What would you like to remember?

Use your weekly planning time to identify the upcoming week's highlights

Almost every Thursday, I sit down with my calendar for the next week. I open up a new page in my planner and I figure out what’s most important over the next 168 hours. What should I focus on? What do I need to do? What do I want to do?

When I’m on top of my game, I also ask this: what do I think I will best remember from the next week?

The goal is to figure out, ahead of time, what the week’s highlights will be. That way, I can be sure to look forward to them, savor them while they’re happening, and do something to commit them to memory.

Making memories

Now, some weeks are more ho-hum, but I recently had a week where I got really excited by doing this exercise of identifying the highlights. I was traveling to Florida for a podcasting retreat with my co-host, Sarah Hart-Unger. As part of that, I planned to do a sunrise run on the beach (thanks to the recent time change, this did not require being up all that early!). I was also going to Chicago with my husband for a friend’s 50th birthday party. As part of that kid-free trip, my husband and I were hoping to go to the Art Institute of Chicago. Among other masterpieces, this museum hosts the Thorne Rooms, a collection of 68 miniature scenes. That was definitely going to be a highlight for this miniature enthusiast!

Now of course there were going to be lots of other wonderful things happening (time with Sarah and other friends! deep thinking about the podcast!). But the sunrise beach run and seeing the Thorne Rooms are not regular occurrences in my life, so I wanted to make sure I paid attention and appreciated those things. And I did.

Find a highlight if there isn’t one

As you do your weekly planning, and figure out what you need and want to do over the next week, you might ask yourself this question as well. What will be the week’s highlights? What do you think you will best remember from the week?

Perhaps the week already has some big adventure waiting within it, and that’s great. Or perhaps you will see someone you are close to — spending time with that person will certainly be a highlight.

But if you are looking forward to the next week and don’t see a whole lot that you think will be memorable, this can be your nudge to figure something out. What would you like to have as a highlight? What would you like to remember as you’re looking back on the week? My guess is that if you do some thinking and dreaming you’ll be able to plan something in. Then the week won’t be forgettable — because you’ve created a reason to remember it.

Laura’s note: My next book, Big Time: A Simple Path to Time Abundance, will be released on May 5. If you enjoy my writing, I’d appreciate if you’d pre-order a copy! You can buy the book on Amazon, at Barnes & Noble, through Norton’s website, or at your favorite independent retailer. I would also appreciate if you’d ask your local library to purchase a copy. If you put yourself on the hold list right now you might get to read it first! Thanks for your support.