June 16, 2022 by Sarra Cannon
A Writer's Life | Planning And Organization
We talk about planners all the time, and a lot of times I’ve shared what my weekly plan looks like, but I’ve never been able to share how I actually follow through on those plans. Until now!
Over the week of May 23-29, I recorded a vlog of my entire planning and follow-through process using my HB90 Method Planner and kanban board system. Recording this was so much fun, and even though I had to get really vulnerable and share all the ways I wasn’t able to follow through, it’s my hope that you’ll find it useful in thinking about your own planning process.
There are a total of 4 Episodes of this video series.
The first video shares mostly how I plan out the week using my kanban board for the quarter and my HB90 Method planner.
This is pretty much the process I follow every single week. It might seem redundant to write out my tasks twice, but for me, it has worked really well. I write out a checklist first, and then I use the weekly spread to schedule out my “ideal” for the week.
I also take time to estimate how long each project or task will take, so that I can at least attempt to create a realistic schedule for the amount of time I have available. Basically, the weekly planning is all about making sure I’m clear on what I need or want to get done this week and planning out my ideal schedule.
This second video is a vlog of the beginning of my week, where I end up needing to make adjustments due to unexpected meetings, low energy, and incorrect time estimates. It’s all about continuing to move forward, even though I’m not perfect.
I tend to always have high energy on Mondays. I think it’s because of that fresh-start feeling of new beginnings that tends to get me excited and ready to go. I also usually feel more rested on Mondays after a fun or relaxing weekend with the family.
For that reason, I get a lot done most Mondays and try to make the most of it. Sometimes, though, the middle of the week is lower energy and I need to adjust my plans to be able to still get some lower energy tasks done.
The third video in the series features the last few days of the week and shares how I actually follow through on my plan and stay flexible when things don’t exactly go as intended.
The purpose of a daily plan for me is to not only have one single page where I can see exactly what I intend to do without any distractions but to also stay flexible. Once a weekly plan has gone off the rails, it can be hard to alter it without filling your planner with whiteout.
A daily plan in addition to the weekly allows me to stay flexible and move tasks from one day to another without having to white out tasks I missed or move things around on that ideal weekly schedule. I love it!
In this final video, I share how my week ended and what my review process is before I reset and restart the cycle all over again.
For me, the weekly review is essential, because it gives me a chance to reflect on what worked, what isn’t working, where I’m behind or what deadlines are coming up. It allows me to get an eagle-eye view of where I am in my quarterly plan and adjust or set new priorities.
I sincerely hope you enjoyed this series of a full productive week in my life. Even though it can be painful to share my failures or shortcomings, I also know that it’s valuable to show real life. None of us are perfect, but as long as we keep moving forward, even baby steps can lead us to our dream life as long as we don’t give up.
The planner and method I’m using in these videos is a system of my own creation, developed from tools I’ve learned throughout a lifetime obsession with planning and productivity. If you’d like to learn more about my 90 day planning system, the HB90 Method, you can start with this playlist on my kanban board over on YouTube.
If you want to give it a try, I’d love for you to check out my printable HB90 Method Planner on Etsy. There are several versions, so if you have questions about which one is right for you, feel free to reach out.
I also have a great course called the HB90 Bootcamp, but enrollment has just closed for this current round. I do run this course every quarter, however, so be sure to get onto my mailing list for an announcement next time we open the doors.
Thanks again for watching.
I have been self-publishing my books since 2010, and in that time, I've sold well over half a million copies of my books. I'm not a superstar or a huge bestseller, but I have built an amazing career that brings me great joy. Here at Heart Breathings, I hope to help you find that same level of success. Let's do this.