8 Questions to Transform Your Week

Every Friday, I settle into a small but helpful ritual that’s become a cornerstone of my life-work balance: My weekly preview.

This isn’t your standard to-do list or quick glance at the calendar. It's a thoughtful process focused on eight essential questions.

These questions ensure my upcoming schedule supports what’s truly important: my life.

If you find yourself flying by the seat of your pants, or jumping on back-to-back calls without time for creative work, you’ll benefit from this process.

So today I’m showing you how I conduct my weekly preview.

I hope you’ll steal, adapt, and create your own little Friday ritual.

1. What can I remove from my calendar?

Sometimes my schedule gets crammed with tasks and commitments that, upon reflection, don't serve my bigger goals. So the first step in my process is to identify stuff that needs to be eliminated. By trimming the fat, I make more room for stuff that truly matters.

Elimination is your best friend as a Solopreneur or Creator. Look ahead to make sure you’re not wasting time doing things that don’t support your goals.

2. What's on my calendar that can be automated?

Technology is a blessing. Every week I explore opportunities to automate tasks, with the goal of freeing up valuable time and mental energy.

A perfect example is my newsletter sponsorship. When I began accepting sponsors for this newsletter, it was a clunky, manual process that required a form to be filled out, followed by lengthy back-and-forth emails with the sponsor.

Now?

Buy button → Submission of Copy → Calendar Invite → Newsletter Publication

I save myself 30 minutes a week by having this process automated. And it’s a simple experience for newsletter sponsors too.

3. What's something that should be delegated but isn't?

Delegation is about recognizing the value of your time and passing off tasks that cost you more time than they’re worth.

For example, customer service tickets were something I used to spend 45 minutes on every single day. Invoices, login questions, can’t find something, etc.

Eventually, I outsourced my customer service emails to my virtual assistant, who handles every issue that hits her inbox. She has the time and focus to make sure my customers are happy. And I don’t even have to think about it anymore.

I waited far too long to delegate anything. And I wish I hired her sooner.

4. Is there anything on my calendar that isn't urgent and important?

We often mistake urgent for important. So I scrutinize my calendar to ensure I'm focusing on what's genuinely critical right now.

If a meeting isn’t important at this very moment, I push it 60-90 days down the road to make space for things that are urgent AND important.

5. Can any important meetings be 50% shorter?

Your time is precious, and meetings can usually be much shorter than the suggested calendar time.

If you have a meeting without an agenda, ask for one. You’ll probably find that you can cut the meeting time down significantly.

Do a lot of podcasts? Tell hosts you can’t do 60 or 90 minutes and that 45 minutes is your max. And if you’re the host, apply the same principle.

Most meetings can be halved in length without losing substance or outcomes.

6. How can I get off the computer more?

I don’t want my life to be lived in front of a computer screen. And as someone who makes a living on the computer, that’s a challenge every day.

So I prioritize ways to step away from the screen, engage with the world, and nourish my creativity offline.

I built an entire system for creating content for Twitter and my newsletter, and growing lightning-fast on LinkedIn without spending an exorbitant amount of time online.

7. How can I maximize fun time?

Family time is paramount for me.

In the hustle of solopreneurship, it's really easy to overlook this. So I consciously carve out time for family and fun.

Trips, dinners, middle-of-the-week lunches, comedy shows, and time with friends are prioritized every week.

Fun. I have to have it to keep my creative juices flowing. And funny enough, the more fun I have with family and friends, the more creative ideas I get.

8. Is there anything missing?

After working through the questions above, I reflect on my new-look week ahead.

I’m keeping an eye out for any gaps or opportunities I might have missed on the first pass.

It's a chance to confirm, with 100% certainty, that my schedule aligns with my values and immediate goals.

In Conclusion

This little Friday ritual has become an invaluable tool in my journey as a Solopreneur.

It's more than just organization; it’s a roadmap for continued success as I’ve defined it.

It’s making sure my calendar is aligned with my values, goals, and the realities of running a one-person business.

It also helps acknowledge the challenges of Solopreneurship and provides a practical, yet flexible solution.

Give this process a try, and see if it works for you.

Maybe you don’t need all eight questions. Or maybe some questions are more (or less) relevant to your current situation.

In the end, it’s about having a process to ensure that your life isn’t flying by without stopping to think about whether you’re truly living.

You’ll probably find that you can transform your week, and maybe your life too.

Good luck out there.