The Weekly Design Practice: A Free Printable Planning Template
It’s easy to get lost in the busyness of life and leave little time for what matters most. Often we’re not sure what to prioritize.
When we don’t meet our personal needs, everything we do comes from an energy of depletion. At its worst it shows up as mental exhaustion and physical illness.
The Weekly Design is a free 11" x 17" planning template that helps you create space for the things that matter.
The Weekly Design Planner - click image to download
Top 2 Reasons to Use a Planner
1: To prioritize our grand vision and values.
2: To make time for ourselves.
If you’re receptive to many ideas but feel scattered about which ones to tackle, this can help you focus on the most essential and impactful things first.
Before using the Weekly Design System, it’s helpful to discover your values and overall mission statement so you can be the most intentional with your time
Highlights of the Weekly Design Practice
I created a scheduler that had everything I wanted to track. While I still use an online calendar, there’s something about pen and paper when writing a plan. I feel more involved in the process than creating tasks digitally.
The WDS is a great visual for seeing your week at a glance and being realistic about how much time you actually have so you can spend it wisely.
Key areas of the Weekly Design are:
An hourly calendar to plan your day
Your most essential achievements for this week (work and personal)
A weekly theme word to invite in (simplicity, focus, forgiveness, etc)
Habits you want to track
Your top 3 tasks for the day
What you’re grateful for (to build a supportive and abundant mindset)
Your daily wins and experiences
But doesn’t this make life boring and constrictive?
No it’s the opposite. Rather than thinking you’re not doing enough or feeling scattered about what you’re supposed to be doing, you’ve made time for both fun and getting the essentials done.
Life happens and not everything on your list will get done or it will play out in a different order, but that’s okay. Your intention is there and you’ll get better at being realistic with yourself and your time—meaning putting less on your plate and more of the essentials.
Benefits
Live the principles of essentialism (lots of no’s to say yes to the important things)
See the entire week at a glance
Be realistic about your time
Keep your notes in one place
Celebrate your wins and record your daily experiences
Be reminded of the essentials you committed to so you can redirect yourself
Easily review your week and see what worked and what didn’t
How to Get the Most Out of the System
Designate time each week for the ritual.
Set aside 30 minutes to sit down and plan your week. I like doing it on Sundays with music and cacao. This isn’t something to do when you’re already in a busy head space. The idea is to make it enjoyable and bring a calm, intentional energy to this activity.
Review your past week and celebrate it.
Rarely do we ever pause and reflect on the wins, lessons and overall experiences of our day, let alone our week. It’s important to celebrate ourselves because there’s no magical time when everything will be done (until we die—though is that really the end?).
We’re forever a work in progress so we owe it to ourselves to celebrate all our milestones—big and small. Just putting a hand on your heart and saying “wow, I did it!” is a good place to start.
Questions to ask yourself:
What went well?
What did I learn, notice or rethink?
Take these reflections into the week you’re planning to make it the best week.
Remind yourself of your mission statement.
I call my mission statement my Big 5. I revisit these 5 sentences often and always before I plan my week to feel inspired and reminded of what’s important to me. We’re guaranteed to get pulled off track so this is an easy way to reset our trajectory.
Choose a word to invite in.
Is there a theme or way of being that you want to master this week? Choosing a very intentional word to focus on can bring deeper lessons and awareness to your week. Consider words like simplicity, appreciation, acceptance, calm, surrender, etc.
Choose your essentials.
Rather than thinking “what do I need to do or finish this week?” invite in “what’s worthy of my devotion and energy this week?”. Choose activities that create the biggest impact to your overall mission. A few minutes spent planning can create enormous impact over time.
We’re used to extensive to-do lists that leave us feeling disappointed when they’re not done. Instead try working from a smaller plate. Break down a big dream into the next small actionable step and pace yourself with how many steps you add to one week. This sets you up for success and momentum.
I noticed that if I filled my essentials list with household things to finish, it didn’t feel as satisfying. Use the task checkboxes for this or write down regular tasks and loose ends on the back and then decide which ones make the cut on your schedule.
Make time for learning and creativity.
Take a cue from kids and give yourself time to learn about a topic that sparks your interest. Is there something you want to get better at? Or just explore deeper? It doesn’t need to tie into your work but if it does, that’s great. Just learn for the sake of curiosity.
On the same note, make time for creativity. What can you do or create that satisfies the kid inside you? Again, it doesn’t have to relate to work. If you lose your sense of time with it, you’re probably doing the right thing.
Track habits worth sticking to.
It’s the small act of showing up consistently that can create huge results over time. It could be as small as 2 minutes of journaling in the morning or reading before bed. You can track up to 3 habits on the Weekly Design Schedule that are meaningful to you.
Choose up to 3 daily tasks.
If you feel pulled in many directions like me (I have an open crown in Human Design so lots of ideas), writing a list of 2-3 things max can keep you laser focused and create a feeling of accomplishment and enoughness. This is also where I put the regular things that have to get done like household stuff.
Appreciate what you have.
Coming back to the present moment is as simple as reflecting on 3 things you’re grateful for right now. It creates a mindset of abundance and reminds us of what’s important. Use the gratitude section for this.
Celebrate your daily wins and reflect on your experiences.
What accomplishments—big or small—happened for you today? What experiences and interactions stand out? What lesson did you learn? By thoughtfully answering, we mentally “complete” the day. It allows us to see the significance of each day instead of just time passing.
It’s so easy to forget what happens in a day. We’d be surprised how much unfolds over a week if we paid attention.
The True Measure of Productivity
This is probably the greatest challenge we all face—to separate our worth from our accomplishments. When it comes down to it, the true measure of a day is found in the way we feel.
When we can use the Weekly Design to create space for loving connections, filling our cup and giving from a place of overflow, then we start feeling “productive” and satisfied.
Tips
The Weekly Design is formatted to print on 11 in x 17 in. I recommend sending it to a print shop like Staples.
Use different highlighters for categories like exercise, creative time, learning, appointments, family time, etc.
Store it in a simple folder you can take with you if needed. I always keep it with my journal or laptop.
When a week or a day goes well, keep that copy so you can see the formula that worked best for you.
Any new tasks that aren’t a priority can be written on the back and reevaluated for the next week.
Summary
Using a practice like the Weekly Design can help you make time for mastering your craft and sharing it with your community. It also helps you slow down and fill your cup so you can share the best of you.
This practice is intended to be a spiritually enriching and deeply meaningful experience. It’s here to remind you of your values and rise above the busyness of everyday life.
The reality is you’ll have to redirect yourself many times. And sometimes the things you thought were important weren’t. Not everything will get done today but the idea is to dream big and then pace yourself. You’re here because you’re in it for the long game.
So play music, sip a hot drink, and make it something you look forward to each week.
Drop me a line and tell me how this system works out for you.
Click image to download a free PDF of the Weekly Design System
