Picture small, but mighty things to make your week better!
Have you ever thought about your week ahead and wondered, how could I structure this better? I have!
In fact, I had that exact thought, along with some self-induced spirals and anxiety swirling recently. So it prompted me to write this post for you!
We are in this together in our little marvelous community. I’d love for you to let me know something that makes a big difference in your week, especially when you’re overwhelmed!
Grab your coffee (or fave beverage!), I have my iced cappuccino, and let’s dive into ten simple, small ways to organize your week!
Inbox to Zero
No matter what day it is, one of my goals is always to take my email inbox to zero. I know this won’t be for everyone, but if you’re like me and it stresses you out having unopened or unfiltered emails, this is so helpful! I have several folders for specific collabs, affiliate programs, good tips and tricks I don’t want to lose, and important documents so that everything stays nice and tidy, and easy to find.
Use a Planner
If you’ve been here for any amount of time, you’ll probably know that I like using planners! I have way too many to be honest, but truly enjoy using them. They help keep me sane! Two of my favorites include my Erin Condren LifePlanner and my newest love is my Laurel Denise Scout Planner (formerly known as The Portrait planner in case you’re familiar with that title, they recently changed all the names!).
By the way, a planner can quite literally just be a lined notebook – it’s all about what works best for you!
Speaking of planners, we are just about in launch season and I’m getting excited! Planning on doing a post soon with specific launch dates and a bit about each planner/brand!
Set Your Priorities
Think of your priorities as non-negotiables for your week. What can’t you miss? Appointments, meetings, lunch with your friend, and all those sorts of things. Give each of those a space in your planner, calendar, or your phone.
Along with these types of scheduled times in your week, I am a big advocate of choosing three things to accomplish for the week. I actually do this for each day as well, but my top three things for the week are usually a little more time-consuming or just things I really want to tackle as a whole.
Make Meals Easy
We all know (and loathe!) the question, what’s for dinner? Every single day of our lives, haha! One way to help make things easier is to eliminate the guesswork and just have your meals planned out for the week. I know that can sound intimidating if you don’t typically meal plan, but it can truly be much easier than it seems, I promise!
I keep a running list of meals that I make each week and strikethrough them as I make them, and I’ll also make notes of what was a hit or miss, so I know when it’s a good time to make the meal again or likewise, never make it again! 😉
You can catch some of my summer recipes here on the blog if you’d like to give those a try! I will be adding more this fall because I have a lot of things that I make regularly yet they don’t have a home here, so we should fix that! Be on the lookout for my easy crockpot beef roast soon, along with some other yummy meals.
Use Your Morning Wisely
Everyone talks about how important a good morning routine is, and for good reason! But even more important is using your time wisely, even if you don’t get up at the crack of dawn to get done all the things before your day truly gets started. In bite-sized pieces, you can make your morning work for you and set your day up for success. Think about the most hectic parts of your morning and see if you can get up just a touch earlier to accomplish that without rushing or move it to later in the day if that’s possible! You can find more about how to create a morning routine (that works best for you!) here.
Organize Your Space
If your physical space is cluttered, likely so is your mind! I try to keep my desk pretty minimal so I have plenty of desk space. My desk pad calendar and planner take up a good chunk already, along with my computer. I try to keep important papers in a certain spot in my office and then I start filing them into their designated folders in the filing cabinet once they accumulate a bit. Even if you use a five-minute timer, you’d be surprised at just how much clutter you can get through!
Just start with a super small space, it could be just a corner of your kitchen countertop, and see what you can do in a small amount of time. There’s such a sense of accomplishment when you can see the difference quickly, and sometimes it gives you the momentum to keep going!
Batch Similar Tasks
Some days, your to-do list is long and it can be hard to see how you can get it all done (and sometimes, you can’t and that’s okay!). What helps me is batching similar tasks together and you can knock out a couple or few at a time!
Prepare Your Outfits
Just like figuring out what to eat for dinner each day, what do I wear also plagues us each week! Try choosing your outfit the night before and setting those pieces aside, then they’ll be quick and easy to grab and go in the morning.
Schedule Your Downtime
Just as important as scheduling your priorities for the week is scheduling some downtime for yourself! Life can be so chaotic at times which makes it difficult to have time just for you – but you still need that time! Even if it’s ten minutes to read a chapter of your book, a half an hour to watch an episode of your new favorite show, or grabbing your favorite coffee, you deserve to include a little something for yourself each week.
Do a Weekly Check-In
No matter how well organized or planned your week is, something will go not according to the plan! I think we’ve all realized this at some point. I think a weekly check-in can be so helpful to know when to pivot on certain things and to see what’s working well, etc. You can choose a day in particular to do your check-in or just take a few moments as needed throughout the week to make sure everything is on track.
