Planning Weekly Goals for Better Outcomes

I never thought something this simple would make such a difference in how I work and manage my time. This 15-minute weekly habit changed everything for me: The weekly review. This is one of the most simple yet powerful practices I've built over the years. It helps me reflect on what’s working, what’s not, and what needs adjusting. The concept, introduced by David Allen in “Getting Things Done”, emphasises the importance of closing open loops and staying on top of commitments before they pile up. Over time, it’s become a cornerstone of my productivity system. Here’s what my weekly review looks like: - Review the past week – I list the dates from the past week and, using my calendar and notes, jot down key events and tasks. - Reflect on achievements and challenges – Take a moment to celebrate what went well and spot areas for improvement. - Plan for the upcoming week – Adjust goals and priorities to make sure I’m focusing on what really matters. It’s a small investment of time, but the impact is huge. Every week, those 15 minutes give me clarity, keeps me on track, and make decision-making easier. Instead of constantly chasing the next thing, it gives me a chance to pause, take stock, and plan with intention. Do you have a system for reflecting on your week, or is this something you’d want to try?

Most people spend 80% of their time on the wrong type of work. (here's how to fix it): I discovered there are 4 types of professional time—and the balance between them determines whether you're stuck in place or building something extraordinary. For years, I was drowning in meetings, calls, and emails. Busy all day but never making real progress. Then I mapped out where my time actually went. The 4 types: Management Time (Red): Meetings, emails, presentations. The stuff that fills most calendars. Creation Time (Green): Writing, building, coding. Where actual work gets done. Consumption Time (Blue): Reading, learning, listening. Where new ideas are planted. Ideation Time (Yellow): Thinking, journaling, walking. Where breakthroughs happen. Here's the reality check: Color code your calendar for one week. Most people discover 80% is red—pure management time bleeding across every day. Creation gets squeezed into tiny gaps. Consumption and ideation? Basically non-existent. This is why you feel stuck. The activities that create 10x outcomes: creation, consumption, and ideation, get zero dedicated space. Here are three fixes that changed everything for me: 1. Batch Management Time Create 1-3 blocks daily for emails and meetings. Keep the red contained instead of letting it spread like wildfire. 2. Protect Creation Time Block it on your calendar. Turn off notifications. This is where your best work happens. 3. Schedule Consumption & Ideation Start with one hour weekly for each. History's most successful people all made space for reading and thinking. There's a reason. The truth? Your calendar reveals your future. If it's all management, you'll manage. If you make space for creation and thinking, you'll build. Watch the full breakdown to optimize your professional time.

Leader Standard Work- it's just a fancy schedule right? What's the big deal? 🤷♀️ Leader Standard Work (LSW) might look like a schedule on the surface, but it’s so much more than that. It’s a strategic framework designed to help leaders focus on what really matters: proactive tasks that support their team, improve processes, and drive long-term success. The “big deal” is that LSW bridges the gap between leadership intentions and daily actions. It’s not just about organizing your time—it’s about aligning your efforts with organizational goals, creating consistency in your leadership, and ensuring that you’re spending your time where it delivers the most value. In other words, it’s not just about having a plan; it’s about having the right plan. It's a great tool, but like many tools, its success depends on how it’s implemented. There's a right way and a wrong way. Here's my approach: 1️⃣ Understand Current Work: Assess your routine tasks (use your calendar to help you) and categorize them into Essential, Enhance and Eliminate (That's my 3 E's framework) 2️⃣ Identify Key Activities for Your Role: Ask yourself what am I not doing that I should be doing? How often should I do these? (Here you could look at introducing time for strategic planning, Gemba Walks. 1:1 check ins with people...and all the other really important tasks that often get pushed to the side!! Feedback really helps here! 3️⃣ Create an IDEAL standard schedule. This is your vision of the way you would like to work daily, weekly and monthly- if there were no distractions! 4️⃣ Create a REALISTIC Standard Schedule: Develop a practical daily, weekly, and monthly plan that incorporates some improvements to the way you currently work, while balancing your current workload. It's probably not going to look like your ideal version so the next step is really important. 5️⃣ Create your Development Plan: Identify actions to gradually reduce distractions and time spent on activities you feel you shouldn't be doing, freeing up more time for high-impact work. This often means actively working on skills like prioritization and delegation. 6️⃣ Track, Assess and Reflect: Do this regularly to adjust as needed, and focus on consistently improving how you spend your time. Get feedback from trusted people to understand your impact. The question isn’t whether LSW works; it’s whether you’re willing to work at it! Sometimes, this is the sole focus of my leadership coaching sessions for weeks and months. It's not something we can rush. It needs to be done right! 💡Imagine everyone on your team having a #LeaderStandardWork schedule by Q1 2025 and actively working on improving it. Well, it's possible! PS I don't just teach the theory- I actively create LSW schedules with people. I work on-site with companies in Ireland and the UK to make this happen. Contact if you would like to meet up and talk it through!

