SortYourMind

Weekly planning

How to plan your week in fifteen minutes

By Bram, maker of SortYourMind · Updated

You can plan your week in fifteen minutes: look at your appointments, put your routines on their day, choose no more than three priorities and plan them in the gaps that are left. Keep some room free each day. Do it at the same moment every week and it becomes a habit that clears your head.

What goes into a weekly plan?

The four layers of a week
LayerExamplesTip
AppointmentsWork, school, sport, a birthdayFixed; put them in first
RoutinesWashing, bathroom, bins, food shopOn a set day, the same each week
PrioritiesAsk for a quote, hand in a form, call the insurerNo more than three a week
Free timeAn empty evening, a walkPlan it too, or it disappears

The step-by-step plan

  1. Empty your head (3 min)Write down everything going round your head: jobs, emails, people, paperwork. Do not sort it yet.
  2. Appointments in (3 min)Work, school, sport, birthdays. What is fixed goes first.
  3. Routines on their day (3 min)Washing, bathroom, bins, food shop. The same day every week; see recurring tasks.
  4. Choose three priorities (3 min)What really has to happen this week? Give it a day.
  5. Let go of what does not fit (3 min)Move it to next week on purpose, or drop it. Waiting on someone? Note that separately.

A sample week

An ordinary week for someone who works, with a family
DayAppointmentsRoutinesPriority
MondayWorkA load of washingAsk for a gutter quote
TuesdayWork, swimming 5pmBathroom and toilet
WednesdayWork until 1pmBins out, paperwork 8pmCheck the car insurance
ThursdayWorkA load of washing, kitchen floorSchool form
FridayWorkTen-minute tidy
SaturdayBirthday 3pmBig clean 10am, food shop
SundayLook at next week

What if it goes wrong?

  • A priority does not happen: give it a new day straight away, not "later".
  • A routine gets dropped: let it go until its next turn. Skipping once is no disaster.
  • You are waiting on someone: put it on a separate "waiting for reply" list with the date you will follow up.

Read on

Recurring tasks at homePlanning recurring tasks at home: which rhythm suits which chore, a fixed rhythm or one counted from last time, and how to spread them over your week.Weekly planner to printFree weekly planner to print or save as a PDF: seven days, priorities, routines, waiting for reply and people. Blank or with an example, A4 or A5.Household chores in your calendarPlan chores and life admin as blocks in your calendar, around your appointments. Why it works better than a list, and how to start in Outlook or Google.A planner for ADHD: what to look forWhat a planner needs if you want to organise your days with ADHD: few decisions, everything in one place, moving with your day and capturing things fast.

How SortYourMind does it

Your week, planned around your calendar

In SortYourMind you choose a day and a priority for each action. The app plans priority 1 first, always on the day you chose, in the time you really have free. Routines come back by themselves on their rhythm. At the end of the week the weekly report shows what got done and what was left.

  • A weekly plan with priorities
  • Routines: every week, every X days or on fixed weekdays
  • Recalculate when your day changes: what no longer fits moves on
  • Weekly report

Try it free for 30 days

No card needed. Basic stays free. Works in the browser on any device.

Questions

When is the best time to plan your week?

At a set moment at the end or start of the week, for example Sunday evening or Monday morning. Fifteen minutes is enough.

How much should I put on one day?

Less than you think. Plan your routines and at most one priority a day, and leave room for the unexpected.