Setting Weekly Goals That Drive Daily Actions

I helped a COO cut delivery delays by 92% with one focused, 30 minute review a week. But it didn’t start that way. When I first met him, the teams were spending hours a week talking about priorities and alignment. They didn’t need that much time, They just didn’t know any different. Before I begin, a few terms I want you to be familiar with: Big Rocks - These are the most important goals of the week. We specify them, give a good definition of done, go over any questions, and then delegate them. Blockers - Anything that makes our big rocks impossible. These must be cleared ASAP. Openings - Optimizations that come up during our review, and are worth pursuing at this time. If they’re good ideas, but not worth pursuing now, we can still list them without an owner. With those out of the way, here is my condensed agenda for the most important meeting of the week: 1. Review last week Go over each Big Rock with the owner, as well as its status. If it’s still in progress, the owner should have an estimated completion date. If it’s too big to estimate, it’s too big of a rock. Chip it down. If it’s blocked, a fix needs to be identified and assigned with a deadline (more on that later). 2. Decide this week’s big rocks These are high leverage activities that will make everything else you do easier. They should be needle movers, not just busy work. As each is decided, discuss them in enough depth that everyone knows what the ideal outcome is, and how they can help deliver it. Clearly assign one owner to each rock. Confirm that they understand the outcome, and that all their questions have been answered. Document a clear first step so everyone knows how the ball is going to get rolling. 3. Blockers As you’re discussing past and future rocks, blockers will surface. These MUST be documented and assigned with clear deadlines. They should be assigned to the person who can clear them and 80% of the time that should NOT be you. If you’re having blockers assigned to you often, have someone shadow you on them a few times so you can eventually delegate to them. 4. Openings Throughout the discussions, opportunities for optimizations will also come up. These should only be pursued if 1) an attendee (not you) volunteers to take them on, and has the bandwidth to do so, or 2) they clearly tie back to a bigger objective that is already present. These are stretch goals unless they specifically become big rocks. Once they’re agreed on, assign an owner to them along with a clear next step so there’s a push to get the ball rolling. It may take a few times before ownership reviews like this become natural, but they are the single highest leverage activity you can do in only 30 minutes. I’ve even seen good reviews even start to replace the need for some of the other weekly meetings! 📌 Comment “Review” and I’ll send you my complete guide so you can start saving time too!

Your brain isn’t broken. Your week is. That line changed how I run my week. 7 Systems That Help Me Run My Week Without Burning Out Here’s what keeps me productive without running on fumes: 1. The Weekly Reset (Every Sunday) • Review calendar & remove non-essentials • Set 1 clear intention per day • Pre-load key tasks into time blocks → Clarity before the week begins prevents chaos later. 2. Block Before You Book • Deep work goes on the calendar first • Meetings fill in after priorities are set • No-call zones protect focused time → Time isn’t just managed. It’s protected. 3. Task Triage (Daily) • Ask: Do it, delegate it, or defer it? • End each day with a clean next-day list • Keep only 3 must-dos daily → Momentum comes from fewer, clearer priorities. 4. Context-Based To-Do Lists • Separate lists for admin, creative, calls, meetings • Match tasks to your energy zone • Batch similar items to reduce mental switching → Your brain works better when it works with rhythm. 5. Calendar Color Coding • Green = strategy | Yellow = meetings | Blue = admin • Visual balance check at a glance • Audit every Friday for adjustments → If your week looks off, it probably is. 6. Team Check-In Rituals • Monday = goals | Wednesday = blockers | Friday = wins • Keep updates tight and structured • Use the same format every week → Aligned teams move faster, with less friction. 7. Energy Over Efficiency • Morning = deep work zone • Afternoons = collaboration & creative tasks • Plan breaks with intention (not guilt) → Your energy is your most limited resource. Protect it.Overwhelm usually isn’t volume. It’s structure. Systems give your brain room to think, not just react Follow me, Kinza Azmat for more!

I'm excited to share my system for staying productive all day, every day. This system allowed me to sell over $100M in my B2B sales career, then build a 7 figure coaching business working an average of 40 hours/week. Most importantly, my nights and weekends are free to spend with my family. Here's are the 3 simple steps I take every single week: Step 1: Complete a Weekly Plan & Scorecard at the beginning of each week On Monday mornings (or Sunday evening), I print and fill out a Weekly Plan & Scorecard. On this document, I write down all the important tasks and action items I aspire to get done that week in no particular order. I then rank each task in order of priority, typically prioritizing RGA's (Revenue Generating Activities) for my business. I originally took this scorecard from a book called the 12 Week Year, then adapted it to include a "Rank" column, which allows me to prioritize each action item. Prioritizing the Action Items allows me to know where to start every day, and prevents me from getting overwhelmed. Step 2: Daily Task Blocking in Calendar Whitespace At the beginning of each weekday, I fill up all the whitespace on my calendar for that day with high priority tasks taken directly from the Weekly Plan & Scorecard. This ensures that the most important tasks for the week get done first and eliminates daily decision fatigue. The key is to put the specific tasks on your calendar so there's no empty space. If for some reason any tasks on the calendar don't get completed for that day, I move them to the next day in any open whitespace. Step 3: Weekly Scoring At the end of each week, I score my performance using the simple formula: Tasks Completed / Tasks Written Down = Score % My goal is to score 85% or higher each week, although admittedly there are many weeks where I fall short. If there are any tasks that didn't get completed that week, they get moved to the following week. I rinse and repeat this process every single week. This ensures that I SHOW UP every single day, and stay productive throughout the entire work week. Additional keys to success include: 1. Taking short breaks when you feel mentally drained. Stretching, a short walk, and standing desk do wonders to change your state. 2. Minimize the number of daily meetings on your calendar (4 or less is optimal) to stay focused and ensure you have enough whitespace to get deep work done. 3. Give yourself an hour lunch to break up the work day. Every day I have lunch with my wife, and that's also on the calendar. 4. Do one thing at a time 5. If you have an unproductive day, forgive yourself. Of course, this is all easier said than done... That's why next week, in our 2nd *Transformation Tuesday* LIVE training session, I'm going to walk you through exactly how to leverage The 12 Week Year (and Weekly Scorecard) to transform your productivity and your life. Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/gsPsq2XR Only 500 spots available due to Zoom webinar limit!

This is the productivity system I used at Microsoft to have better weeks: I created the Agile Results productivity system for individuals, teams, and leaders to 10X their productivity. I used it to be on time, on budget high impact as a Program Manager at Microsoft leading multi-million dollar projects and teams around the world. And my Mom used it to paint her house. And doctors have used it in emergency scenarios around the world to triage and prioritize their work. I've taught my productivity system across Microsoft and beyond to help people master their productivity in work and life. The backbone of Agile Results is the Monday Vision, Daily Wins, Friday Reflection pattern: 1. 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: What are 3 Wins for This Week? 2. 𝗗𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘀:  What are 3 Wins for Today? 3. 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: What are 3 Things Going Well?  What are 3 Things to improve? Monday Vision and Friday Reflection act as bookends for your week. The simplest way to start is to figure out your 3 Wins for This Week. Your 3 Wins for This Week inspire and "pull" you through the week and act as your North Star. When you advance and what to level up, you can use Agile Results to achieve focus, flow and fulfillment. You can use Agile Results to create a Strong Week. To create a Strong Week, you map out your Power Hours and your Creative Hours. Spend more time in your strengths, and less time in your weaknesses. When you do this well, your focus is on fire, you find your flow and you find more fulfillment. This is how you turn your chores into chances and unleash your greatest productivity potential.