I block 60 minutes every Sunday for my weekly rhythm session. It’s the best way I’ve found to clear my brain and gain clarity for the week ahead. Here’s how it works: 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟬: 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝘀’ 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 Often there are patterns & lessons I missed or need to follow up on. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟭: 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 During this, I ask myself: • what gave me energy vs. what drained it  • what I should have said no to • what could have been deleted, automated, or delegated 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟮: 𝗗𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 • list wins, mistakes, and shiny objects (things that distracted me) • write a brain dump journal entry with whatever's bouncing around in my head 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟯: 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗽 This includes: • email • Slack • WhatsApp (biggest challenge) • Desktop/downloads • loose notes Now I’ve gotten the last week completely out of my system. I’m ready to look ahead. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟰: 𝗙𝗶𝘅 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 • ensure every meeting makes sense • cut the unnecessary ones • move meetings based on priority 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟱: 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝘂𝗻𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀 Make sure everything has an action step attached. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟲: 𝗚𝗼 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 Ask the team for updates where relevant. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟳: 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 • schedule half days without any meetings for deep work • prep/debrief time for meetings if needed • workout blocks for exercise 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟴: 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 I Write down my top priorities for the week. From these, I define a #1 goal. --- All this takes 45 to 90 minutes. I usually block two hours for it. The most important outputs are the journal entry and the clean calendar. They make my life so much lighter by getting everything out of my brain. No more nagging feeling that I’m missing something. And it gives me a sense of progress every week. Highly recommended. P.S. If you want my notion template, comment “rhythm” and I’ll send it your way.

I'm excited to share my system for staying productive all day, every day. This system allowed me to sell over $100M in my B2B sales career, then build a 7 figure coaching business working an average of 40 hours/week. Most importantly, my nights and weekends are free to spend with my family. Here's are the 3 simple steps I take every single week: Step 1: Complete a Weekly Plan & Scorecard at the beginning of each week On Monday mornings (or Sunday evening), I print and fill out a Weekly Plan & Scorecard. On this document, I write down all the important tasks and action items I aspire to get done that week in no particular order. I then rank each task in order of priority, typically prioritizing RGA's (Revenue Generating Activities) for my business. I originally took this scorecard from a book called the 12 Week Year, then adapted it to include a "Rank" column, which allows me to prioritize each action item. Prioritizing the Action Items allows me to know where to start every day, and prevents me from getting overwhelmed. Step 2: Daily Task Blocking in Calendar Whitespace At the beginning of each weekday, I fill up all the whitespace on my calendar for that day with high priority tasks taken directly from the Weekly Plan & Scorecard. This ensures that the most important tasks for the week get done first and eliminates daily decision fatigue. The key is to put the specific tasks on your calendar so there's no empty space. If for some reason any tasks on the calendar don't get completed for that day, I move them to the next day in any open whitespace. Step 3: Weekly Scoring At the end of each week, I score my performance using the simple formula: Tasks Completed / Tasks Written Down = Score % My goal is to score 85% or higher each week, although admittedly there are many weeks where I fall short. If there are any tasks that didn't get completed that week, they get moved to the following week. I rinse and repeat this process every single week. This ensures that I SHOW UP every single day, and stay productive throughout the entire work week. Additional keys to success include: 1. Taking short breaks when you feel mentally drained. Stretching, a short walk, and standing desk do wonders to change your state. 2. Minimize the number of daily meetings on your calendar (4 or less is optimal) to stay focused and ensure you have enough whitespace to get deep work done. 3. Give yourself an hour lunch to break up the work day. Every day I have lunch with my wife, and that's also on the calendar. 4. Do one thing at a time 5. If you have an unproductive day, forgive yourself. Of course, this is all easier said than done... That's why next week, in our 2nd *Transformation Tuesday* LIVE training session, I'm going to walk you through exactly how to leverage The 12 Week Year (and Weekly Scorecard) to transform your productivity and your life. Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/gsPsq2XR Only 500 spots available due to Zoom webinar limit!

