Written by Alice Dartnell, Life and Success Coach
Alice Dartnell is a time management and energy management coach, trainer, speaker, and author, who is passionate about empowering people to create a life by design, not by default! Known as an expert in time management and energy management, Alice doesn’t teach time management in the traditional sense.
Whenever I am asked what my number one time management strategy is, I always say planning. Effective planning is your secret to unlocking how you use your precious time to its full potential. If you want to transform your time management and experience the satisfaction of a week well spent, you’re in the right place.
Here are seven top tips to help you plan an incredible week ahead, making the most of each of the 1,440 minutes each week available to you.
1. Be intentional
Instead of filling your calendar with every possible task, focus on what genuinely matters to you. When you over-plan, you risk creating a schedule that is far too rigid, doesn’t allow for ‘things to go wrong’ and it’s likely going to lead to procrastination when the schedule feels overwhelming.
The key to effective planning is to include all the things that matter most to you, not just work deadlines. Whether it’s fitting in your workouts, learning a new language, or carving out time for yourself, make sure your plan aligns with your personal goals and values. By being intentional, you create a plan that reflects your priorities and supports a fulfilling life by design, rather than just a rigid list of tasks.
2. Think quality, not quantity
In our productivity-driven culture, it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that more is better. This often results in the mistake of trying to do everything at once, which leads to overloading tasks and extending the time spent on them.
However, the Law of Diminishing Returns teaches us that beyond a certain point, additional effort doesn't necessarily lead to greater results—instead, the returns begin to decrease. Adding more time to the task doesn’t mean you’ll achieve more! Plus, there is the pesky ‘Parkinson’s Law’ at play that says work expands to fill the time available for it, which means giving yourself longer to complete a task just drags it out rather than making the results better!
So, when planning, keep this in mind and focus on 'time allocations'—prioritize quality over quantity!
3. Plan for pitfalls
Let’s be honest: no matter how well you plan, unexpected obstacles will come up because that's just life. Improve your plans by anticipating potential setbacks and including buffer time in your schedule. This way, minor disruptions won’t derail your week. I refer to this as ‘planning for pitfalls.’
For example, if you’re aware of upcoming train strikes, account for extra travel time in your plans. This foresight helps you manage delays and ensures that you remain on track even when life throws curveballs. By planning for these pitfalls, you minimise the frustration of hiccups so you can stay in control of your schedule.
4. Utilise dead time
‘Dead time’ refers to those pockets of time that are often ignored as ‘usable’ but if spotted and leveraged effectively they can add hours to your day. This could be during your commute, waiting for appointments (nothing feels like a bigger waste of time than sitting in a waiting room), or doing chores.
Use these moments to listen to podcasts, catch up on reading, or handle small tasks like responding to messages. For instance, I used to make the most of my hour-long commute to the office in London by reading extensively, transforming what would otherwise be wasted time into valuable learning time. Scan your calendar for these pockets of ‘dead time’ and plan how to use them!
5. Assess your true time availability
One of the biggest time management mistakes I see people make is overestimating how much they can do in a certain time frame. (Yes, I am looking at you who thinks that in the hour before you are meeting your friend for brunch you can fit in a workout, put a wash on, walk the dog and reply to some emails!)
It’s essential to be realistic about how much time you really have. Underestimating the daily demands on our time, like the BAU (Business As Usual) work, emails, and life admin, leads to an over-packed and unmanageable schedule. Take these into account – even better, plan them in – when doing your daily or weekly planning.
6. Schedule in fun, ‘me time’ and self-care
Planning an amazing week doesn’t mean you just plan your work; it’s about creating your ‘life by design’ so make sure you incorporate time for hobbies, me time, rest, and self-care. I am a big believer that if you haven’t made time for it, it won’t happen! And that includes your non-work time and other activities!
As Leslie Gaudet writes in her Brainz article, ‘Self-Care – The Elephant In The Room‘, “Embracing self-care enriches not only our personal lives but also enhances our professional effectiveness, laying a foundation for sustained success and well-being.”
This could mean scheduling a night out with friends, setting aside time for picking up your cross-stich, or simply ensuring you have downtime for yourself with a glass of wine and a bubble bath. If you’re stuck on the misbelief that you don’t have time for that, remember studies show that happier individuals are more productive.
7. Take your energy levels into account
Effective time management goes beyond managing time; it also involves managing your energy. Reflect how your energy levels might vary throughout the week and plan your tasks accordingly, so you can work with your energy rather than against it.
For example, you might be someone that has more energy than the Energizer bunny at the start of the week but come Friday that energy is flagging. Is it realistic to expect you to smash the same output on a Friday as a Monday?
Alternatively, it might be situational. For instance, if you’re recovering from an illness or facing personal challenges, be realistic about your available energy and adjust your schedule and workload accordingly. Acknowledge that even if you have time available, your energy might not always match your schedule. Planning in a way that maximises every single minute of the day but doesn’t take into account your energy is a one-way ticket to burnout!
Get ready to plan amazing weeks
Setting yourself up for an incredible week begins with being intentional with your time, being realistic about the time you have available and ensuring you’re using your time in a way that is aligned to your values and goals!
Want to know more
Download my free training “From Procrastinator to Proactive” Mini-Masterclass. This is the ultimate guide to banish procrastination, manage the overwhelm and create balance!
Alice Dartnell, Life and Success Coach
Alice Dartnell is a time management and energy management coach, trainer, speaker, and author, who is passionate about empowering people to create a life by design, not by default! Known as an expert in time management and energy management, Alice doesn’t teach time management in the traditional sense. Instead, she focuses on importance of energy management and mindset as the way to improve time management. Alice believes that time management actually isn’t about managing time! Instead, it is about managing you, other people, your tasks and most importantly, your energy! She works with individuals on a 121 basis, as well as through programmes, workshops, and courses. Additionally, she delivers training to org
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