5 Weekly Planning Strategies Every Academic Should Know
Just a quick note before you head into the blog post. Are you an academic who is trying to figure out your long term planning processes? My planning course, plan(it)*, can help support you as you figure that out. Check out the link for more info.
In today's post I'm sharing 5 weekly planning strategies that I've benefitted from during my time as a tenure track faculty member. In general, holding a weekly planning session has helped me achieve my goals and kept the feelings of overwhelm to a minimum. In addition to the general process of planning out my week, there are 5 strategies that I've used throughout my time as a faculty member (and grad student) that have greatly enhanced my weekly planning sessions.
Weekly Reflection
In addition to reviewing what I did the previous week and identifying what I'm going to work on the next week, I like to use reflection prompts to support my weekly planning process. And honestly, it's become such an ingrained process that I don't often write down the answers to these prompts (though if you're just starting to include reflection during your weekly planning time I'd recommend putting pen to paper to solidify this habit). I'll look at the past week, notice things that didn't work or things that worked really well and make sure they do/do not show up in the future week's plans. Here are some of my favorite prompts, though I'm sure you can think of specific prompts that would be helpful for your situation.
What worked this past week?
What didn't work this past week?
Did I make progress on my main goals for the quarter/year? If not, why not?
How can I adjust my plans for next week?
What support do I need right now?
Who can I ask for support if I need it?
Weekly Planning Checklist
I do my weekly planning on Friday afternoons. By that time, my brain is usually pretty tired. Creating a checklist for exactly what needs to happen during my weekly planning time is helpful in making planning that much easier to accomplish each week, even when I'm tired. My checklist includes all the things, step by step, that need to happen during my planning time. Everything from, "open up my Notion weekly dashboard" to "assign each task for the week a spot on my calendar." I walk through the checklist each Friday to make sure I'm not missing any steps. Even though my brain often goes on autopilot, I know the checklist is there if I'm feeling particularly scattered during my planning session - there's no need to memorize it!
Weekly and Daily Schedule Templates
Schedule templates are one of my favorite planning strategies to use because they cut down on the amount of time I spend planning. What are schedule templates? They map out what a typical day looks like for you, e.g., when will you workout, when are you commuting to work, when are you working, when are you eating, when are you checking emails... you get the picture! To create my templates (I have multiple), I think about what my schedule might look like if I had a totally open day (no meetings), how would I schedule my time? What about on meeting heavy days? Or teaching heavy days? Or what would my schedule look like when I'm working at home vs from campus? For each of these different types of days I set a general schedule that includes my daily routines, work blocks, and down time. I also think about when during the week I like to do things, e.g., mentally harder work gets put into the work blocks in the beginning of the week. Administrative work goes towards the end of the week, etc. So not only do I create daily templates, I also identify general patterns for when I'll work on what each week. While I can't follow these templates exactly all of the time, they help me create weekly schedules that work best for me whenever possible.
Time Blocking/Batching Like Tasks
This is a practice that got me through grad school and carried over nicely into the tenure track. When I'm doing my weekly planning I'm assigning each and every task that needs to happen to specific blocks of time during the week. I'm also grouping similar tasks together instead of fitting them in when I can (like emails or grading). For example, as I'm writing this I've got a research project related meeting on Tuesday of the upcoming week. I have some other tasks that need to happen for this particular project, so I also blocked off time before and after the meeting to work on these specific research tasks. I'm always trying to find ways to reduce the amount of switching from project to project that my brain has to do. I find that it helps me focus and produces more thoughtful work. I've also got grading to do, so each day (because I know it won't get done in a day) I set aside 2 hours worth of grading time (because that's all that I can handle). Each of these things is tied to a specific time on my calendar (e.g., 9 - 11am on Wednesday).
Putting non-negotiables and tasks related to your most important goals into your plans first
If there's one thing I've learned in my role as an assistant professor, it's that if you don't put yourself and your needs first, someone else will come in and make sure you're meeting their needs, instead of your own. If you do your best writing in the morning, block off an hour of writing time every morning for yourself and treat it like a meeting, If someone suggests you meet during that time, say, I can't and find another time (no need to explain any further!). If you want to take a walk with your partner every day after their work day ends, block it off on your calendar before anything else and don't schedule over it. If someone suggests you meet during that time, say, "I can't" and find another time (no need to explain further!). Sure, sometimes it's inevitable that a meeting gets booked during a non-negotiable slot (our faculty meetings occur during the time that my brain is freshest), and that's okay, as long as overall you're not allowing other things to encroach upon your needs and goals.
What weekly planning strategies have you found helpful as an academic?