What day is it today? A colleague asked while we were on a team meeting via one of those video conferencing apps. We all laughed, but silently asked ourselves the very same question. A friend jokes that weekends aren’t that special anymore. The days all look the same when you’re in lockdown and working from home. I suspect he’s right.
This is the hurdle we all face when working from home. Even the veterans, those freelancers, and entrepreneurs who work from home even before the lockdowns would agree. The days tend to bleed into each other when you’re stuck in the same place. This tends to affect productivity. How? It is harder to distinguish personal time between work time when there are no physical barriers between home and office and schedules are more flexible. How do we address this? We need to regain control over our schedules by planning our work week. Here are a few steps to planning your workweek for maximum productivity:
The inverted pyramid
The inverted pyramid is a journalism tool in which the most important info is right at the top, context and important details at the middle, and general or background info is at the bottom. It is set this way because it’s how you tell a story. Similarly, you can create your own story or plan for the week by using the same principles. Sift through your to-do list and get the most important task. Make sure that goes on top of your to-do list. Then fill in the rest according to priority. At a glance, you will know which tasks would take up more resources (your time and effort) and which ones are background tasks that need to be completed but are not as important or as urgent.
Map it out according to what works for you
With your to-do lists organized according to priority, map out your week by assigning daily blocks of time to each task. Make sure you take into consideration deadlines and deliverables. Add self-imposed due dates. Then put those into a calendar with a weekly or monthly view so that you can get a quick overview of your priority tasks.
Don’t forget to include personal time in your schedule. You should always prioritize breaks and be relentless in taking those. They’re good for you. Also, include your prep time in the morning and a hard stop for your workday.
Asses and recalibrate
Take a good hard look at your schedule. Be honest about the amount of time needed to complete a task. It’s better to have extra time than to cram. Also, look at your other tasks. What do you realistically have the time and energy to get done this week? Are there any that are non-essential or that could be moved to another week? Review your workweek regularly and tweak until you are comfortable with your schedule. This will ensure that you have time for completing work and still have enough for personal time.
Do you plan your work week? What does a productive day look like for you? Let us know in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!
Written by Jaie O. TheHelp