That’s a wrap on how to organize your week in small chunks, sweet friends! I really hope you found this post helpful, especially as we are entering into back-to-school season! It’s the perfect time to make some adjustments and settle into our routines again.
Wishing you a wonderful Labor Day weekend!! 🙂
I completely agree with taking your inbox down to zero as often as possible. I can’t stand having emails hanging over me. I currently only have 3 in my inbox right now and it’s because they all have action that I need to take, but haven’t had the time to do that just yet. My husband is the exact opposite, and he has, like, 40,000 unread emails… and I am not exaggerating when I say that. It makes me hyperventilate even thinking about it. Haha. These are all such great tips!
Yes, I love that!! I leave mine sitting in my main inbox until I take action too, so it signals to me right away that something needs taken care of. Oh my goodness, that is a TON of emails, ha ha, I would die too! We always seem to marry our opposites. My hubby doesn’t have quite that many, but it also doesn’t drive him crazy to have a bunch of unopened emails either. Thank you so so much Lindsay!!
I don’t think it saved my first comment, so if you get two comments from me, that is why!! I love all of these, Ashley! I also love to have my InBox emptied each day and if there are ones I need to come back to, I’ll star them for later. I usually wear the same thing every day, but if I’m dressing for something special I like to set it out the night before. I also set out my running clothes the night before. 🙂
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Aww, I hate when that happens, I’m sorry you had to do it again! I only got this comment, so you were right about the first one not going through. I know you love an organized inbox too and I can absolutely relate about my cozy clothes here at home or just running errands. Thank you so much my dear friend! 🙂
Thanks for these tips Ashley! I need to organize my space again and I love the idea of a weekly check-in. Your coffee and cupcakes look so yummy! 🙂
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
You are so welcome, my friend! Thank you so much, my local coffee shop has the most fun sweet treats and yummy coffee. I’m sure you’ll get your space organized after your big trip, I hope you have a blast!! 🙂
These are all such great tips! i love the concept of scheduling your downtime.
Aww, thank you tons Laura!! Hope you pencil in some time just for you soon!
I really love easy meals, they make life so much simpler and give me more time to relax. Your tips were super helpful! The “Inbox Zero” idea really stood out to me since I usually get anxious when I have too many unread emails piling up. And thank you for suggesting scheduled downtime. I love that idea and will definitely try to make it a regular habit. 😊
Annie,
https://www.anniesfooddiary.com
Thank you tons Annie, I’m so so happy you found this post helpful! 🙂 I feel that same anxiety when I see emails stacking up and I feel like I’m behind. I hope you schedule in your downtime my friend, you deserve it and then some!
Thank you for sharing such a lovely approach to weekly planning…“small chunks” really is a game-changer! I love how this method makes a week feel manageable instead of overwhelming. Breaking things down into little bites not only helps me stay on track but also keeps my mindset calm and focused. I’m excited to try it this week and see how it shifts my productivity and peace.Thanks for the inspiration!
Aww, you are so welcome Crystal, thank you for being here with me and I’m so happy you enjoyed this post! 🙂 I do my best to break down all the things because I know all too well that dreaded overwhelming feeling when you know you have a ton to get done.
I’m sitting in my office space nodding my head at all these great ideas!! Inbox Zero please! You’re so good at these types of posts my beautiful friend!
This comment makes my heart so happy, Andrea!! You are just the best! Thank you my dear friend, so happy you enjoyed this post.
Love this chunked-week method, it makes planning feel doable instead of overwhelming! Already planning to try it next week to boost my focus.
I hope it helps so much Candice, and you are already a productive powerhouse – always love seeing how you plan and organize your content! Thank you so so much friend!
Autumn time is so inspiring 🙂
🙂 It is such a beautiful time of year Kinga!
Love these organization tips! Inbox to zero is a big one for me. And at work, for the past month, I wasn’t getting anywhere near it until last week, when I finally got through all my backlog of email, and it felt so good.
Jill – Doused in Pink
So happy you were able to knock out those emails Jill, I imagine it was stressful trying to navigate through them along with everything else! Thank you so so much friend, glad you enjoyed these tips!
These are all great tips, Ashley. I love the idea of a weekly check-in. I also love the idea of inbox to zero but have never been able to sustain this one. So, I use a”inbox lite” approach instead which means that I clear it as much as possible but leave ones that I still have to answer (although I do try to clear them as quickly as possible)
Julia x
https://www.thevelvetrunway.com/
I love your inbox lite method, I know that has to be so helpful and what matters most is that you have a system that works best for you! Thank you so so much my friend, so happy you enjoyed this one. 🙂