When it comes to organizing your week, I’m sure it feels like the weeks fly by so quickly that you can’t help but ask yourself, “What did I do last week?” Or, “Where did the time go?” Life seems to get the best of us and soon, before we know it, we’ll be 70 years old and wondering what we have accomplished. We may not feel that time is slipping away, but once we reflect on our memories we tend to appreciate time just a little more.
I’m sure you’ve heard the term ‘Rat Race’. It seems like all we do as Americans is wake up, eat breakfast, go to work, come home, eat dinner, watch TV, and go to bed. The routine starts all over again the next day. It seems like we have become robots that are set on auto-pilot. We gaze into the television screen like there’s no tomorrow. We kiss our spouse goodbye as if we’ll always be able to kiss them goodbye. We go through the motions as if we had no emotions, feelings, or drive.
Reality Check
You deserve to have a fulfilling and rewarding life and marriage. Not one of us are alike. You are unique, beautiful, and compassionate. Don’t allow life to take over. Live your life to your fullest potential and love those that are close to your heart. For you to start living a fulfilling and rewarding life you must plan your weeks and days around what is important and valued in your life. It’s the little things that matter, such as hugging your spouse or taking care of yourself – both mentally and physically.
How to Plan Your Week So You Can Start Living a More Fulfilling and Rewarding Life
- Write down what is most important to you in your life. What are your deepest values and beliefs? What inspires, motivates and gives you hope every single day (even those days of stress and frustration)? What do you envision yourself being and doing 10 years from now?
- Create a schedule every Sunday evening for the upcoming week. Sit down in a quiet place in your home while reflecting on what is most important to you. Have a daily reminder, whether it be on your laptop or on your bathroom mirror, of what is most important in your life.
- While looking at your calendar for the upcoming week, have a pad of paper handy so you can write down notes on tasks, assignments, chores, time for yourself, and time for your spouse.
- Decide what needs to get done, such as assignments, chores, deadlines, and meetings. Put all of this in your calendar. It’s important that you have a set time frame for tasks like going to the grocery store or getting something done for work. We tend to get distracted, so having a set time frame for each will help you stay focused. Understand that things will pop up unexpectedly.
- Create fulfilling routines. Fulfilling routines are routines that will help you live a more fulfilling and rewarding life. These routines are both for your personal care and also for rejuvenating your marriage.
Think of different fulfilling routines that you can start in your life that will make you feel more relaxed, peaceful and happy. This may be walking in the morning, talking with your spouse at the dinner table with the television off, shaving your legs, working out, date nights with your spouse, reading, writing, meditating, spending time with friends, or as simple as enjoying nature. When it comes to living a fulfilling and rewarding life, it’s important to have fulfilling routines that rejuvenate your mind, body, and soul as well as rejuvenating your marriage.
Once you set what needs to get done and fulfilling routines in your calendar, it’s important for you to see this on a daily basis. I suggest that you print out your calendar and have it visible throughout the week. Since most of us have laptops, having the weekly schedule on our screen will be helpful for you to take a look at every time you log in.
Once your weekly schedule is planned and ready to go, I find it really helpful to have my clothes prepared the night before so I don’t filled rushed in the morning. Take a look at the weather for the upcoming week! - At the end of each day, reflect on what you enjoyed doing. This will help you be grateful of each day and ultimately live a more fulfilling life.
On a final note
When you’re at work, be at work. When you’re at home, be at home. In order to live a fulfilling and rewarding life, it’s important to stay focused on what is in front of you. For you to be successful at work, you must be focused on the current task. For you to be successful as a spouse, you must be focused on being a loving and supporting spouse. What are your values and beliefs in life? Live life in alignment with these. Schedule your week around what you most value.
Live with passion!
