Happy Monday 🌞

I’m in the middle of hiring season at work right now — something that doesn’t happen often but always absorbs more time and energy than I expect. Between reviewing candidates, scheduling interviews, and keeping my other projects moving, hiring reminds me why one system in particular has become non-negotiable for me: weekly planning.

If you joined recently, hi 👋 I’m Hailley. I’ve always created systems for my work (as a Marketing leader at Buffer) and life (as a remote worker and mom of two) where I can stay productive, calm, and organized.

I spend a decent amount of time creating and optimizing systems for myself. Part of it is that I genuinely enjoy it — my brain loves this kind of thing. But the more meaningful reason is that these systems have had a real impact on my life. Planning better, remembering accomplishments, making the most of my journal — these help me level up as a person and feel more calm overall.

Of all the systems I use, weekly planning is the one that ties many pieces together. It’s where my daily journal, my voice note reflections, my goals, and my to-do list all meet. Every Sunday, I spend about 30 minutes reviewing the previous week and setting intentions for the one ahead.

Here’s what that looks like:

1️⃣ Review the previous week. Close out the week by reflecting on what went well and where I can improve — including running my voice note transcripts through AI to spot patterns I might have missed.

2️⃣ Align goals and priorities. I look at my goals for the year and my current work priorities to make sure I'm keeping the big picture in mind.

3️⃣ Set 1-2 priorities per area. Set focused priorities for work, personal, and side projects. This helps me not try to do everything at once.

4️⃣ Review my calendar and to-do list. Make sure my tasks are spread across the right days and my calendar supports my priorities (and is realistic).

During a season like hiring, this planning time is what keeps me from letting everything else quietly slip. It forces me to be realistic about what I can actually accomplish in a week where interviews are taking up half my calendar.

I recently updated my full blog post on weekly planning with more details on each step: → Read the full post here​

And if you’d like to try this yourself, here’s the Notion template I use: → Grab the weekly planning template​

This one change in choosing to take an intentional moment to plan for the week ahead has turned into a cherished ritual for me. Not only do I feel more calm and intentional, I know I am moving towards what I want to achieve in work and in life. I hope it can do the same for you!

I hope you have a lovely week ahead. ✨

See you next week,

Hailley

P.S.: I’ve built out several templates based on the last few newsletters. If you missed them, here’s the main page for my Notion templates.

• We have a few exciting open roles at Buffer, most notably an Operations and Automations Specialist to work on our People team, and a Senior Data Scientist who would work on our Marketing team. Apply soon if you are a fit for either of these roles!
• So I built a custom GPT that reviews and refines Marketing content to match Buffer’s brand voice. Here’s how I did it.
• One small addition to my weekly planning is that I like to track progress for the year. I’ve mentioned this before and when I posted about that, Aiza Coronado was inspire to build a website tracking the year’s progress. It’s way prettier than what I was using before! (We still have 87% of the year to go, which is great news!)

“Creating positive rituals is the most powerful means we have found to effectively manage energy in the service of full engagement.” - The Power of Full Engagement​

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