the Weekly Framework: on templates, checklists, and other support structures

hello, friends 💖

Fun fact: I’ve been writing some version of this newsletter for at least 10 months now and I’ve only written it from scratch once. Every time since the very first iteration, I’ve started from a template based on previous weeks’ newsletters.

I’ve been making checklists and templates since I was a kid packing for horse shows. I used checklists in my legal practice (file a discovery motion, review XYZ with client, look for suppression issues, evaluate pretrial motions, subpoena witnesses, etc.), made templates for every type of writing assignment, and perpetually create lists for everything from business development to hobbies.

This week, let’s look at how we can use structural supports to make our work and our lives better—by reducing the effort to start a task, making tasks faster and easier to do, and ensuring we don’t skip steps or leave anything out.

Feel free to skip down to the questions if this part doesn’t help you! I had a lot to say this week 😆 I came up with five categories of structural supports (though the fifth is really a catch-all):

• Templates: Maybe the worst part of writing is the blank page, right? Skip that agony by making templates or outlines for whatever you regularly need to write or create. A blog template might be as simple as a formatted document with placeholders for the title, introduction, three or so section headers, and an outro/call to action section with whatever links you want to use. In my current work, I use client call sheets that remind me to start by defining everyone’s goals and provide categories of questions or topics I might want to explore further.

• Checklists: A checklist covers all the steps in a process so you don’t have to rely on memory to be sure you’ve done everything. Maybe you need a new client intake checklist, a pre-trip checklist of everything you need to do before going out of town, or an end-of-season checklist for closing out the garden and stowing your tools for winter. Whatever multi-step processes you do repeatedly could benefit from a checklist.

• Schedules: I have a love/hate relationship with schedules—I love having a regular time for everything and knowing that tasks will recur at a predictable rate, but I hate being told what to do (even by myself)! With a schedule, you define days or times for tasks, like doing laundry every Monday or writing your social posts for the week on Wednesday afternoons. This structure means you only ever have to think about a task during its allotted time 🙌

• Routines or menus: For tasks that happen every day or every week, it can help to consciously build a routine that will gradually become habitual. These may be tasks you do in the same order every time or more of a menu that you work through in any order—maybe you don’t do all of those tasks on any given day, but you know you’ll be presented with the same menu again tomorrow.

• Reminders, notes, alarms, pre-made “kits,” and more: Structures can be simple one-time changes too! Anytime you write a reminder note, or use the sophisticated put-it-in-front-of-the-door tactic to remember to bring something with you, or set an alarm to prompt you to do something, you’re implementing structural supports. I’ve gradually built separate bags for frequent activities like axe throwing, photography, and writing classes. I also have a bin by my front door with dog-walking supplies like treats, poop bags, and trash pick-up bags.

Alright, on to this week’s questions:

• Reflection: How did last week go? Did you make progress on tasks that felt meaningful to you? Did you do any post-event reviews of particularly good or not-so-good outcomes, and if so, did you learn anything useful from those reflections?

• This week: What do you have coming up this week? How does your schedule compare to your to-do list? If something has to give, try to figure that out now so you aren’t setting yourself up to fail 💖

• Planning to use structural supports: What tasks are you doing this week that you’ve done before? Have you already built templates or other supports for those tasks, and will you remember them and know where to find them when you need them? If not, put a reminder in place now, or think about what you’ll want to know for a task and start creating a structure for yourself.

• Adding to structural supports as you go: As you work on recurring tasks this week, focus on developing your checklists, templates, and other structures. What do you wish you would remember to do before sending a deliverable? What should happen before or after you do a task or hold a meeting? Are you counting on memory to prompt you to do those tasks, or have you automated them in some way? How are you building your own institutional knowledge?

• Self-care: Remember that structural supports are there to support you. Do you need to schedule a standing date for a weekly massage, sign up for a regular yoga class, or set a bedtime alarm to remind yourself to turn off your phone and wind down? If so, do it!

Have a lovely week, friends 💖

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