Hey, Goal Digger!
With school back in session and many people going back to work, I’ve been seeing a lot of talk about how busy and long these days are becoming. I can certainly empathize with these claims being that my load has been extremely heavy the past few months. It always feels like there’s just not enough hours in the day. Despite this feeling, we all get 24 hours and it’s up to us to make the best use of our time – especially when we are navigating a busy week. I’ve nailed down the top tips for navigating a busy week and I’m sharing them here with the hopes that they help you too!
Prepare Ahead
Before anything else, preparation is the key to success. Prepare for your meetings in advance. Prepare for the following workday before leaving work. Maybe that consists of writing out your priorities for the next day or simply looking over your schedule to know what’s to come. I like to prepare ahead as much as possible during my busy weeks. When I have a busy week ahead, I always start my day with coffee and typically don’t eat my first meal until dinner. Sometimes I need fuel in the middle of the day so I pre-package healthy snacks that are easy to grab and go (e.g., cucumber slices, grapes). Other people prepare for busy weeks by meal prepping, ordering their groceries online for curbside pickup, or planning their outfits for the week.
Utilize Your Peak Time
Studies show that late morning is when most adults have their peak during work. Utilize your peak time as best as possible by scheduling meetings around that time. Instead, use it to tackle your high priority tasks. Everyone doesn’t have the same peak time, so it’s important to pay attention to your body. Those who have peak times in the late morning, usually begin to take a dip in energy between 1-3 pm. This may not be the case for others. Without a good night of rest, it’s a bit harder to accurately identify your peak time. So, make sure you are well-rested!
It’s perfect for when you just need to FOCUS.
Use Calendar Blocks for Everything
I love calendar organization such as color coding and calendar blocking. I won’t talk about color-coding in this post, but it’s a great tool that I utilize to stay organized and track time spent on projects! However, I will talk about calendar blocking. This simply refers to the habit of blocking your calendar off for tasks, meetings, or even meditation! Time is of the essence, but especially during a week with a heavy workload. Knowing how you’ll spend your time at work increases the odds of you completing your to-do list.
Prep Your Coworkers/Clients/Family
Giving your colleagues or stakeholders a heads up is a courtesy. Especially if you typically make yourself available to them – it’s important to let them know that you will not have as much bandwidth as usual. This is good for you because they are more understanding when emails receive a delayed response and it’s good for them because they know that they are not being ignored or should seek out help elsewhere. It may even lead to an unsolicited offer to help lessen your load, which is also a huge help when you have tasks that can be delegated.
An email to coworkers might say something like: “Hi team! In just two shorts weeks, I will be writing annual reports for our funding agencies. During this time, I typically may get to emails later in the day and/or week so please forgive me in advance for my delayed response. If this is an urgent matter, please call me at (xxx-xxx-xxxx). Otherwise, I will respond to your email at my earliest convenience. In the meantime, if anyone would like to meet beforehand please let me know!
Decompress After A Long Day
Decompressing after a long day is your way of giving yourself grace. Getting a good night of rest is key to waking up and being able to conquer your tasks and projects. Decompressing can look like whatever feels good to you. Some examples of decompressing can be deep breathing, getting a massage, exercise, sex, reading, cooking, an outdoor walk, meditation, yoga, stretching, or a tall glass of wine. Decompressing naturally makes your mood better and helps you get the weight of the day off of you. The best thing you can do for yourself when navigating a busy week is to ensure that your body, mind, and spirit are well taken care of. This is why decompressing is so important.
