I have never, ever, enjoyed filling out daily planners. Having my day regimented into tiny blocks of time just didn’t work for me. I still get anxious thinking about having to do it. If I’m being honest, those generic tools don’t really accomplish much, and if it were up to me I would throw them all deep into the fires of Mount Doom.

Because I couldn’t find a viable solution I convinced myself that I didn’t need anything to help me stay on task throughout the day, the week, and the month ahead. I did this for years and well, it didn’t work. I was always forgetting important things and leading reactively instead of proactively. For a season I even tried to keep up with tasks on sticky notes-that also didn’t work. I knew I needed something, something practical and simple.

A few years ago I went through a life-changing season of leadership coaching and one of the first barriers we addressed was my time management or lack thereof. I begrudgingly admitted that I needed serious help in that area and that I absolutely hated generic planning tools. My leadership coach introduced me to a simple, practical tool called “The Weekly Planning Grid” and challenged me to implement it. The tool quickly checked off all of the boxes. It was simple. It was practical. It was a game-changer.

How does it work? It’s simple really.

• Each day has a purpose (this is actually the most crucial part!)
• Each day is broken into three blocks instead of hourly slots (which leaves space to breathe)
• There are spaces to list big events and crucial meetings (which brings focus)
• There is a place for Sabbath (one of the most important components of this tool as It encourages you to commit to a time of rest in order to recharge)
• It asks you to identify the day of the week that will require the most energy (which we never think about as leaders)
• There is also a place to jot down important items for the upcoming week as well as the upcoming month (which leads to proactive planning instead of reactive adjusting)

Best of all, it’s digital. You can access it from your phone, your tablet, or your computer. You can even print it out if needed.

Hundreds of leaders have implemented the “Weekly Planning Grid” into their weekly rhythms and have experienced game-changing results. Yes, it’s possible to control your schedule instead of it controlling you. If you’re like me and desire a practical tool to help manage your time and energy then take your next right step and implement the “Weekly Planning Grid”.