Whether you’ve had to learn to work from home within the last year and a half, or you work from home because you’re a #bossbabe, it’s so easy to be distracted and not get as much accomplished as we would like. Trust me, I GET IT!
That’s why I’m sharing 3 ways to set yourself up for a productive week that have helped me and I hope will help you too!
1. Plan out your week ahead of time (I recommend on Sunday’s) using both a written planner AND a digital planner.
I had to start the 3 ways to set yourself up for a productive week with this one because there is SO much power in planning ahead. I kid you not — I have an entirely different week when I do this, versus when I don’t. It is WILD.
Now, I’m sure you noticed I said a written planner and a digital planner. So, why both? Well, for extra accountability — to put it simply. This works well for people in both camps, (those who prefer written vs. those who prefer digital,) because both are getting their fix!
WRITTEN PLANNER:
I use the Passion Planner as my written planner, and I love this planner so much, for multiple reasons.
- It gives you a view of your entire week in 30-minute increments, which is essential for me for all my mentoring calls with clients, etc.
- It’s undated, which gives me the freedom to take some “white space” and take a week off/not plan anything if I need to!
- The one I get is big, (and I write big,) so that’s great for me! They do have smaller sizes if you’re interested in that though.
DIGITAL PLANNER:
I use Google Calendar as my digital planner, and it’s my all-time favorite.
Google calendar is where I’m able to see exactly when I’m supposed to be focusing on each type of task, as well as when to move onto the next one. One of the awesome things about Google Calendar is that you can have multiple calendars inside of a calendar.
This is SO amazing because you can see everything all together if you want -or- you can toggle on/off certain calendars you don’t want to view, with just one click of a button.
I set up a calendar specifically called the “jvp perfect day routine” and this is the basis for what every “ideal” week looks like for me. You can see it below:
So this is what a typical day looks like for me. ??
Prior to the launch of the all-new JVP website, my work days were SO much longer. But now that I finally have that huge project launched *all the praise hands* — I’m able to have so much more balance in my work/home life, and it seriously feels SO good.
I haven’t been working out for almost two years now… and I’ve missed it so much. So happy to finally have that back in my schedule!! Also, this is me vowing to never stop working out even when I have big launches coming up. Was not the best idea in the slightest. ?
2. Develop a system for nourishing yourself.
I was the world’s worst (up until literally a week ago,) at waking up, making my morning coffee, and then not eating my first meal until around 2-3pm, (while I made an iced coffee to get me through the afternoon.)
Call it intermittent fasting, dirty fasting, or whatever… I was doing it; and then wondered why I felt light-headed all the time when I stood up, had random heart palpitations and irregular heartbeats, and felt tired pretty much all the time.
I recently listened to an episode of the Freely Rooted podcast where they mentioned signs of a stalled metabolism… and y’all I had maybe 7 out of 10.
This was so weird for me, because I was a competitive dancer for 21+ years, an all-star track athlete, pageant girl, etc. But, once I got out of college and crossfit and pageants and all the things, and started working from home… and over the course of just a few years, it all just caught up with me.
I was doing well with working out towards the tail-end of living in Japan, because I had a personal trainer. But once we moved back amidst the quarantine/covid situation, it all fell to the wayside and I began to work hard on (re: lose myself in) — my program/website. Now that my site is launched, I’ve got to get back to prioritizing myself and my health. So, that leads me to this:
Make a meal plan on Sundays for the week, and stick to it as best you can. Seriously. It’s really not that hard. Mine looks something like this:
Breakfast:
- Egg + egg white omelette cooked in organic salted butter with a tiny bit of grass-fed organic cheese, tomatoes, and spinach, and one slice of ezekiel bread topped with mashed avocado. Protein, carbs and fats. Boom.
Lunch:
- Huge salad w/ ample protein (usually a clean protein source (chicken or steak,) hard-boiled eggs, cucumber, tomatoes, grass-fed organic cheese, supergreens blend, etc. and a protein/post-workout recovery shake. My all-time favorite protein is this one here!
Dinner:
- H-E-B veggie stir fry cooked in olive oil + butter w/ grass-fed organic chicken thighs
For snacks, I’m typically eating guacamole and blue corn tortilla chips, or fruit, or almonds/cashews, chicken salad made with veganaise, etc.
If you don’t have time to make your food, use a meal plan service to help you out! It’s another one of the 3 ways to set yourself up for a productive week, and totally worth it. My all-time favorite meal plan service is Trifecta! They use all organic ingredients, and the food is the best I’ve tried out of all 4371820348 meal prep services I’ve used. I’ve gotten so many of my friends hooked on it!!
3. Look throughout your week, and set your work hours before the week begins.
I used to be SO bad at working from the time I woke up until the time I went to sleep. I didn’t have limits set for myself, so all I knew to do was work. (Granted I seriously love what I do, but still. There’s got to be some boundaries!) This meant I had no system or routine, and y’all – I thrive with a plan to follow and things I can check off a list. ??
By setting work hours for yourself, you’ll actually be more productive than if you were to work longer, differing hours (or ones that aren’t set in stone) each day. Why? Because you’ll know you need to get done “x” amount of things done by “x” time. A deadline keeps you motivated.
To get started using work hours at home, decide on what hours of the day you’re usually the most productive. (Or if you have another job as a 9-5, then it would be hours outside of that!) Set your work hours for the times you’re usually the most productive/motivated.
Then, at the beginning of your day (prior to when your work hours officially start,) make some coffee and sit down with your planner to evaluate what you need to get done for the day.
I recommend choosing your “big three,” which are the top three things you absolutely need to accomplish that day. Once you officially start your work hours, start tackling your list one by one, starting with the highest priority task on your list first.
At the end of your workday, (the last 30 minutes or so,) flip to tomorrow’s date in your planner and write down the overflow of tasks that you didn’t get done today. These will be what you now need to do tomorrow.) By doing this, you’re setting yourself up for success for the next day!
Implementing these three tips has made an absolute world of a difference for me. This routine really helps me to accomplish all that I *need* to during the week… key word being “need” — and have the freedom to release the rest, and actually rest.
I hope these 3 ways to set yourself up for a productive week, help you so much on your path to creating a balance of sorts between your health, your personal life, and your work life! And as always, comment below if you have any q’s for me!
Be blessed,
Jess
Interested in 1:1 Coaching with me? I’d be both stoked, and honored, to work with you. Schedule your free discovery call below, and we’ll be well on our way to getting you where you want to be.
LOOKING FOR MORE HELPFUL PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS? FEEL FREE TO BINGE ON THESE BLOG POSTS, OR PIN ’EM ON PINTEREST FOR LATER! 
If you’re short on time, follow me on Pinterest – and you’ll get these kinda tips delivered straight to your feed! You know… when you’re scrollin’ through Pinterest with coffee in hand, ready to take on the day… or, procrastinate.
Whatevs. Pinterest biz sesh, anybody!? 
Read the Comments +