Planning your week

Pick a time in which you will design and plan your following week. Ideally this will be Friday or over the weekend, so you start your Monday with everything planned. Use our Weekly Planning Feature to guide this process. Some important tips:

1. Lock in Fixed Commitments

Start with meetings and appointments involving other people. These are typically non-negotiable.

• Review all meetings with others (team meetings, client calls, 1-on-1s)

• Add buffer time before/after important meetings for preparation and notes

• Block travel time if meetings require commuting or location changes

• Color-code these blocks to distinguish them visually

Pro tip: Add 5-10 minute buffers between back-to-back meetings to avoid running late.

2. Schedule Daily Recurring Activities

Block consistent time slots for routine tasks you do every day or multiple times per week.

Work-related recurring blocks:

• Morning email/Slack review (e.g., 9:00-9:30 AM daily)

• End-of-day wrap-up and planning (e.g., 4:30-5:00 PM daily)

• Lunch breaks

• Team stand-ups or check-ins

Why this matters: Recurring blocks prevent these essential tasks from getting squeezed out by other priorities.

3. Time Block Personal Commitments

Be honest and comprehensive about personal obligations. Schedule them with the same respect as work commitments.

Examples to consider:

• School pickup/drop-off

• Exercise or gym sessions

• Family dinners

• Personal appointments (doctor, dentist, etc.)

• Commute time

• Meal preparation

• Hobbies or self-care time

Key principle: Don't underestimate the time these take. If school pickup is at 3:30 PM and you need 20 minutes to get there, block 3:10-4:00 PM.

4. Allocate Time for Weekly Goals

Now that you see your available time, assign focused blocks to your most important objectives.

• Review your weekly goals (3-5 maximum recommended)

• Estimate realistic time needed for each goal

• Schedule deep work blocks during your peak productivity hours

• Assign project tags/colors to these blocks for visual clarity

• Use time blocks for open-ended work or tasks for specific deliverables

5. Fit in Lower-Priority Tasks Strategically

Handle remaining tasks with realistic expectations about your capacity.

Distribution strategy:

Assign to this week if:

• You have natural gaps between priority blocks (30-60 minute pockets)

• The task takes less than 30 minutes

• It complements work you're already doing that day

• You have lower-energy time slots that suit the task type

Move to next week or other future time frames if:

• Your days are already 80%+ scheduled

• The task requires focused attention you can't guarantee

• It's not urgent and won't create problems if delayed

• You're already feeling stretched thin

Planning your day

Daily Planning (5-10 minutes each morning)

1. Review Your Time Blocks

Start by looking at what you already scheduled during weekly planning.

• Check all meetings and commitments for today

• Verify travel times and locations are still accurate

• Note any schedule changes that came in overnight

• Identify your largest blocks of uninterrupted time

2. Clarify Your Daily Priorities

Choose 1-3 must-accomplish items for today. Not everything is equally important.

• What moves your weekly goals forward most?

• What has a true deadline today?

• What will cause problems if you don't do it?

• What can realistically fit in your available time blocks?

Reality check: If you already have 6 hours of meetings, don't plan 4 hours of deep work.

3. Assign Tasks to Specific Time Blocks

Don't leave tasks floating. Pin them to actual time slots.

• Place your top priority in your best focus time

• Match task energy requirements to your energy levels (deep work when fresh, admin when tired)

• Fill smaller gaps with quick tasks or buffer time

• Leave at least 30-60 minutes unscheduled for the unexpected

4. Prepare What You Need

Set yourself up for immediate execution.

• Open files or documents you'll need first

• Gather materials for meetings

• Clear your workspace of yesterday's distractions

Your goal: When your first time block starts, you begin working immediately, not deciding what to work on.

Tips on Planning

Invest time in planning

A well-designed week requires thoughtful preparation upfront. Don't rush this process; the time you invest now will pay dividends throughout your week.

Decide before you do

Your workday should be for execution, not decision-making. When you're in the middle of your day trying to figure out what to work on next, you've already lost momentum. A solid weekly plan, paired with brief daily check-ins, keeps you in flow and allows for quick adjustments as needed.

Be honest about your time

Account for everything: commuting, meals, sleep, transitions between activities. If you're driving for an hour, that's an hour unavailable for other tasks. Realistic time blocking prevents the frustration of an unachievable schedule.

Your personal life deserves equal planning

Work expands to fill available time, but you only have 24 hours a day. Deliberately schedule exercise, family time, hobbies, and rest, or they simply won't happen.

Less is more

Resist the urge to pack every minute. Overplanning creates anxiety and sets you up for failure. Build in buffer time and leave space for the unexpected. A minimalist plan you can actually follow beats an elaborate one you abandon by Tuesday.

Daily & Weekly shutdowns

Ending your day and week intentionally is just as important as planning them. Without a proper shutdown, unfinished work creates mental clutter and prevents you from fully disconnecting.

Daily Shutdown (10-15 minutes)

• Capture all unfinished work and open loops

• Update your task list with what got done and what didn't

• Review and adjust tomorrow's plan based on today's progress

• Close all work apps and create a clear mental boundary

Weekly Shutdown (20-30 minutes, typically Friday)

• Review what you accomplished this week and celebrate wins

• Identify what didn't get done and understand why

• Move incomplete items to specific future weeks

• Ensure nothing critical falls through the cracks before the weekend

• Clear your workspace and task list for a fresh Monday start

Both rituals serve the same purpose: close the loop on what's behind you so you can be fully present in what's ahead, whether that's your evening, your weekend, or next week's priorities.

Need help?

Reach out to our team at support@akiflow.com. We're happy to help!

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