When you work for yourself, time management is equal parts freedom and responsibility. No one is standing over your shoulder with a checklist or setting deadlines. It’s just you—and all the things that need to get done.
The good news? A weekly workflow doesn’t need to be complicated to keep you steady. In fact, the simpler it is, the more likely you are to actually stick with it.
Step 1: Choose a Weekly Anchor Point
Start by choosing one day and time each week to plan ahead. This is your anchor point. For some, it’s Friday afternoon to close out the week with clarity. For others, it’s Sunday evening or Monday morning to start fresh. My personal preference is to start my week with this on Monday.
The important part is consistency. By returning to this same anchor point every week, your planning habit becomes automatic.
Step 2: Review Your Master List
I use a ‘brain dump’ method to add any new tasks (with deadlines) to my Master List for each client, and for my own business and personal life. This happens when they first appear on my desk—or in my brain.
Each Monday, I review those lists and select the items that will move to the to-do list for the week ahead. These include:
- Projects in progress
- Tasks with upcoming deadlines
- Personal responsibilities
- Small admin tasks that can slip through the cracks
Meetings and appointments go on the calendar as soon as they are created. My Monday morning review also includes a scan of the calendar to see what is scheduled for the week ahead.
Step 3: Sort Into Buckets
Not every task is equal. Divide your list into three simple buckets:
- Must-do this week (non-negotiables with deadlines)
- Should-do this week (important, but a little flexible)
- Nice-to-do this week (bonus tasks if time allows)
This prevents overwhelm and keeps you focused on the essentials first.
Step 4: Assign a Home
Now that you know what matters most, assign each task a home:
- Calendar for appointments and fixed-time tasks
- Task manager, notebook, or ClickUp/Trello board for flexible tasks (I personally use ClickUp)
- Post-it on your desk for your top three priorities of the day
By giving each task a home, you don’t waste energy deciding where it belongs later.
Step 5: Build a Daily Rhythm
Your workflow isn’t just weekly—it lives in your daily rhythm. A simple pattern could look like this:
Morning: Deep work on big projects
Afternoon: Meetings, collaboration, and admin
End of day: Quick review and reset for tomorrow
Stick to broad time blocks, not rigid schedules. This keeps things structured without feeling suffocating. Some people love time-blocking, but I’ve found it more useful to keep my weekly list at hand and work in blocks by client as deadlines approach.
Step 6: Review and Adjust
At your next weekly anchor point, look back:
What got done easily?
What dragged on your energy?
What fell off the list entirely?
Adjust your buckets and rhythm as you go. A good system is one you refine, not one you follow blindly.
Why This Works
Because it’s simple. You’re not building an elaborate color-coded system that takes more time to maintain than it saves. You’re giving yourself a clear starting point each week, a way to prioritize, and a rhythm that fits real life.
When you’re your own boss, this kind of steady framework keeps you moving forward without the burnout of trying to do it all at once. Start small, keep it simple, take one step at a time, and watch how much smoother your week feels.
If you’d like help turning this into a practical system for yourself, I’d love to chat. I offer a free 30-minute consult where we can look at what’s on your plate and figure out the next best step for you. Book your consult here.
