The Missing Step in Your Weekly Plan

It’s Monday morning - are you feeling on top of your week or already overwhelmed by what’s ahead?

I’m asking because you probably have a planning system that includes a to-do list, a calendar, maybe a project tracker or other time management tools.

Here's the missing piece: a moment before the week starts to ask yourself whether any of it actually matters. I've observed this over my last 10+ years as a coach, through conversations with hundreds of successful,  high-achieving leaders.

That's the gap. And it's costing you more than you might realize.

Last week I wrote about why Weekly Strategy Time - a weekly appointment with yourself - matters and what it protects. This week I want to go deeper into what happens inside that hour, specifically four questions that separate leaders who are busy from leaders who are advancing.

Set your weekly priorities: the four questions

Question #1 - What is the one outcome this week that would move your most important priority forward?

Gary Keller, author of The ONE Thing, calls this the focusing question: "What's the one thing I can do, such that by doing it, everything else becomes easier or unnecessary?" Write it down. That's your anchor for the week.

Question #2 - Who do you need to talk to?

Who needs to be aligned before you can move forward? Who has the decision you've been waiting on? Who have you been putting off? This is one of the highest-leverage things a leader can do and one of the most consistently overlooked.

I worked with a VP at a global financial services firm who was delivering results and still felt invisible to the leaders who shaped her future. When I asked her this question, she knew immediately. There was a Senior Leader she had been avoiding. She scheduled the conversation, had it within days, and within two months was asked to lead a major new initiative. One conversation changed everything.

Question #3 - Where will you create strategic visibility this week?

Identify at least one moment where you shape the narrative rather than respond to it. At senior levels, being competent is assumed. Being seen is something you have to create on purpose.

Question #4 - What’s the one boundary you’ll protect this week?

The real risk is spending another week scattered across everything and advancing nothing. What will you stop doing, delegate, or defer so you stay focused on what actually matters? 

Getting the right things done

Start this week -  make an appointment with yourself before your week begins. I block one hour every Sunday afternoon. If Sunday doesn’t work for you, pick a day and time that does. Be consistent. And answer these questions in writing. 

Your calendar will fill up regardless. The question is whether you fill it with what really matters. Being strategic about your career and life is a conscious choice you make week after week.

As Greg McKeown, author of Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less wrote, “Remember that if you don’t prioritize your life someone else will.” 

Next week, we’ll revisit the Weekly Strategy Time Framework.

In the meantime, block the time this week - even 30 minutes. Then answer the questions. That's it!