Mind Management Angela May

Weekly Goal Review – part 3 of 3

In previous posts, I taught you what a List Binder is and how to make one, and a strategy for scheduling your Work Days. But what do you do when you go home?

How to Schedule your Spare Time

I keep two separate List Binders: one at work, for my professional tasks and obligations, and one at home, for my goals, personal development projects, and my small business projects.

Around the turn of the new year, I did a post about my process for a Year End Goal Review. Each goal either has a time-bound target ("work out every week") or an action list in the binder.

PAGE ONE in my personal list binder is the list of my goals, ranked in order, to make sure I never lose sight of how I've prioritized things. No matter how badly I want to work on projects, I try to never lose sight of the fact that my husband, health and friends are and should be more important to me.

On Fridays I review these lists and write up next week's action list. (I like Fridays because I'm too exhausted from a full week of work to really hit the grindstone on anything else and I'm already in "list mode"). To do a PERSONAL weekly list review you will need:

• THIS week's action list (the tasks you were working on this week)
• Your dayplanner
• Your little book (what you use to scribble little ideas, tasks and lists)
• Your personal list binder
• Your goal list!

1. Last Week's List

Look at last week's action list and review what you've accomplished so far. Your weekend is free time that you have available to focus and work on these tasks... BUT (and more importantly) it is your time to RECHARGE. Hilight a FEW tasks (the most important ones to you) that you want to tackle this weekend.  Try to limit your ambition to what really NEEDS to get done.

2. This Week's List

Take out a fresh sheet of paper and start this week's list. I like to title the list "MONTH WEEK #_" (as in Week 1, Week 2, Week 3) because I assign monthly goals to particular weeks of the month).

Separate the list into 2 or 3 sections. Mine are titled "LIFE (at the top), PERSONAL PROJECTS (halfway down the page),  and ELSE (minor goals that I'm 'stretching' to, that I might get to in spare moments but really if I don't accomplish them nothing bad happens.)

3. DAILY and WEEKLY goals

First on your list, write down tasks that you try to accomplish every day or week. I work out three days a week, so right at the top of the list I write "WORK OUT (1)(2)(3)". I'll cross off the bubble when I work out, and I'll cross out the line when all 3 are accomplished! I have chores assigned to every day, so I write "Chores (M)(T)(W)(Th)".

4. MONTHLY goals

What monthly goals did you assign to this week? Write those down next (but they might be in "projects" or "else").

5. Important Tasks for Health and Family

There is an endless list of tasks that we need to take care of in order to keep ourselves and our family healthy and safe. Things like making sure we renew our prescriptions, or to pick up something for your husband on the way home, or submit your taxes, or to go to the doctor for that kink in your back. These are IMPORTANT! Make sure they're captured on the list as they come up. (and these go in the TOP HALF of your list!)

6. Your Dayplanner

Look ahead to next week and the next month. What's coming up that you might need to prepare for? Write down any tasks (and deadlines).

7. Your Little Book

Did you jot anything down that should be tackled this week, transferred to a list in the binder, or brainstormed and fleshed out into a future project of its own (I keep these in the back of the binder).

8. The List Binder

Review your lists, one by one, and cross off any tasks that you managed to accomplish this week.

Pick ONE or TWO tasks from list #1 (unless there's a deadline approaching) and try to tackle them this week.

Trying to limit yourself to just a few little tasks from this binder is going to be AGONIZING, trust me, I know. But you really have to be honest with yourself about how much you can tackle in your spare time. DON'T LEAVE THESE TASKS TO THE WEEKEND-  try to tackle them sometime during the week, because your weekend should be reserved for relaxing, spending time with loved ones, or going on spontaneous adventures.

After the review, the list binder is closed and put back on the shelf.

This weekend, keep working away at LAST WEEK's list. Focus on finishing the tasks you hilighted as soon as possible. The faster you finish, the faster you can relax and enjoy your days off. If you find spare moments and energy, tackle whatever else is left on the list. On Sunday, transfer the tasks you didn't finish to THIS WEEK's list.

I tuck my weekly list away in my dayplanner because it's ALWAYS by my side. You want this list with you at all times! Even when you go to work, take a moment to review your weekly personal list. It reminds your brain: "you don't have to worry about your personal life right now, you've got a plan" and that allows you to concentrate on work. If you suddenly remember something you need or want to do after work, jot it down on the list and get back to your task. If you find yourself with some time to spare, pull out the list and see if there are any tasks that you can knock off.

Now that you have a list binder and a process for making weekly action lists, it will be easy to capture and rank everything you need and want to do. By boiling it down to action lists and hitting your most-important goals day by day, you're moving that mountain of a dream from "someday..." to DONE.

Good Luck!