7 secrets for a productive week:

1. Schedule time to plan

Set aside one day each week as your planning day. Sunday is usually a good choice.

This is when you’ll look over your past week to see what you want to carry into next week.

2. Brain dump

Start by writing out everything you need to get done. Don’t try to remember it all. Get it all out of your head and onto paper or the screen.

Dictating your list can be helpful if you prefer to think out loud.

3. Prioritize your list

What are the most important things you absolutely need to get done this week? Move those to the top.

Go through your whole list and rearrange in descending order of importance. The latter items can fall to a later date.

4. Schedule time blocks

Add blocks of time to your calendar throughout the week to work on your 3–5 most important items.

If one of them is a task you’ve never done before, schedule out more time than you think you need. Don’t block every minute of your week. Leave some space.