Managing Workloads: The Weekly Preview

Most people begin the week with a burst of energy and a vague idea of what they’ll accomplish. Usually, whatever plan they had is out the window by the end of the day Monday. After that, it’s a week of reacting to urgent problems and interruptions. That leaves little time for higher priorities. They fall further and further behind. That feels overwhelming and stressful. 

The process of completing the Weekly Preview (in the Full Focus Planner) is an opportunity to get ahead of the weekly chaos and line up tasks so they best fit your schedule and responsibilities. It enables you to see where you’ve been and where you’re going. It’s the crucial part of staying on top of projects and assignments. The result? Staying in control of one’s workload and week—not the other way around. 

You and your team members can each leverage the Weekly Preview process to set weekly and daily priorities. Then, to maximize the team’s productivity, share those plans and priorities and use that information to manage workloads and priorities. Here’s how the Forge team does this: 

1.Complete your individual Weekly Preview sometime between Friday afternoon and early Monday morning. 

• • The Weekly Preview is located at the end of every week in the Full Focus Planner and just before the beginning of the coming week. 

• • Schedule 30 minutes for your Weekly Preview on your calendar each week. 
  • The process includes reflecting on the prior week and planning for the week ahead. 

2. Share your planned priorities for the week, as well as your reflection on the prior week’s actual outcomes, by updating your team’s shared file by 9 am each Monday. 

• • If an item on your plan is a carryover from the prior week, communicate why it wasn’t completed in the prior week. This helps us to learn from the past and informs our planning for the future. 

• • Leaders will review the shared files each Monday morning to evaluate priorities and workloads. If any adjustments are needed, they’ll communicate with their team. 

3. As you go throughout your week, use the Daily Pages in your Full Focus Planner to prioritize and complete your most important tasks first (i.e., your Daily Big 3). 

• • In your workday startup (or the prior day’s workday shutdown), determine the three most important tasks to complete for the day. 
  • Write them in your planner and give those tasks priority (and your best energy of the day). 

• • Other lower-leverage tasks can be done, too, but it’s important to concentrate on the Daily Big 3 first. 

Take a few moments now to decide when you’ll complete your Weekly Preview (sometime between Friday afternoon and early Monday morning). Then, add a recurring appointment to your calendar starting this week. 

The key to a successful week is staying on top of everything proactively instead of taking things as they come and making a reactive pivot. Spending 30 minutes each week proactively planning and prioritizing your own workload will minimize your stress and chaos. Then, spending a few additional minutes to share your plan and priorities in a shared file helps leaders align priorities and workloads across the entire team. If you don’t have the Full Focus Planner yet, or you’re looking for some inspiration, check out our Weekly Preview template and sample!