Plan Your Week for Maximum Impact

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by an endless to-do list? I get it—I’ve been there.

I juggle multiple roles: husband, father, pastor, and more. My wife and I manage our household with two beautiful daughters who keep us busy with school routines. We both work full-time, prepare meals weekly, and care for the home. Beyond that, I lead a team at church and prepare a weekly message.

It’s a lot.

Some weeks, my task list feels like it grows faster than I can keep up. 

But here’s the challenge: How can I ensure I’m focusing on what truly matters? 

The truth is, I’ll never finish everything. 

What’s important is tackling the right things—the priorities that create lasting impact.

I’ve developed a system to stay focused, and it’s been a game changer.

The Weekly Sync Session

Here’s the five-step process I follow every week to prioritize effectively and maximize my impact. I call it my Weekly Sync (WS) session.

1. Dedicate 90 Minutes to Plan Your Week

Each week, I carve out 90 uninterrupted minutes for my WS session. During this time, I review priorities, process meeting notes, and plan for the week ahead.

I usually schedule it Monday mornings before lunch, using a template in my WS digital notebook on my ReMarkable 2 (desktop app). This structure keeps me organized and intentional.

2. Review Insights

I begin with prayer, anchoring myself in faith to gain perspective. Then I reflect on key insights from several sources:

• Personal Journal: I journal 4–5 times a week during morning meditation. During the WS, I review last week’s entries and note key takeaways.
• Conversations and Meetings: I revisit notes from meetings and discussions, logging major insights.
• Milestones: I document significant accomplishments—for example, launching my blog on November 15, 2024.
• Biggest Insight: I summarize the single most important lesson of the week.

This reflection takes about 25–35 minutes. It might seem excessive, but I’ve learned my greatest lessons from experience, not just books.

3. Review Top Weekly Priorities

Next, I evaluate my weekly goals, focusing on my top 3 habits and 3 projects. I answer these questions in my WS template:

• What were my three biggest wins last week?
• How did I perform on my Top 3 Habits?
• How far did I get with my Top 3 Projects?
• What worked, what didn’t, and what adjustments will I make?

This review helps me celebrate wins, spot gaps, and stay aligned.

4. Review, process, and plan all actions

This step is where I bring order to the chaos. I review and process everything:

• Mission and Values: I revisit my personal mission and values in my vision notebook (a Leuchtturm notebook).
• Goals and Strategic Plans: I update my goals and align them with my mission.
• Projects: Using Things and Asana, I review all personal and work projects.
• Calendars: I analyze past meetings and plan future commitments using Apple’s Calendar app and an annual time-blocking system (thanks, Michael Hyatt).
• Open Tasks: I consolidate unfinished tasks from various tools like Things, Apple Calendar, and my Moleskine weekly planner.

5. Plan Top Actions

This is the most impactful part of the process. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the endless stream of things to do. 

In order to focus on what is most important, I pick my top 6 priorities for the week. Here's what I do:

• I plan my top 3 habits for the week and write them in my weekly planner.
• I plan my top 3 projects for the week and write them in my weekly planner.
• I timeblock these top 6 priorities in my calendar. 

Why It Matters

This Weekly Sync session is the cornerstone of my productivity. When I skip it, I feel scattered. When I commit to it, I’m clear, focused, and effective.

Feel free to adapt this system to your needs. The specifics aren’t as important as finding a routine that works for you. A consistent weekly planning session will keep you grounded and ensure you’re focusing on what truly matters.

Plan your week—and maximize your impact.