• Admin
• Exercising
• Planning
• Meetings
• Paperwork
• Emails
• Reading
• Preparing proposals
• Preparing presentations
• Returning calls
• Family time
• Personal time.

Taking energy, motivation and practicalities into account, choose the best time of day for your main activities.

• Early mornings are best for…
• Mornings are best for…
• Lunchtimes are best for…
• Afternoons are best for…
• Evenings are best for…
• Late nights are best for…

Step 2: ‘Day of Week’ Preferences (10 mins)

Now let’s turn to energy, motivation and external practicalities over the course of the week.

Will you gain momentum if you allocate, say, Tuesday afternoons to proposals? If you have your own business, are you unmotivated on Mondays but keen to work on Saturdays? Can you batch admin and errands into a low-energy block of time, like Friday afternoons? If you have a lot of external meetings, can you save time by setting aside every Thursday just for meetings?

So now, taking energy, motivation and practicalities into account, choose the best day of the week for your main activities.

• Mondays are best for…
• Tuesdays are best for…
• Wednesdays are best for…
• Thursdays are best for…
• Fridays are best for…
• Weekends are best for…

Step 3: Create Your Ideal Weekly Schedule Template
(10 mins)

Great – you’ve identified good times of the day and practical days of the week for each of your main weekly activities. Now let’s put them all together into a weekly schedule template.

Look over your ideal time of the day activities (Step 1) and ideal day of the week activities (Step 2), and fill in the Weekly Schedule Template worksheet (see below).

Your weekly schedule template is your ideal timetable – the way you’d ideally like to allocate your time across your activities.

Not everything will fit into this template schedule every week – for instance, an important client might be determined to meet on a day you’ve allocated to working on presentations, or you might have to work at low-energy times to meet a deadline.

But by having this weekly schedule template as your baseline, you’ll be able to allocate your time according to energy, motivation and practicalities whenever you have discretion.

You’ll be able to offer appointment times that suit you, rather than going along with whatever’s suggested. You’ll be able to exercise when your body feels like it. You’ll be able to batch tasks that go together for better time management.

Now that you have your own weekly schedule template, remember to keep it handy – and refer to it every week as you plan, make appointments and schedule meetings.

Get The Worksheet

If you’re a member of the Get Organized Wizard community forums (they’re filled with hundreds of posts and resources), you can download a free Weekly Schedule Template worksheet. Or become a member now (it’s free).

The Weekly Schedule Template and many other time-management worksheets are part of Life & Goal Organizer, Premium Pack, Complete Suite and Ultimate Pack, and are available to Design Your Life members in your Time Management Life Area (added to your Member Dashboard in July 2010).

Dos & Don’ts

• Don’t get hung up on allocating every little task to your weekly schedule template. Focus on your main activities and top priorities – that’s where you’ll get the biggest productivity and motivation gains.
• Do be prepared to suggest your preferred times when scheduling appointments and meetings. The more you do this, the easier it will become.

Extended Organizing Mission Options

Want to go beyond this 30-minute organizing mission?

• Do this mission with your team at work or in your business. Taking into account the preferences of the team when scheduling a typical week can boost motivation and job satisfaction.

Ready, Set, Go!

Remember – move quickly, act fast, don’t overthink.

Start The 30-Minute Timer

Before You Go: Check In!

Please add a comment to say you’ve completed this week’s Get Organized Mission and you’re keeping your commitment.

And see you back here next week!

Organize Time, Home, Life – in Just 30 Minutes a Week

With the 52 Missions Home Organizer you’ll simplify, organize and declutter dozens of areas, including:

Household clutter Bag/briefcase/tote Bills Freebies Phone messages Car Happiness Filing system Closet Accounts and credit cards Household notebook Emergency information Kitchen Books CDs DVDs Bedroom Computer Office/home office Bathroom Better relationships Morning routine Night-time routine Chores

Procrastination Self esteem Work productivity Home organization Personal time Stress management Living area Laundry Email Donations Saying ‘no’ Paperwork Diet Exercise Clear surfaces Storage spaces and units Possessions Time management To-do list Home boundaries Garden Personal makeover Negative thinking Kids’ bedrooms

Every workbook includes fully interactive Planning Worksheets, To-Do-Lists, and Success Journals not available elsewhere. Plus there are live accountability and free-download links.

Learn more about the 52 Missions Home Organizer.

[Image: by chätzle]

Related posts:

1. Time Management: How To Boost Productivity at Work [Mission #27]
2. Getting Organized: How To Schedule Personal Organization Reminders
3. Get Organized For Fitness [Mission #38]