Setting Your Week Up for Success

Written by Dara Sweatt

One thing I hear A LOT (and have said to myself at one point) was that I ‘don’t have time’. But really what that now translates to me is “I don’t prioritize my time wisely enough to do what is necessary to achieve the goals I claim I have”. See how big of a difference that makes? 

I get it, life is crazy and busy and there is always something, but until you really start to prioritize and set yourself up for success on a weekly basis, you are only enabling that behavior. 

Here are the things that I do each week to set myself up for success:

WORKOUT PLANNING

• Whether you go to a group fitness gym that has class times or an open gym, scheduling your workouts ahead of time can make navigating the fitness part of your journey a hell of a lot easier. 

  • If you’re at a group fitness gym:

    • Pick the day

    • Pick the time

    • Show up

  • If you’re at an open gym:

    • Pick the day

    • Pick the time

    • Show up

• Most open gyms have trainers or employees you could ask for guidance of different types of workouts or simply go on Pinterest or YouTube and look for simple workouts to follow.

  • Remember to ALWAYS be safe and protect your back, knees, shoulders, etc. Ask someone nearby to watch your form if you are unsure.

MEAL PLANNING/PREPPING

• Every weekend, I get out a notebook or use my notes app on my phone and I write out my meal expectations for the week. I use to write down the days and meals each day, but realized that sometimes, I’m just not in the mood for that specific meal at that specific time, so instead, I categorize my meals in the following way:

  • Breakfast Options

  • Lunch Options

  • Dinner Options

  • Snack Options

• Under each category, I write up to 2-3 options so I have a few things to choose from and then I make my grocery list according to the meal options. 

  • Something I have found that makes meal planning easier and the grocery bill lower, is to check your fridge, freezer, and pantry for items you already have that you can incorporate into your week.

  • Another great way to save on the bill, is to look at sale items ahead of time and curate your meal plan around what is on sale. 

• PRO TIP: If I am traveling over the weekend and legit have no time to meal prep, I’ll order from a meal prep service. We have a FANTASTIC one in Jacksonville called Island Fresh Meals. If you’re not in the area, do some research and see if you can find one! If you don’t have one nearby, I would recommend choosing grocery items that are pre-cooked so you can piece them together as you go. 

PROFESSIONAL PLANNING

• Each week, BEFORE MONDAY, I take some time to sit with my calendars and go over what I have going on for the week. For the most part, each week is structurally the same and through years of practice, I’ve honestly gotten my week agendas down to a Tee.

• If there is anyone out there who understands a busy, professional lifestyle, it is ya girl. Between my main job, side job, and the MANY projects I get involved in, keeping a structured plan in place is SO important. 

  • Something I have learned over the years that has really helped my anxiety and stress has been to give myself some wiggle room in my planning. 

  • Add an extra 15-30 minutes to the top or bottom of the block just in case someone is running late or I hit traffic or even something like a workout knocking the wind out of me and needing an extra few minutes to calm myself down. 

  • Each day, put the top 3-5 things you absolutely have to get done and then add in 3-4 things that you could work on to get ahead on something. 

SOCIAL LIFE PLANNING:

• This was something I really struggled with in the beginning of my journey. As I’m sure some of you can tell, I have QUITE the social life. (I have been to 7 weddings in the past year, 3 of which I was IN and still have three more on the calendar for 2022). So this really took some deep thinking and planning how to incorporate.

• A couple things I learned about this portion that really helped me:

  • You don’t need to neglect your social life and spending time with friends/family, but you also cannot make it your priority.

  • If you have a big project at work and an upcoming deadline, your favorite local wine spot will be there next week, reschedule or wait until you have a more relaxed time so you can ENJOY the night and not feel guilty or pressured the whole time. 

  • Being in a relationship takes TIME and EFFORT and giving those things to your partner is imperative or the relationship will suffer and/or end. COMMUNICATE to them when you have a heavy workload on your plate and plan things in advance so the both of you have something to look forward to. 

    • Even if you just schedule a workout together or plan to cook a meal together or even meal prep together, that can go a LONG way.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

• My career is very important to me, so I do manipulate my workouts and my side projects to fit in around that and at first, balancing everything was VERY difficult. It took a lot of time, patience, and discipline to develop the routines I’ve put in place for myself and I am constantly growing and having to adjust in different ways. 

• Here’s what you gotta do:

  • Make a meal plan, order the groceries, and prepare the food. 

  • Schedule the workouts, put them in INK and treat them as an appointment that you CANNOT miss. 

  • Work on your projects in the orders of the deadlines.

  • Make time for your loved ones.

    • Allow your people to help fuel your tank. Hug them, laugh with them, cheers to whatever and enjoy the balanced life.

• Practicing this lifestyle has not only improved my overall health, but my finances have succeeded as well because I am not mindlessly spending money on food or going out. Everything I do has a purpose (for the most part, we are not perfect over here). I know this can work for you too, if you do it and find the groove that works best for your lifestyle. 

You. Got. This.