A 3 Step Guide To Theming Your Week

written by Mike Vardy, founder of Productivityist

Constant repetition carries conviction.

Robert Collier

Why You Should Theme Your Week

It trains your mind to wake up each day knowing what

the overarching area of focus should be.

It builds patterns that allow for consistent progress to be

made.

It sets boundaries where there may not have been before.

It fosters both intention and attention, which is critical to

boosting productivity.

1. Start with the

certainties.
When you look at the certainties
of your week, you can better
shape how you want to theme
your week. That means spending
some time recording what things
generally happen on specific days
regularly so that you can begin to
track them properly. Things to
take into account are when certain
people will be around, what days
involve more interruptions than
others, and so on.

My Certainties, Examined

Sunday: No interruptions, family-home

Monday: Colton-daycare, Grace-school, Anne-home

Tuesday: Colton-daycare, Grace-school, Anne-work

Wednesday: Colton-home, Grace-school, Anne-work

Thursday: Colton-home, Grace-school, Anne-home

Friday: Colton-daycare, Grace-school, Anne-work

Saturday: No interruptions, family-home

2. Be realistic with
the certainties.
Now that you know what your
certainties are, begin to theme
your week by working with them
first. For example, if Monday is a
day that is traditionally beset by
meetings, then you may want to
theme Monday as Meeting
Day. If Friday is a day where
you know few interruptions will
occur, you may want to theme it
as Deep Work Day.

My Themes Based on Certainties

Sunday: No interruptions, family-home

Monday: Administrative Work

Tuesday: Colton-daycare, Grace-school, Anne-work

Wednesday: Daddy Duty

Thursday: Meetings/Offsite Work

Friday: Colton-daycare, Grace-school, Anne-work

Saturday: No interruptions, family-home

3. Lock Down
The Other Days.
Now that youve allocated the
days that have certainties
attached, you can lock down the
rest of the days of the week
better. Remember that themes can
be as broad as you like (Creative
Day, Administrative Day, etc.) so
that you can add flexibility to
your days even while they are
themed.

My Themed Week

Sunday: Creative Day (Writing)

Monday: Administrative Work

Tuesday: Creative Day (Writing/Recording)

Wednesday: Daddy Duty

Thursday: Meetings/Offsite Work

Friday: Creative Day (Writing/Recording)

Saturday: Family Day

Some Final Thoughts On Theming

And thats it! Your week is now themed in three steps.
Theming your week doesnt have to be an arduous task. It just needs to give you a waypoint
for every day so that you have a thematic guide helping you make progress on all aspects of
your life on a daily basis.
Remember that themes are the guide. You may have to make adjustments along the way. But
having them as a valuable ally in your quest to become more effective and more efficient
cannot be understated. They can keep you on track and bring you back on track when you
lose your way.
If you havent started using themes in your week, start today. Its the single most effective
strategy Ive been using that keeps me intentional, aware, and productive. Theming my
week makes me better in all areas of my lifeand it can do the same for you.
Thanks for reading.