How do you plan your work week?
You've been trying to finish this report for over a week, but you can't because of all these other tasks that are interfering with your progress.
We know that at work, it is sometimes difficult to succeed in doing everything you planned. The days rarely go as planned because there is always something unexpected, a colleague who needs your help or your manager asking you to work on this urgent task. This means that you spend your days working on other people's priority tasks rather than making progress on your own goals.
To successfully complete your important tasks and meet deadlines, it is essential to organize your work and plan your week in advance. It is the solution to be more efficient and more productive.
Here are 7 tips for doing just that.
1. Review your past week
Each Friday afternoon, take stock of your past week to identify what you were not able to accomplish:
- tasks that have not been completed,
- meetings or meetings that have been cancelled or postponed,
- calls that you did not make
Then plan all of these events for the week ahead.
Be careful, if you have postponed an event or task more than three times, it may be better to delegate or delete it.
2. Set your goals for the week
Before planning what you're going to work on next week, start by listing all the tasks you need to complete your project. Each of the tasks you are going to plan should bring you a little closer to your final objective, which is why it is important to prioritize your tasks. The method MoSCoW can help you do that.
For example, you need to create a catalog of the company's new products for the year 2021. This project cannot be completed in one day. So you need to divide it into sub-projects or tasks:
- identify all new products;
- write a description for each product;
- take a picture of each product;
- layout the catalog;
- have the catalog validated;
- get it printed;
- distribute it.
This way, you are more aware of the extent of the work, and you can thus effectively plan all the tasks to be completed in order to finish the project on time. Each task is a goal to be achieved for the day or for the week.
3. Plan time slots to complete your tasks
Most of the time, we use our calendar to schedule meetings or appointments with customers or suppliers, but we never or rarely block time slots to do our own tasks. It is a mistake.
At work, your calendar is an indispensable tool and a valuable ally in planning your work week. Registering a task on your calendar requires you to work on it because you are reserving a time slot specially for it. And the notifications will remind you of it.
Thanks to shared calendars, your colleagues know when you are busy and when you are available. So, when a time slot is blocked, no one can invite you to a meeting at that specific moment. You can therefore concentrate and devote yourself fully to completing your task for the time you have set aside for yourself. It's a great way to improve your productivity.
4. Plan large
When planning your days, be realistic and allow yourself enough time to complete each task. Always remember to allow extra time in case the task requires more work than expected. It's better to have too much time to refine the details than to run out of them and have to rush your work.
For your meetings and appointments, remember to schedule a few minutes before to get ready. Reread the important points in the file or the last meeting report, remember the customer's problem, etc. An effective and productive meeting is one that is prepared in advance.
Also, allow a few minutes later to add new tasks to your to-do list and note upcoming meetings on your calendar.
5. Leave time for the unexpected
Avoid planning every minute of your week. It is essential to keep around 30% of your time available for meetings or unexpected events, for dealing with urgent tasks, but also for reflection and for taking breaks.
It's important to take a breather and let your brain rest between tasks. In addition, an overloaded schedule can have negative effects on the quality of your work, and even on your health.
6. Plan your week in advance
Starting on Friday, plan the tasks you need to complete the following week to reach your goals. So when you get to work on Monday morning, you'll immediately know which task to start with. You will then be less stressed, you will save time and you will be more productive.
Planning your work week should become a habit. This way you will be much more efficient and this task will only take a few minutes. Each Friday, plan your planning session for the following week in your agenda (and yes, it's a task like any other). Set an alarm or notification to make sure you don't forget. Thanks to your assiduity, planning your work week will quickly become a habit.
7. Use a suitable tool
Project management software, such as Wimi, is a very effective tool to help you plan your work weeks. You can list all the tasks necessary to carry out your project, plan these various tasks in advance, set deadlines and add to your shared agenda. You can set up notifications and alerts, and track the progress of tasks in real time. In short, you have all the cards in hand to organize your work week and be more productive. It's up to you to play!
