For the last several months my productivity system (system is an ugly word right now but we all still need one) has revolved around two simple tools; a notepad and my weekly planner. The latter has evolved and been simplified to the point where I feel it is ideal for my purposes. With this in mind I thought now would be a great opportunity to make it available to you all. You can download it as a PDF.
What do I put on my weekly planner? Next actions. It’s that simple. Remember, creating the system itself is the easy part because there are only two rules to follow (you have to make it nippy and keep it simple). What really matters is how you use it and that’s a big issue I will be writing more about in the near future. Gone are the days where I would try and track projects and goals, mission statements and performance scores. In practise it was all superfluous to the actual issue of getting (the right) things done. This weekly planner is an enabler. When I need it, it’s there to help me plan my days, my work and keep track of tasks.
You will notice that there are three sections to the planner. The most prominant part at the top is the hard landscape and covers day (and time) specific next actions. Nothing goes here unless it has to be done on that particular day (and at a particular time, where applicable). If the next action isn’t date specific, it can simply go in the basic next actions box. However, if you have a lot of tasks under a particular context (@phone) or role/responsibility (parent) you have the option of grouping them so it’s all more organizied.
September 24, 2008 at 08:22PM
Awesome, thanks for the download!
September 25, 2008 at 05:20PM
Hope you find it useful.
October 13, 2008 at 03:10PM
Thank you! This is great, I was going to try and create something like this because I have a helluva week of organizing ahead but I found you via Lifehacker today and this is exactly what I needed!
October 13, 2008 at 03:52PM
Just an idea… to help us really understand how to use your planner it is good if you could include a example of the form filled out otherwise the full intent is lost. Thanks!
October 13, 2008 at 04:57PM
I agree with Bert, I am having a hard time understanding the process you use. Nevertheless, a good idea!
October 13, 2008 at 06:08PM
I agree. I would really like to see an example of how you use this so I have a better idea.
October 13, 2008 at 06:17PM
Nice work and an excellent idea.
October 13, 2008 at 08:51PM
Perfect. I was looking for something like this just yesterday. Serendipity!
October 13, 2008 at 09:51PM
Guys, for those who are a little confused about how I use this template I will put up an example sheet later this week. I will try for Friday so please keep an eye out for it.
October 14, 2008 at 02:44PM
The only thing I see with these is that there’s not quite enough margin on the left to allow for me to punch holes and put it in a ring binder. My thinking was I could literally print out a month at a time, or even several, and skip a calendar as well. Then for a weekly review, any next actions not completed that week would be transferred to the next week. I’ll look forward to seeing your example.
October 14, 2008 at 06:39PM
Miklb, I deliberately didn’t have any space for punch holes (my original version from several months ago did) because I personally have moved away from ring binders. For me the sheet is all I need (and maybe a notepad but that’s another issue) so it’s very portable. In fact I will sometimes fold it up and tuck it in my pocket.
This is the probem with these sorts of planners, they are so personal. I may do another post discussing how I went about making it so that others can create their own tailored to their needs.
October 15, 2008 at 01:44PM
Hope it works! I use Google calendar and a paper weekly planner. My Google calendar has different calendars, like self, health, family, money, etc. It’s cool because it sends me text messages so I won’t forget.
October 15, 2008 at 04:18PM
This is close to what I was doing already, but you’ve taken it to one page. I was a Franklin guy for a long, long time. Now it just doesn’t work. Instead, I print my weekly Google calendar with all my appointments on it, and on a second sheet I print my Google spreadsheet of tasks to do. A way to automate the Google (or Outlook) calendar onto half a page with next actions on the other half would be a nice improvement. I wonder if I can do that with Google… I’ll have to think about fitting the roles aspect in. Perhaps I’m missing something in how I attack my day. When the week is done, I hole punch the calendar and my notes then file them away, then I can dig them back out as needed.
October 16, 2008 at 01:28PM
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and this planner. I would like to look at a filled one, just to be sure that I understand how to use it. Thanks in advance.