Hi everyone,

This week’s newsletter was carefully timed. It’s Thursday. For most of us this means we are moving toward the end of the week, but we are not there yet. There is still time. Time for what?

Time to prepare to end this week really well, and to prepare for a great week next week (and as a bonus have a wonderful weekend). This doesn’t mean giving up on this week - I hope you are still intensely committed to achieving what matters most this week, and that you will do so with optimal effort.

But it does mean that part of that must be facing the constraints of the time available, and especially making time for what has become for me the most important hour of the week - my Friday WRAP (weekly reflection and planning).

Sounds like a nice-to-have, and for a long time I treated it like that. But treat it as optional and you'll typically end your week poorly, have a worse weekend, and start your next week behind (or at least feeling behind).

The evidence associated with this is not directly for this intervention, but as I talk about in the video, it has reasonable grounding in cognitive and performance science, and it has felt remarkable when I’ve taken the time to do it well (remarkable in making me feel more grounded, relaxed and yet prepared for high performance in the coming week).

Fine, so what exactly do you have to do? I review more of the why and the detailed steps (and how you can do it in the platform if you want) in the video, but you don’t need much more than some time and your calendar. Here it is in a nutshell:

• block of an hour - an immovable meeting with yourself tomorrow (Friday)
  • 10am-11am probably best
  • 2pm-3pm next best (and the most common time I do it)
• Then in that hour
  • first, reflect on your week
    • blank paper thinking first (your gestalt, top of mind)
      • what didn’t go so well (you will easily remember these)
        • okay, what is the next step, or how would you do it better next time
      • what did go well (suprisingly often hard to remember)
        • do you notice any new strengths you have
        • how might you do more of this in the coming week
    • then, how did you spend your time
      • review your calendar
      • rough calculations - on what projects, requests, apps
        • the right amounts, too much, too little
    • then, what didn’t you get to?
      • and how much time would you like to spend on that this coming week
  • Second, don’t dive into planning yet, take a breath, and think first about what an ideal week would be like next week
    • by ideal, I don’t mean vacation (unless you will be), think about within the constraints you have, what would an awesome week look and feel like
    • capture some of this
    • and then think about how you might become the person who had that kind of week (mental contrasting)
    • and what obstacles there might be, and if that, then you will … (implementation intentions)
  • Finally, make a plan within the constraints you have (time, obligations, unknowns)
    • especially important here is blocking time on your calendar to do what matters to you
    • and block off some buffer or flex time (there will be craziness in the week - this helps you deal well with that).

This is hard work - be ready for it. If you do it well, it bears much greater dividends.

If your week next week is already full of other obligations, then prepare to flow well through that, book as much buffer and recharge as you can to stay as high performance as you can, AND block out the following week to help you have a great week then. The sooner you do it, the more likely you’ll be able to take control of that future week.

Book your WRAP time now! And then let me know how it went.

I cover the WRAP in a lot more detail in this video:

​

​
I’m just starting to do more videos, so would greatly appreciate it if you took a look, and sent me some comments, or shared it (if you liked it).

Yours in flow,
Narath.
Founder, MakeTimeFlow - what the heck is MakeTimeFlow? (5-min video)
Fastest read — my latest post: Friends Don’t Let Friends Get A-High
Longest (and hopefully most valuable): The AI Productivity Paradox
Latest video - The New Map in MakeTimeFlow - A Deeply Coherent Way to Do Good and Live a Rich Life (Youtube)