Planning the Week Together

BY : HANNAH HUTTON

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Isn’t it wild how quickly a week goes by? Time has always seemed to sneak by quickly, and since becoming a mom, it’s like time some days are gone before I can even reheat my coffee.

Having a plan of sorts helps me approach the week with a clear mindset. Not planning in the sense of every hour being accounted for (that sounds stressful, especially with two under 2 in my home), but the kind where there is room for spontaneity and surprises while also having a tether to what matters most in the next 7 days.  

I thrive, my husband thrives, and our kids thrive the most when we glance at our upcoming week together as a team. I would even argue that planning our week sets us up for relational success too. There is less chance for misunderstanding and stress to sneak in.

We both get to bring up things we have on our minds: dinner date with a girlfriend, appointment for one of our kids, the need for some time alone, etc. We chat through things like how much time we will have together, what we will do for date night, what fun family activity we can plan for, what nights we will be eating at home and what nights we will eat with friends. 

This little meeting gives us a 30,000ft view before the week begins of what to expect and how we can best support each other. 

So, what does this practically look like? 

Before we begin, we choose a day of the week to have this meeting. We jokingly call it our “estate meeting” even though we definitely do not have an estate, but it makes it more fun for us! We like to do our meeting on Saturday mornings.

1. First, we look at last week:  

2. Next, we look at our calendar:

• What things do we have happening this week?
• What appointments, bill deadlines, or photo sessions do I have coming up?
• What long term goals or projects are we working on that we can chip away at this week?
• What margin are we leaving for family time?
• Is there anything we need to say no to this week to protect that family time?
• Who are we inviting over for dinner this month? Is this week a good time for that?

You can make this step as in depth or as simple as you’d like. Some people love details, and for some it’s too much information. We like to be a bit more in depth. Sometimes, if it’s a heavier load at work for Ben, he will let me know when he has meetings and will be unavailable. That could be considered a more in depth overview. Whatever is best for your personalities, do that!

3. Next, we chat through what nights we will be eating at home and what nights we will eat out. We typically have our small group on Tuesday nights and date night on Wednesdays. This means we won’t be eating at home Tuesday for dinner and  sometimes we will eat out for date night, so that impacts my meal planning! 

4. Then, we establish who is on date night planning duty! We switch off every other week. It could be something as simple as bringing the mattress into the living room for a movie night with homemade popcorn or going out to one of our favorite restaurants downtown!

5. After that, we look at our budget. We like saying that a budget is permission to spend. It shows us that we have money to spend on things like dinner out and  a fun double date night, but also helps us stay in line with our dollar limit so we can continue on towards our long term financial goals in the process! 

6. Lastly, my favorite part — ask your spouse how you can best support them in what they have going on this week. Maybe it’s making your husband’s lunch on Wednesday because he has to be in early and has a very long day ahead (throw a note in reminding him of something you love about him!). Maybe you’d like a foot rub after a long day of appointments with the kids on Thursday. It can be anything!

That’s it! Pretty simple yet it has quite the impact in our home. It gives us purpose in our days, helps us chip away at long term goals by viewing them in bite sized pieces, and helps us remember we are on the same team and can walk through the week as such because we both are clued in on the game plan. 

Check out this template below to help guide your weekly meeting!