Sunday

Sunday is the secret to a good week.

If each week were a song and all seven days were musicians, my Sunday would be the drummer—the one who sets the tempo for the whole band. The drummer may not stand out, but everyone feels what they play: the pace, the dynamics, the transitions, even the pauses.

Each of my “songs” lasts about one to two weeks. That’s the perfect span for a drummer to hold a steady kick drum or a soft hi-hat—and in another sense, it’s the perfect span for me to plan my life. My planning cycle happens every Sunday.

One to two weeks is the ideal length for operational planning. Planning day by day makes it too easy to scatter your focus. Planning monthly—or longer—makes it difficult to stay relevant and adaptable. So I use Sunday to decide what I want to make happen over the next one to two weeks.

On Sundays, I list what I want to move forward that week. I accept or decline meetings, check who I need to collaborate with, make time for friends and family, and even think about small things like which days I’ll go into the office or what I’ll wear.

Most of the time, about 70–80% goes according to plan. But I don’t cling to it. The plan is a guide, not a rule. If things align even 40–50%, I’m satisfied. But if things fall apart for three or four weeks in a row, that’s when I know it’s time to step back, rethink the strategy, or ask for help.

It’s my song. It’s my life. Sunday is the groove of the week that gives me the freedom to compose my life in the genre I choose.