A week in the life of…

This week hasn’t gone to plan for me, at all.

Work has been busy with lots going on meaning that I’ve had to step in for some extra hours across the week. The good thing is we got through it, just. But it has left little time away from work to get pick up on my writing, or some of my learning.

That’s life sometimes, and you have to roll with the punches.

But it has made me think about my week, and what structure I have to keep on track of things. My planning and organisation are a key system that keeps me going. It means that I can concentrate on the creativity rather than finding what I’m going to work on, even if it is at a different time to when planned.

So, what does a week a productive week of creativity look like for me…

Monday

I’ve already set my Weekly Quote Drop video to go live, and to be shared to my social media channels. I try to find quotes that give me a little kick at the start of the week, and look for a wide range of quoters to utilise.

The start of the week is long my day in the office, but this gets me set off on the right track with work.

I can then spend my evening planning and writing a couple of articles ready for publishing on Tuesday and Thursday. After they’re finished, I’ll schedule for them to go live at the right time, and then set them up to be shared to my social media channels with Buffer While on buffer, I’ll also make sure my main video is ready for publishing on YouTube on Wednesday, and for the links to be shared on social media.

Buffer is a really useful tool as I can control and schedule pretty much all of my social media channels in one place. The schedule means that I can share the same content on different channels throughout the day automatically.

I then finish the day off by reading or listening to an audiobook, and making some notes on anything relevant.

Tuesday

A bit quieter for me, but I use this as chance to get some planning work done, thinking about any upcoming articles and/or videos. I’ll also try and get stuck into a Skillshare lesson in the evening, or at least catch up on any YouTube videos to watch.

Again, I finish off the day with a bit of reading.

Wednesday

I set my YouTube videos to go live on Wednesday afternoons, so will always just make sure that it has gone live and shared to social media as planned. I’ll then try and get a bit more writing done in the evening, I like to have an article or two in the bank in case I get caught up with something else.

And guess what, I finish off with some more reading as this is a habit I’m trying really hard to develop.

Thursday

I plan to get another article shared on Thursdays, meaning that so far this week, I have my Weekly Quote Drop and main YouTube video, and two articles shared. This means that I have got a far amount of my work out there. My wife generally works later on a Thursday, so this means I get a bit of 1-2-1 time with my son. Once he’s in bed, I can then pick up on a Skillshare or carry on with some planning; whatever is a greater priority.

Then again, I finish with some reading. I love finishing the day with some reading or listening to an audiobook. It keeps my knowledge levels up, but also helps me unwind before bed time. This is why I”m trying to turn it into a habit.

Friday

If my week has gone well, and I have some content in ready to go, I get another an articles shared. But at the same time it’s not a necessity for me. I’m happy with 2 videos and 2 articles.

I try to get away earlier on a Friday (after my long Monday), and use this as a time to get some filming or editing done for the next week or two. Again, I like to have a video ready so if something comes up I’m not filming editing and posting in one session.

I’ve also been reading up on the benefits of twitter threads, so this is something that I am looking at and will try to incorporate on a Friday.

My latest addition is that I am creating a weekly newsletter. I’ve gone for Revue as I love how it interacts with twitter and how it is so easy for me build the content. I’m planning an article on it, so will share it soon enough!

And you guessed it, I finish with some reading in the evening

Saturday

The only thing I plan to do today is any filming or editing that I couldn’t get done on Friday. It’s not always needed, but it’s good to know that I have some time here if I need to.

We always try to go for a nice long walk as a family on Saturday’s so I try to keep a fair chunk of time free. Finding a balance between creating, work and family time is difficult, but that’s why I put a lot of time and effort into my productivity systems. I want to make the most of my time, rather than wasting hours throughout the week.

My habit tracker for reading is not set for Saturdays, but sometimes I do read just because I enjoy it!

Sunday

I try to keep my Sundays relatively clear if I’m honest.

I play baseball in the morning, and will make the most of some family time and getting ready for the week ahead. If I feel inspired, then I may make some notes on an article or video I have been thinking about, and I’ll also get my tools ready for the week ahead.

The only thing I need to do is set up my Weekly Quote Drop for sharing, but that doesn’t take me long.

Sundays are usually a bit more relaxed, so I take some time to catch up with any new YouTube videos or anything else that has caught my attention throughout the week.

Now, the only thing I haven’t touched on, but that I do every day is fill out my journal. This just helps keep me more aware of how I am doing, and what I can do to ensure that I am firing on all cylinders.

I love having this structure throughout the week, as it is an easy to understand process that I can constantly refer to. And because I try to keep the process the same, I hope that it will become habitual over time.