How a Weekly Blueprint Elevates Your Time and Impact

I had no choice but to be intentional with my graduate degree.

It was 2018, and I had just enrolled in a doctoral program. How was I going to finish a three-year degree while raising a one-year-old daughter and working a full-time job?

I told myself, "Persist, and don't quit."

I also knew I needed a game plan. Thankfully, my school provided a clear process with deadlines, much like any academic setting.

However, due to unforeseen circumstances, I had to take a two-year break. 

What should have taken three years stretched into five. 

Yet on December 8, 2023, I graduated with a doctoral degree in Christian Apologetics (or adaptive leadership, as it’s referred to in the marketplace).

How did I accomplish this feat?

By living intentionally and sticking to a solid game plan.

In life, we all face a choice: live intentionally or coast through life. The way you spend your time directly shapes your future.

That’s why I created my Weekly Blueprint—a tool and game plan that helps me live with purpose, focus, and alignment every single day.

My Context

To provide some context:

I’m a husband and father of two daughters under eight. If you have infants, your weekly blueprint will naturally look different.

I lead a pastoral staff and volunteer ministry leaders.

According to the MBTI assessment (as of 2020), I’m an ENTJ. ENTJs are visionaries and strategic thinkers, which aligns with my calling. At my church, my primary role is that of a cultural architect and leadership coach, where I focus on shaping the future of our church and empowering leaders to create lasting impact.

I aim to work 40–50 hours per week. One leader once said that volunteer ministry leaders often work full-time jobs and dedicate additional time to church service. He also warned that working more than 50 hours can lead to personal life challenges—a sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with.

My Weekly Blueprint reflects my priorities as if I had 100% control of my time, which, of course, is never the case. 

I strive to stay fixed on my priorities while remaining flexible for emergencies and urgent matters. 

Ideally, I’d love for Friday evenings, Saturday evenings, and Sundays to remain free, but events often arise.

What you’ll see in my Weekly Blueprint reflects my life as of December 2024.

My Weekly Blueprint

 The colors in my Weekly Blueprint are intentional:

• Orange boxes represent my personal energy time—dedicated to nurturing my spiritual, mental, intellectual, physical, emotional, and relational well-being. This is what keeps me grounded and energized.
• Purple boxes represent impact opportunities—events, meetings, and times when I deliver value through coaching, counseling, preaching, and teaching.
• Green boxes represent preparation periods—focused times of deep work to prepare well for my impact opportunities. (If you haven’t read Deep Work by Cal Newport, I highly recommend it!)
• Blue boxes represent meeting times—admin, staff, and one-on-one sessions with my team to ensure alignment and maximize our impact.
• Yellow boxes represent planning sessions, strategic thinking periods, and focused task blocks. My 90-minute Weekly Sync Session is pivotal for setting me up for success.
• Red boxes represent activities unrelated to my goals.
• Gray boxes represent margin—unscheduled time for flexibility.

At the top of my Weekly Blueprint, I’ve listed key themes for each day:

• Sunday: Dedicated to rest, with occasional church meetings and gatherings.
• Monday: Focused on weekly planning, church strategy, deep work, and ad hoc connections (impromptu meetings or visits).
• Tuesday: Centered on ad hoc connections, staff meetings (including one-on-one sessions), and evening administrative meetings.
• Wednesday: A mix of rest and impact opportunities in the evening.
• Thursday: Reserved for deep work, including sermon preparation, teaching, and blog writing.
• Friday: Dedicated to deep work and ad hoc connections.
• Saturday: Focused on ministry, where I make the greatest impact on our church and surrounding community.

Why the Weekly Blueprint Works

Having my Weekly Blueprint has been a game changer. 

It provides a clear framework to guide how I plan my week, ensuring my time aligns with my priorities.

I encourage you to create your own blueprint as well. To make it easier, I’ve provided a Google Sheet template to help you get started. Simply copy and paste to begin!

Do I follow my Weekly Blueprint perfectly every week? Of course not. 

But the key is being intentional about my priorities and striving to align my actions with what matters most.

This tool has helped me focus on achieving my most important goals—and I believe it can help you too.