How to plan your week in 10 minutes

A weekly plan is a map, not a promise. It is not a list of everything you will do — it is a way to see the week ahead and decide where your attention goes before the week decides for you.

The ten-minute routine

• Review the week ahead. Skim your calendar and note the fixed commitments.
• Set three priorities. Not ten — three things that would make the week feel like it counted.
• Block the non-negotiables. Put the fixed commitments and the three priorities into the grid first.
• Leave room. A fully packed week is a plan that will break. Leave gaps for the unexpected.
• Write it down. The act of writing the plan is what makes it real.

Why it works

The plan works because it is small and it is written. Ten minutes on a Sunday (or Monday morning) gives the week a shape. When the week goes sideways — and it will — the plan is the thing you come back to.

Pick a planner style that fits how you think, and print it free on the weekly planner page.