Good morning and welcome to the first edition of Success Starts Sunday, a fast and easy newsletter to provide some insights to jumpstart your week. Each Sunday, we will provide a quick note with information, tools, thoughts, and nuggets that will help your week be more successful.  

So… Why Sunday?  

I recently heard a statement that I believe summarizes my thoughts: “Why spend the weekend escaping a life you don’t want instead of using it to build the life you want?”  

Whether you spend time early in the morning on Sunday (my preference), or in the afternoon when some others might be napping, or in the evening before you crash for the night, spending an hour or so making sure you are set up for the week is critical. Without a plan, it is like a road-trip with no map. It might be a fun journey, but you’ll not arrive at an intended outcome.  

My Sunday process is pretty simple:  

  1. Determine the top priorities for the week. I suggest doing this from a to-do list and not from your calendar, as your calendar doesn’t likely align with the outcomes that you want and/or need. This should include both the business and personal priorities you have for the week. This could (and should) include time for project work to achieve bigger objectives, necessary team or individual conversations, personal commitments and errands, preparation time for meetings, and any other objectives that you need to complete to ensure the week moves you towards your long-term goals.  
  2. Then review your schedule to ensure you have time set aside to achieve the outcomes that are necessary. This will often require shifting or canceling meetings, rescheduling, or moving appointments to ensure a successful week. I focus on making sure my calendar helps and isn’t a hindrance to the goals. I also focus on working on certain projects during the right time of day to ensure the best outcome. My most focused time is first thing in the morning, so that is where I try to work on big projects, writing, individual time. Mid-morning and afternoons are better for meetings, travel, etc.  
  3. Complete any prep work for the meetings/conversations that you need to have to maximize your time that week. This could be for a one-on-one meeting, customer meeting, or a leadership meeting that requires some pre-work.  
  4. Determine who you may need to communicate with to ensure the objectives are on track. This could be people impacted by your shifting schedule or those whom you will be meeting with to share information in advance, or to ensure alignment for a meeting.  

These four steps help me to make sure my week will at least start off in the right direction to produce the results that I want and/or need to achieve.  

What process do you have to start the week off right?