Grow you confidence by designing your weeks with purpose

Or if you want, you can call them Little Weekly CEO Retreats!

Writing a book is already a daunting project, not to mention growing your author platform, publishing your books, and marketing them all year round!

It’s safe to say if we authors don’t have some measure of structure, our world turns chaotic and fast.

This is why, every Sunday I take an hour of my day (thank you, Robin Sharma, for your teachings), to quickly work through six questions to help me measure my past week and plan my new week accordingly.

“Better awareness leads to better choices leads to better results.” - Robin Sharma

So true!

Imagine you doubled, tripled, or quadrupled your word count just by reviewing your progress every week? Wouldn't that be awesome? Yes!

"An hour of planning can save you 10 hours of doing." - Dale Carnegie

So, if you’re ready to become more confident in your days and strengthen your commitment to your author goals, then grab your notebook and start working through these questions!

WEEKLY REVIEW QUESTIONS

(Ask yourself:)

1. Am I still on track with my top three goals?

How many words did I write this week? How many chapters did I edit? How many subscribers signed up to my email list?

Whatever your goals, if you’re on track, great! How does that feel? If you’re not, think about what happened this week that might have thrown you off track and write it down. This will allow you to spot patterns later on.

2. Where do I need to pivot and adjust?

In other words, what needs to get done to get me back on track? Block out more time? Book a weekend alone in a hotel? Hike a mountain for inspiration?

Jot down your thoughts!

3. Where did I struggle this week?

This can be anything from lack of energy to the flu to OPD (Other People’s Dramas) sucking up your time! As you progress with your weekly reviews, you will easily be able to spot recurring patterns and then act to interrupt them as they occur. (Better awareness leads to better choices leads to better results!)

If you’re lucky or living in an alternate reality, your weeks run smoothly!

4. Where did I shine this week?

I love this question! It makes me smile just reading it! Where did you shine this week? And you shined, darlin'! Probably brighter than you imagine!

What were your wins? This can be from any area of your life. A win is a win! Maybe you hiked a mountain you always wanted to hike. Maybe you contributed to society. Maybe your book got a glowing five-star review or hit a list.

Oftentimes we get so stuck on what's not going right that we forget to be in the moment and celebrate what's going great!

5. What decisions do I need to make this week?

Indecision causes exhaustion. It saps our creative energy. One of the best ways to combat indecisiveness and free up precious space in your mind is to tackle decisions head-on.

Ask yourself: What decision am I struggling with or dawdling on right now? Choosing a publishing date? Hiring an editor? A divorce lawyer?

Write them all down. This way, you can’t push them to the back of your mind anymore. Commit to resolving them!

6. What three things, if they were accomplished, would make it a truly exceptional week?

I’m in love with this question. It prompts you to envision your coming week as truly exceptional. Very powerful!

(I got this question from Robin Sharma’s The Everyday Hero Manifesto. Amazing book!)

Well, that's it! Once you’ve reviewed your week, it’s time to schedule accordingly. I use Asana for scheduling tasks as well as a good old paper planner to cover all my bases!

What do you think? What questions you would remove or add to the list?