This week's weekly review

I've had a couple of very busy weeks as we prepped for an annual event. Rather than clearing the decks I tried to carry on as normal. I scheduled in 1:1s (what was I thinking?) plus a service review meeting. I just saw gaps in my diary. There was so much I didn't manage to get done and now I have a big backlog of stuff to do.

I'm at the point of not being able to see the wood for the trees so I pull out my trusty matrix planner. It's a simple download that I got years ago from secretowl.org. I'm not even sure if that exists any more. It's a 7 x 6 grid. You can use it in many different ways.

The days go down the left hand side. I put different titles at the top of the columns. I've filled in two sheets with things I need to do this week. Some are quick wins, some will take longer. Once I am sure I have everything logged (sometime tomorrow), I'll then schedule some in Twos and in my calendars.

Much as I love Twos sometimes only paper will do. Seeing everything on a single page (or two) reduces the overwhelm.

One of the benefits of paper is that you get to cross things off the list. There's huge satisfaction to be had in that. When the sheet is completely done you can then put it through the shredder as a final hoorah!

For some reason I procrastinate less with paper - I can see the quick wins. Doing them means I can cross something off the list.

Sometimes I'll write down small stuff just so that I can tick it off!

But, also, there are times when you just need to log the small stuff.

I'm trying very hard to keep my writing streak. I'm a bit short on ideas at the moment. I'm short on time and headspace to come up with new ideas. I'm trying to put a process in place to help me but I'm not there yet.

A daily essay is on the grid too.

Fortunately, this week is pretty quiet with not too many meetings. I will be guarding my time ruthlessly!