20 Years, 20 Lessons: How to Plan Your Week for Success

Whether you work in recruitment, IT, marketing, or any leadership role, learning how to plan your week (and even your month) can dramatically transform how you manage your workload and stress levels. As an IT Specialist recruitment consultant and a company director, I can’t highlight enough the immense benefits of planning your week in advance for success. 

Most of us know the positive effect of good planning on workload, how it boosts productivity, and how it improves team dynamics. However, only a few leaders realise the positive impact it also has on well-being. Learn more about how the positive effect of your planning to succeed in a demanding role. 

How to Plan Your Week to Get More Done

As a business owner, setting clear objectives for the week is not just about listing tasks; it’s about allocating resources and important jobs and strategically aligning the tasks with your long-term goals. 

Picture your company’s existing roadmap, with different tasks involving different people and areas of your business. Successful leaders plan their strategy to know which goals every person or department should achieve every month. When your team knows what is expected of them every month, they can easily plan individual actions and their week accordingly, breaking their tasks to reach their monthly goals. 

Planning Means Less Stress and Anxiety for Managers

Creating a schedule reduces wasted time and prevents you from forgetting important tasks. It also organises your priorities for the week, significantly reducing stress and anxiety. Knowing what’s ahead allows me to manage expectations and adjust workflows accordingly. 

For our IT recruitment consultants, a well-planned week means fewer surprises and more time for meaningful interactions with candidates and clients. It also allows us to act agilely, changing plans when something happens that needs our urgent attention. 

Planning will Help You Become a Better Leader 

One of the most critical skills in leadership is knowing when and what to delegate. Planning helps Nick and I identify what tasks for the week require our undivided attention and which can be delegated. Learning to delegate is as much about freeing up your time as it is about encouraging your team to develop their skills and self-confidence.

You Must Use Technology and AI Tools Wisely

Leveraging technology for planning is a no-brainer. Some of us at Adria use a simple calendar app, while others prefer sophisticated project management tools. Planning tools offer reminders, track progress, facilitate collaboration across different functions or avoid distractions.

My advice when you’re looking at how to plan your week efficiently is to use whatever option works for you and your team, whether it’s a weekly planner on paper where you check your tasks, a mountain of Post-its, or a complex AI-automated app that synchronises on all devices.  

Learn to Disconnect and Recharge

Perhaps one of the most overlooked aspects of planning is how it helps you maintain work-life balance. I always like to leave some time to plan on Friday afternoon to reflect on the past week and work on the following weekly work plan.

By having a clear cut-off point at the end of the week, I can disconnect and recharge, knowing that the upcoming week I’ll start my Monday morning full of energy and jump right to the first task on my calendar. 

My Advice to Other Leaders: Choose What Battles to Fight

It’s not about filling every moment of your day with tasks but about choosing the right ones, knowing you cannot fight all the battles alone. Trust your team, start your week with a plan, and watch how it improves overall productivity, staff morale, communication, and cross-team collaboration. 

Let’s continue the conversation on social media! Follow the Adria Solutions page and connect with me, David Berwick, to talk about how to plan your week ahead, share some tips, discuss your long term plans and start planning how Adria can help you source the talent to make them possible.