STOP. This post is for anyone who is new to weekly planning, tired of their current planning method, or feels tempted to buy a beautiful planner they really can’t afford. So, take that $45 planner out of your cart and learn how you can plan your week with just a pen and scrap paper.
Through much trial and error, I’ve come up with a system that’s worked for me and several others. It just might work for you too! Why? This method prioritizes your emotional energy level (don’t forget this blog is about writing your wellness).
However, I know the power of a cute lil guided planner. That’s why I’m offering you a free copy of The Balanced Life Blueprint Worksheet. It’ll give you that *aesthetics* vibe without the *aesthetics* price tag.
(PSST: If you don’t care about the theory/history of this method and just want the “How-To”, jump to Step 1.)
The Problem with Most Weekly Planning Methods
Ever notice how most weekly planners just end up being daily planners with less space for each day? Very few planners have space for tasks that can be done “whenever” in the week. Instead, you have to pick and choose specific deadlines for every task – whether it makes sense or not.
Where’s the flexibility in that?
Ironically, living one day at a time is a lot harder when every second is pre-planned. One unexpected curve ball could spoil the whole day. Then that bad day puts more pressure on the next day and so on. Sooner or later, you’re whole week is spoiled.
This is extra true for those of us who struggle with perfectionism, self-compassion, or even neurodivergence. Hmm, did I just describe the entire journaling community just now? Funny how that works.
What Your Weekly Planning Needs Instead
You need a personal organization system that’s more flexible. More importantly, you want a system that reminds you to set better boundaries without feeling like such a chore.
You are not alone. So many people struggle to keep up their planners because they add stress rather than take it away. Myself included.
It wasn’t until I started to look into more accommodating personal organization techniques that I figured out what actually *does* work.
Introducing the Motivation Menu System
The Motivation Menu System focuses on what most weekly planners lack: flexibility, gamification, and self-compassion. There’s no better cure for burnout!
I know this because I made the Motivation Menu to crawl out of a burnout spiral. There was a time when I could feel out how much time I had, make a to-do list, and get everything I needed done on time. Ha! Then 2023 hit hard. You name it, I was going through it.
When you don’t have the time or energy to keep up with your old life – you need to make a change. I wanted this system to accommodate for that. Something that would help you soar on good days and hibernate on rough ones. The Motivation Menu System does just that.
Credit where credit is due, so many people inspired this system. The concept of “gamifying” your daily life is something the ADHD community has been talking about forever. Personal flexibility and self-compassion are the whole point behind “spoon theory”.
This system is ready to accommodate you as you are. Speaking of which, you don’t need a fancy planner to do this. All you need is a piece of notebook paper and something to write with!
The Rules
Okie dokie, in order to understand how a Motivation Menu works, you need to unlearn a lot about what you think you know about being productive.
First, apart from work and planned social events, very few things have absolute deadlines. For example, brunch might be on Sunday but the laundry can kinda get done whenever it fits in your schedule. When making your motivation menu, remember to only give firm dates to things that really, really need it.
Apart from that, there are only 3 rules. These will make more sense as you go through the steps later on. For now, keep in mind these things.
- You can only use one side of the paper
- No focus area should be more than twice as full as another
- One focus area needs to be simply for your rest and pleasure
Step One: Choose Your Focus Areas
It’s easy to let things fall through the cracks when you only list work and chores in your weekly planning. That’s why Motivation Menus should always start with the full picture.
Think of all the areas of your life that you’d like to focus on for the week. If you don’t know where to start, take a look at How to Balance Your Life with a Journal. Just know you can go as generic or personal as you like. Some of my past focus areas have been:
- Daily Rituals
- Wedding Planning
- The Glow Up
Your focus areas may change every week. They may stay the same. This is your chance to really put your foot down and say what’s most important to you.
By the way, this is why rule #3 is so important. You absolutely need to plan for joy and relaxation in your life. The common alternative is workaholism or endless doom scrolling. That kind of lifestyle is just awful. Treat yourself to a couple of fun things that are just for you. I promise you’ll feel a shift in self-love and motivation.
Hold on to this list until you’re ready for the next step.
Step 2: Choose Your Tasks
You already know how this part goes! Step two is very similar to other weekly planning methods. Just think about the things you want to accomplish each week in each focus area.
But before you go all out, remember the rules I mentioned earlier. The motivation menu system is all about setting reasonable expectations with yourself. So, please make sure you limit your menu to one page, balance the focus areas evenly, and save time for joy!
Now you’re ready to start weekly planning!
Using the focus areas as a heading, list out your weekly priorities as check boxes. Sometimes I even like to divide it into sub-tasks by adding a row of bubbles to the side (ex: if the task is workout 3X per week, add three bubbles.)
Take a look at this diagram to get the gist.
Step 3: Add a Fun Challenge (Optional)
For some, the novelty of a wide-open task list with several challenges to complete throughout the day is game-like enough. For those that need a little more fun, try adding bonus tasks.
Bonus tasks should be things that excite you and leave you feeling proud when finished. Something unserious that would just be the “cherry on top” to your week. Just know, if you want to get these things done, you’re gonna have to earn them.
Find the focus area that you avoid most often and aim to complete the whole list. Your bonus tasks will “unlock”! Ah, the glory!
Personally, I attach my bonus task to self-care. The more I want to follow my passions (my bonus tasks), the more I have to make time for hobbies or cooking nutritional meals. Works like a charm.
Step 4: Live Your Life … Mindfully
Now comes the easiest (and hardest) part of the Motivation Menu System. You have to live your life! This is where the “menu” part of the system really comes into play.
Think of this list you’ve created as a menu. At any given meal, you likely wouldn’t order 7 entrées for yourself. It would be much better to order an appetizer, a drink, an entrée, and a dessert. It’s the same with planning any given day.
As you go about your week, try to cover all of your focus areas. You don’t need to do every single thing, just make sure there’s a little variety going on. You do want a balanced life, after all. Check off the tasks as you go and watch your week become delightfully full in so many way.
Step 5: Review the Week in Your Journal (Mandatory)
The main benefit of the Motivation Menu System is self-reflection. By seeing all of your goals and accomplishments in one place, you can finally start assessing whether or not you’re acting towards the life you want.
Take note of your total number of goals vs the amount of goals you got done. For this exercise, goals with sub-tasks should count each sub-task as 1 individual goal. Like so,
Once you have that down, figure out what percentage of your plan actually got done. The goal here is not 100%. Shocking, I know. I find that the best weeks only do about 70%- 80% of the total goals. This number is going to look a lot different depending on how detailed your weekly planning gets.
After you have your goal percentage, it’s time to start writing in your journal!
Journal Prompts for Post Weekly Planning
- What focus area was most productive this week and why?
- Did you feel yourself avoiding any focus areas this week? What caused that resistance?
- What do you feel when you see your goals completed percentage?
- If you keep acting like this every week, what will your life look like in a year?
- How did this week compare to last week?
- How did this week compare to the same time last year?
- When did you feel proudest this week?
- Are there any tasks on your list that you regret not completing?
- How much of your week was spent on tasks that aren’t even on your motivation menu?
- Were you able to unlock any bonus tasks this week? How did that feel?
- How will you intentionally change next week?
