I still remember a time early in my executive career when my weeks felt like a series of frantic sprints. 

Monday mornings started with me diving straight into urgent requests, back-to-back meetings, and constant demands from multiple stakeholders. 

By Friday, I’d often look back and wonder: Did I make any real progress on my long-term goals? 

Had I invested time in strategic thinking or just checked off a bunch of tasks that kept everyone else happy but didn’t advance my vision?

I was constantly reacting instead of proactively working towards both my own and my organization’s goals.

It wasn’t that I lacked ambition or a clear direction. 

The problem was that I didn’t have a system to structure my week around my leadership priorities.

I had big goals—improving team performance, driving department-wide initiatives, and developing my own leadership style. 

But without a weekly framework, I found myself reacting to the day-to-day chaos instead of proactively setting the course.

That’s when I realized I needed a weekly routine—one that forced me to step back, assess, and plan intentionally.

Over time, I created a weekly checklist that helped me stay ahead, ensuring every week brought me closer to my long-term objectives. 

This approach inspired a key feature of the She Leads & Succeeds™ Executive Planner, designed specifically with female executives in mind. The planner incorporates this weekly structure, guiding you to approach each new week with clarity, purpose, and a firm grip on your leadership goals.

If you’re ready to stop feeling like the week runs you, and instead run the week on your terms, here’s the weekly checklist every woman executive needs.

Kick Off the Week with a Strategic Planning Session

Without thinking strategically, the week can become a blur of responding to emails, attending obligatory meetings, and checking off mundane tasks. Allocating time at the start of the week—even if just 30 minutes—allows you to set your intentions, prioritize important projects, and ensure you’re not just busy but productive in a way that aligns with your leadership vision.

Set the Tone on Sunday Evening or Monday Morning: Pick a quiet time to review your overarching goals. What are the top three outcomes you want by week’s end? Maybe it’s making progress on a strategic initiative, having a crucial conversation with a direct report, or finalizing a proposal that’s key to your team’s success.

Write It Down: Don’t rely on memory. Document your intentions. This act of writing solidifies your intentions and ensures you’ll see them throughout the week. This is a huge reason why I created a physical planner instead of a digital planner.

Allocate Blocks of Time: Assign blocks of time in your calendar for strategic tasks—projects that require deep focus and can’t be completed in a five-minute gap between meetings.

Identify Key Team Interactions and Support Needs

As a woman executive, your effectiveness often hinges on your team’s performance. Knowing whom you need to meet with, who might need extra support, and what feedback you can provide keeps your team dynamic strong and effective.

Map Out Team Touchpoints: At the start of the week, note any planned one-on-ones, team meetings, or coaching sessions. Consider if someone on your team is facing a new challenge or if a high-performing individual needs a stretch assignment.

Plan Recognition Opportunities: Is there a team member who quietly hit a major milestone last week? Acknowledge it. Jot down their name and the gesture you’ll make—a quick shoutout in a staff meeting or a handwritten note.

Anticipate Resource Needs: Consider if anyone requires more guidance or resources. This proactive approach prevents small issues from becoming big problems.

Schedule Time for Strategic Work and Learning

Staying ahead isn’t just about getting through the week’s tasks. It’s about carving out time for strategic thinking, professional development, and learning. This could mean researching industry trends, reviewing competitor strategies, or simply reflecting on your department’s long-term roadmap.

Block “Deep Work” Sessions: Reserve an hour or two for work that demands focus and creativity. Treat this time as sacred—no emails, phone calls, or distractions.

Incorporate Learning: Allocate a short window each week for personal growth. Maybe it’s reading a leadership article, listening to a podcast, or reviewing feedback from a mentor. Continuous learning fuels your leadership evolution.

Guard Your Boundaries and Self-Care

Being a female executive often means wearing multiple hats—professional, personal, and community-oriented. Without setting boundaries, you risk burnout, reduced effectiveness, and losing touch with the leadership style you value most.

Define “Off” Times: Mark when you stop checking work emails or step away from your laptop. Commit to spending time on personal pursuits, whether exercise, a hobby, or simply relaxing with family.

Build Self-Care into the Week: Schedule at least one self-care activity—a yoga class, a mid-week massage, or a walk in nature. Regular self-care isn’t an indulgence; it’s a leadership necessity.

Prepare for Key Meetings Ahead of Time

Why It Matters:
Meetings are inevitable, but whether they’re productive or draining is often up to you. While preparing for meetings in advance might seem obvious, it’s important to prioritize ensuring the meeting moves you closer to your goals rather than wasting time by pre-planning. 

List Meetings that Require Prep: Identify which meetings are strategic and need extra work—like reviewing a proposal, gathering data, or aligning with a stakeholder.

Set Prep Deadlines: Don’t wait until five minutes before the meeting to review materials. Give yourself a deadline a day or two ahead so you’re calm and confident when the meeting starts.

Reflect and Adjust at Week’s End

If you barrel into the next week without looking back, you miss the chance to learn and improve. Reflection helps you see what worked, what didn’t, and what adjustments are needed.

Friday Review Session: Spend 15 minutes reviewing your week’s priorities. Did you meet your top three goals? Where did you fall short and why?

Assess Team Dynamics: How did your team perform? Did you provide enough feedback and recognition?

Plan Next Week’s Improvements: If you struggled with time management or felt overwhelmed by meetings, decide how you’ll adapt. Maybe delegate more or block more deep work time.

Embrace This Weekly Checklist to Lead with Intention

This weekly checklist is a blueprint for staying ahead, week after week. It’s not about doing more; it’s about doing what matters with clarity and confidence. By integrating strategic planning, team alignment, personal development, and self-care into your weekly rhythm, you set a precedent for intentional leadership.

And that’s where the She Leads & Succeeds™ Executive Planner shines. Designed with female executives in mind, it gives you the framework to put these strategies into practice. It’s your ally in staying organized, maintaining focus, and ensuring that leadership isn’t something you stumble through, but something you shape proactively.

Let’s Make Every Week Count

If you’re tired of feeling buried under your schedule or unsure if you’re moving the needle on big goals, it’s time to try this weekly checklist. Integrate it with the She Leads & Succeeds™ Executive Planner and watch how intentional structure can transform your leadership journey.

Order your She Leads & Succeeds™ Executive Planner today and set yourself up for success in 2025 and beyond.