The day you stop rewarding your effort is the day you start doubting your progress. During career transitions, it’s easy to feel stuck when the big outcomes don’t arrive right away - whether that’s landing the job, signing your first client, or hitting a revenue goal. But those outcomes often take time and are influenced by factors outside your control. That’s why I encourage my clients to reward the effort, not the outcome. Here’s why it matters: 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Effort is within your control. Rejection or a slow start doesn’t equal failure, it just means timing wasn’t right. 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 & 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗱𝗼𝘂𝗯𝘁: Redundancy, career change, or job loss can trigger feelings of low self-worth and imposter syndrome. If you measure success only by outcomes, rejection feels personal. When you celebrate effort, you remind yourself that progress is happening even if the big win hasn’t landed yet. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲: Rewarding effort keeps you curious enough to try new approaches. 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Transition into the next chapter can take time. Celebrating small wins builds positive habits that ultimately lead to the outcomes you want. So how do you make this practical? ➡️ 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲: Step 1: Set 3 to 5 weekly effort goals (e.g., update resume, LinkedIn, apply to two chosen aligned roles, reach out to three contacts, practise interview prep 20 mins, or prioritise self-care, walks, journal). 🌟 Reward the fact that you planned and committed to actions you can control. Step 2: Daily action tracking. Write down what you did, not just what happened. e.g., “Sent two applications, scheduled a coffee chat. Tick it off and acknowledge: Effort = Progress. 🌟 Reward yourself with a small daily ritual: a tea break, a walk, or simply saying, “Well done, I kept moving forward.” Step 3: Midweek check-in. e.g. Ask: Am I staying curious? What did I learn? Do I need to adapt my approach? 🌟 Reward curiosity itself, not whether it “worked.” Step 4: Weekly reflection (Friday) Capture what you tried, what you learned, what felt hardest, and what you’ll adjust. Celebrate: even if no job offers yet, you’re building resilience, confidence, and visibility. 🌟 Reward idea: treat yourself to a nice meal, time with loved ones, or your favourite activity. Step 5: Monthly reflection & reward (end of month). Look back on the month: notice progress in skills, networking, confidence. Celebrate the consistency of your effort. 🌟 Reward with something special, e.g. a new book, a short trip. P.S. What’s one effort you can reward yourself for this week? P.P.S. See comments for practical steps for transitioning into business/self employment. _______ ♻️ Repost to help someone in transition kickstart their new week.

How to Plan a Productive Week 👇 Success doesn’t happen by accident—it’s built on consistent, intentional habits. Here’s how I approach planning a productive week to maximize focus, energy, and results: 1. Set Your GPS (Goal, Plan, System): Start with your big goal for the week. Break it down into actionable steps and create a system to stay on track. Clarity is power. 2. Time Block Your Priorities: Schedule your non-negotiables first—workouts, creative time, meetings, and rest. Treat your time like the valuable resource it is. 3. Reflect on Last Week: What worked? What didn’t? Adjust your strategy to build on your successes and learn from your challenges. 4. Plan Your Morning Routine: Begin each day with habits that fuel your mind and body—meditation, journaling, exercise, or reading. How you start your day sets the tone for everything else. 5. Batch Similar Tasks: Group similar activities together—emails, calls, or creative work. This minimizes distractions and keeps you in the zone. 6. Identify Potential Roadblocks: Anticipate challenges that could derail you and plan solutions in advance. Preparation beats procrastination. 7. Commit to Rest and Recovery: Productivity isn’t about grinding 24/7. Schedule downtime to recharge, reflect, and stay sharp for the long game. 8. Use Sunday as a Reset Day: Take time to organize your space, review your calendar, and set intentions for the week ahead. A clear mind leads to clear actions. 9. Stay Flexible: Life happens. Adapt without losing focus on what matters most. Productivity is about progress, not perfection. 10. Celebrate Wins Along the Way: Acknowledge your progress, no matter how small. Gratitude fuels momentum and keeps you motivated. Remember, planning is the foundation, but execution is where the magic happens. Make this week count!

Sunday isn’t just the end of a week—it’s the perfect reset button. Instead of dreading Monday, use today to design your week with intention. Leaders, professionals, and entrepreneurs who treat Sundays as planning days often enter the new week calmer, sharper, and more productive than everyone else. Here’s a simple 5-step framework you can follow today: ⸻ 1. Reflect Before You Plan Ask yourself: • What worked well last week? • What didn’t go as expected? • What’s one thing I’d like to do differently this week? A few minutes of honest reflection helps you avoid repeating mistakes and double down on strategies that work. ⸻ 2. Set Your Top 3 Priorities Don’t overwhelm yourself with a never-ending to-do list. Instead, pick the three most impactful outcomes you want by Friday. These become your non-negotiables. 👉 Example: • Close X client deal • Deliver Y project milestone • Dedicate Z hours to learning or fitness ⸻ 3. Time-Block Your Calendar Success is scheduled. If it’s not on your calendar, it won’t happen. • Block focus hours for deep work • Schedule team check-ins early • Add buffer time for thinking and problem-solving • Don’t forget personal time and rest ⸻ 4. Prepare for Challenges A great week isn’t one without problems; it’s one where you’re ready for them. • Identify possible roadblocks • Plan alternatives or backup strategies • Keep space in your calendar for the unexpected ⸻ 5. End with a Ritual Planning isn’t just about tasks; it’s about mindset. • Write a motivational note to yourself • Read something uplifting • Organize your workspace • Commit to one habit that makes you sharper (like journaling, morning walks, or digital detox hours) ⸻ ✅ By taking 30 minutes today, you enter Monday with clarity instead of chaos. ✅ You replace stress with strategy. ✅ And you step into the week as a leader who’s proactive, not reactive. ⸻ 🔗 Your Turn: How do you usually plan your week on Sundays? Do you reflect, set goals, or go with the flow? Share your ritual—I’d love to learn from you.

