My Weekly Sit Down

Hey! Welcome to Jenna’s Day. A place where I, Jenna, talk about whatever I want. 

Today’s post is going to be about something I’ve talked about here on my blog before: my weekly sit down. This consists of 3 things: meal planning/grocery list, weekend list, and a weekly look ahead. 

MEAL PLANNING / GROCERY LIST

This one is easy! Basically, you sit down with your partner, roommate, cat, what have you, and come up with some meals you would like to eat that week. My boyfriend (Nate) and I like to plan to cook 3-4 dinners a week, which is good for us because it allows us to have leftovers for a night (or 2!) and also gives us flexibility to go out on the weekend or weeknights. So now that you know how many meals you want to make, you need to actually figure out the recipes. 

For this I will say, GO THROUGH YOUR FRIDGE. Use the ingredients you already have to create meals – this will cut down on the grocery bill each week and reduce food waste in your home. Go through Pinterest to find the recipes you’ve been saving and never making, get some ideas and write them down! Once you have the meals and the ingredients you need, go through your fridge and pantry one more time to make sure you don’t have the ingredients already (or something that can be used as a substitute, especially when it comes to certain spices) and make a grocery list! 

Sticking to this meal plan throughout the week is cheaper, easier, less stressful, and much healthier for weight loss (if you’re like me and are on this diet journey too, LOL). I usually make my own meal planning template. I fill out each meal (I usually skip breakfast and eat lunch at work) and add in any workouts I want to do that day. This method keeps me accountable in both my grocery spending and my meal planning – it’s a 2-for-1. Meal planning and grocery list for the week, check! 

WEEKEND LIST

If you’re anything like me, (which I’m assuming you are, because you’re reading this) then you are always saying things like “I want to do that this weekend” or “that would be so fun!” or “what should we do this weekend?” I am here to help change that. START KEEPING TRACK. Do the things you want to do on the weekends. Think about any prior arrangements, of course, but then make a list of things you would like to do this weekend! You don’t have to do everything on the list (I usually don’t), but it’s nice to know that you can actually do the things you’ve “always wanted to do.” 

I make a rough list of things I want to accomplish and try to do them all! This may sound crazy, but I would rather that than drive myself crazy never doing the things I want! I write it allllll out, even down to simple things like folding the laundry (which Nate very much hates). It feels good to cross things off my list, no matter how small. Having a weekend list also helps me prioritize what to get done during the week. For example, let’s say I want to get a blog post up and do the dishes and get my oil changed. I know right away I can put get an oil change on the weekend list and off my to-do list because I don’t have time for that during the week. Now I can move on to the next task on my list. 

This is a method of prioritizing and organizing your time to get done the things that can get done today and then assign a day (i.e. the weekend) to get those weekend tasks done, but don’t forget to schedule the fun activities you’ve been talking about too! 

WEEKLY LOOK AHEAD

This is by far the easiest, all you need to do is look ahead in your week. Any work dinners? Birthdays? Tickets to a show you forgot about (EXTREMELY GUILTY ON THAT ONE)? Write these down and keep these in mind when scheduling your weekend and when assembling your to-do for the day (see this blog post for that to-do list tip!) If you have a busy weekend, try to arrange to push your oil change off to the next weekend and try to get more things done during the week if you can find the time, BUT always remember, there is no such thing as a superhuman. It is okay to not get everything done on your list (ESPECIALLY THE WEEKEND LIST. That one should be mostly for fun [except Nate usually thinks they are not, instead just a dreaded list of chores]). These lists are meant to make you more productive and prioritize and organize your time to maximize your productivity. 

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And there you have it. The way I sit down weekly and organize my time and activities. I usually complete the meal planning and grocery list on Sundays and then the weekend list is usually made throughout the week as I come up with things to do. The weekly look ahead is made in my head and incorporated into my other lists – it really is that easy! Don’t forget that it’s okay to not do everything. Prioritize and make time for yourself. Chip away at your lists and do what you can, for as long as you can. You got this! 

Be sure to follow me on Instagram @jennablazi to stay up to date on when I post something new. Thanks for clicking on Jenna’s Day 😊