Here we go again. Another week in the spreadsheet mines. Am I right?

Shall we make it as productive AND satisfying as possible? Here's what I do.

Phase 1 -- Understanding.

1. Spend a few minutes properly studying the commitments you already have. That is, the meetings already scheduled, the deadlines already set, the commitments already made.
2. Take a look at the time not already scheduled. How much of it is there? If you are in back-to-back meetings for a day, the answer is: none.
3. Don't forget to factor in some time for breaks. You might need to hold a bit of time here and there to make sure you take some.
4. Looking at the commitments you already have, think about the preparation you need to do and when you need to do that. You may have a meeting on Thursday but your colleague needs a report on Tuesday.
5. Be honest with yourself about how much else it is possible to do this week. Seriously, is it already fully committed? Do you have time for any other goals?

Phase 2 -- Streamlining & Protecting.

1. Ask yourself, what is not absolutely essential this week. And anything not essential, get rid of it.
2. For every meeting you are invited to ask, "Will attending this make me more or less productive?" Decline anything not helping you.
3. For every meeting you host, ask, "Could this be shorter? Could it happen less frequently? Could there be fewer people attending? Could it be done asynchronously?" (By commenting on a shared document for example.) Be ruthless in changing them.
4. Every time you create a space in your schedule, protect it with a specific task. "Deep Work" looks (and is) confident in your calendar.
5. Tell anyone prone to disturbing you frequently that you are focussing hard this week.

Phase 3 -- Planning.

1. Set yourself one non-negotiable, specific goal for the week. Only one. This is your priority.
2. Study the word priority. Laugh at the realisation that the word "priorities" is meaningless. There is only a plural of priority in business. It's an excuse for being vague in our intentions.
3. Create a set of tasks that you can realistically do this week. Keeping in mind you already have commitments.
4. If there isn't actually any time, accept that your backlog of tasks will have to be delegated or wait until next week.
5. Accept that, if (or when) your diary is already full, productivity looks like doing the things in your diary well. Being present and active in meetings is work, if that's your job.
6. Imagine yourself flowing through the week, moving through the deadlines and meetings, arriving at Friday with a sense of satisfaction.

Phase 4 -- PTT.

1. At the end of each day, review how it went.
2. Plan Tomorrow Today. Write down three things you will do tomorrow. Commit to doing those before you do anything else. This helps you sleep, trust me.
3. Repeat until the end of the week.

If you do this, what you should find is that you take control of your work, rather than it taking control of you. Until your boss's boss asks you to drop everything to help on a report they suddenly decided was crucial, that is. But there's not a lot you can do about that now, is there?

Except...maybe send them this email so they can get better at planning 😉

Hope you find this useful. Let me know how you go, Stephen