New Week


I didn't have any drawings ready for this post, so please enjoy this contemplative baked potato instead.

Obligatory: This is not writing or productivity advice.

Every Monday morning I start my day by going to the local laundrette and planning the rest of my week. Over the years I've developed a little "weekly retro" template that seems to work for me. The entire thing takes me about 30 minutes.

Why I am doing this

  1. To stay focussed on my long-term goals, maintain a sense of direction.
  2. To spot patterns in my behaviour (e.g. rushing, missing/skipping tasks) and come up with actions.
  3. To experience a sense of achievement when I get stuff done. I tend to just move on to the next thing once I'm done with a task (Done? Take Time to Appreciate and Reflect).

1., and 3., are especially important now since I work for myself, I set my own schedule, and I thrive with immediate feedback (Share your unfinished, scrappy work). It's easy to overlook progress when you work in relative isolation without the luxury of having a sense of cadence. Even a monthly invoice or a team meeting can act as a "motivational metronome". I need some routine or at least an excuse to sit down and reflect – otherwise I tend to lose perspective, start feeling directionless and panic.

(I love chaos, but in short bursts.)

How I use it

If you're using Obsidian, check out this Weekly Summary Template (gist). You'll need to install the Obsidian.md Templater plugin to run it.

The example below is based on an older entry (cleaned up and censored).

Every Monday Morning:

1. Review the previous week.

2. Imagine it's the next Friday and you're just wrapping up the week. What have you done and how do you feel about it? Write 4-5 short sentences about it. No TODOs allowed.

3. Based on that blurb, write down the tasks:

You can see the complete example here: Template - Current Week.

P.S. some of the tasks are categorised based on my personal motto (Be kind, be curious).

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a giant foot-shaped snail with a house on its back. the house is still in construction, with a big crane towering above it The image is a stylized black-and-white illustration. In the lower left corner, there is a small, cozy-looking house with smoke rising from its chimney. The smoke, however, does not dissipate into the air but instead forms a dark, looming cloud. Within the cloud, the silhouette of a large, menacing face is visible, with its eyes and nose peeking through the darkness. The creature, perhaps a cat, appears to be watching over the house ominously, creating a sense of foreboding or unease.