Chapter 7 – Consolidate: Plan Your Ideal Week

Design your work to focus on just one thing at a time.

Batching: lumping similar tasks together and doing them in a dedicated block of time

MegaBatching: organizing entire days around similar activities to enable you to stay focused and build momentum.

The 3 categories of activity:

1. Front Stage. The tasks for which you’re hired and paid. The key functions, primary deliverables, the line items on your performance review. If it delivers the results for which your boss and/or customers are paying you, that’s Front Stage work.
2. Back Stage. Includes step-two activities (specifically, elimination, automation, and delegation) plus coordination, preparation, maintenance, and development. The tasks necessary for Front Stage performance.
3. Off Stage. Refers to time when you’re not working. Off Stage is crucial to restoring your energy so you have something to offer when you come back to the stage.

How to plan your ideal week in 3 steps:

1. Stages. Decide for each day if you’ll be Front Stage, Back Stage, or Off Stage. Reserve at least two days for Front Stage.
2. Themes. Indicate what type of activities you’ll do on individual days during certain blocks of time. An easy way to start is to think of the morning, workday, and evening.
3. Activities. Group the individual activities that will fall into those themes.