Resource: Weekly Planner
It's been a little over a month since I started my new job and it's been a blast so far. We are doing a TON of work and I've been needing a way to keep track of every moving part. I was looking for planners but nothing quite fit, so I opened InDesign and created what you see here. Feel free to leverage or modify it to your needs, it's why it is here.
Download the PDF
How I use my weekly planner
Left column
Week of: What week is this planner for?
To-do boxes: I often organize my to-do's by project or theme. The blank headers allow for some freedom in labeling of to-do's. My first few weeks at my new job included an onboarding list, which included things from trainings to paperwork I needed to fill out. As projects flow in, they get their own section which allows me to compartmentalize what to-do's are for what project, I'll add dates if they're determined.
Themes: I use this space to set themes I want to focus or work on for the week in an effort to improve myself and my work. Recent themes include context and focus.
Right column
Day-by-day planner: As priorities and to-do's can change each day for me, I plan the day out over my morning coffee. This helps me keep track of my week and what I'm working on when.
My routine
I've made this planner part of my weekly and daily planning routine. Friday right before I leave for the weekend I'll port my to-do lists over to the next week so that come Monday, I have an idea of what I need to do. Each morning over coffee, I'll plan what I need to get done that day based off of decisions that came through email or conversation the day before or that morning. Keeping these weekly planners over the last few weeks has allowed me to see the progress throughout the weeks and what I've accomplished which will feed into my self-assessments throughout the year that are part of annual reviews.
Take this and make it your own to help you get to where you want to go. If there's anything that's stayed with my from my music school days, it's planning out what you're going to do before you do it so that your actions and efforts remain focused.