Many highly-skilled PMMs can't figure out strategy. Many less-skilled PMMs already have. Why? Because it's not about raw talent. It's about one thing: connecting your daily to-do list to the company's goals. For a lot of PMMs, somewhere between "company strategy" and "what I'm doing today," things start to get muddy. They end up doing a lot of busy work that leads nowhere. What PMMs need is the mental scaffolding to connect the highest-level business goals to their nitty-gritty daily work. Here's a quick breakdown of the 6-level planning framework I recommend. It divides everything down by time. 1) Annual: know your company OKRs → Know top company goals  → Sanity-check projects against them → Use them to filter what matters 2) Quarterly: rocks, pebbles, and sand Translate company OKRs into personal (or team) priorities: → Pick 1 major “rock” → Add 2–3 supporting “pebbles” → Keep “sand” tightly limited If you don't size your work upfront, sand will eat your entire quarter. 3) Monthly: break your rock into milestones → Define clear monthly outcomes → Turn projects into checkpoints → Track visible progress 4) Weekly: pick ONE key deliverable → Choose 1 main output for the week → Limit to 1–2 priorities max → Use it to triage requests 5) Daily: focus on ONE task → Pick 1 task tied to your weekly goal → Avoid context switching too much → Measure real progress, not activity 6) Hourly:  protect your peak hours → Identify your best thinking hours → Block them for deep work → Push meetings outside One note on annual planning: company direction can shift fast. But with this framework, you can review your annual anchors quarterly and adjust. The framework doesn't make chaos disappear but it will make you faster at reorienting when things do change. 👉 Which level of this framework is the hardest for you? P.S. I've helped 300+ PMMs land and thrive in their dream jobs to become more strategic without burning out. If this resonated, share it with a PMM in your network who needs it, and follow for more frameworks like this. :) ♻️ #productmarketing #strategy #coaching

I've tried 100s of time management techniques.  This is by far my favourite: I used to work 80 hrs/week and call it "productive." When really I was: - Attending pointless meetings - Fighting countless small fires - Being involved in every decision Now I work less than 70% the time and get 4x as much done. The Eisenhower Matrix helped me get there.  It teaches you to categorise tasks by importance and urgency. Here's how it works: 1. Do It Now (Urgent + Important) Examples: - Finalise pitch deck before investor meeting tomorrow. - Fix website crash during peak customer traffic. - Respond to press interview request before deadline. Best Practices: - Attack these tasks first each morning with full focus. - Set a strict deadline so urgency fuels execution. 2. Schedule It (Important + Not Urgent) Examples: - Plan quarterly strategy session with leadership team. - Map long-term hiring plan for next 18 months. - Build a personal brand content system for LinkedIn. Best Practices: - Protect time blocks in advance. Never leave them floating. - Tie them to measurable outcomes, not vague intentions. 3. Delegate It (Urgent + Not Important) Examples: - Handle inbound customer service queries this week. - Organise travel logistics for upcoming conference. - Update CRM with latest sales call notes. Best Practices: - Build playbooks so your team executes without confusion. - Delegate with deadlines to avoid wasting time. 4. Eliminate It (Not Urgent + Not Important) Examples: - Tweak logo colour palette again for fun. - Attend generic networking events with no ICP fit. - Review endless “best productivity tools” articles. Best Practices: - Audit weekly. Cut anything that doesn’t compound long-term. - Replace low-value busywork with rest, thinking, or selling. If you are always reacting to what feels urgent,   You'll never focus on what matters. Attend to the tasks in quadrant 1 efficiently,  Then spend 60-70% of your time in quadrant 2.    That's work that actually builds your business. Which quadrant are you spending too much time in right now?  Drop your thoughts in the comments. My newsletter, Step By Step, breaks down more frameworks like this. It's designed to help you build smarter without burning out. 200k+ builders use it to develop better systems. Join them here:  https://lnkd.in/eUTCQTWb ♻️ Repost this to help other founders manage their time.  And follow Chris Donnelly for more on building and running businesses.