My Friday Planning Routine That Lets Me Do Nothing All Weekend
I have a confession…
I LOVE doing absolutely nothing.
Last week, we got eight inches of snow, which meant not being able to leave the house for several days. And you know what I did?
I rotted.
I spent most of my day in bed, binge-watching Scrubs reruns, crocheting, and doom scrolling social media.
And it was AMAZING.
But you might be thinking, “Wow, Kristen, your house must be a disaster.”
Excuse me while I use some ChatGPT lingo, but short answer: not really.
Long answer: I spent my Friday resetting for the week so I could do absolutely nothing all weekend.
This Friday planning routine isn’t something I only do before snowstorms or long weekends. It’s a weekly reset I follow every single Friday so my weekends stay protected—and my business doesn’t fall behind.
Let me break it down.
Why I Plan My Week on Fridays (Not Sundays)
I used to plan my week on Sunday nights.
But here’s the thing: I don’t want to mentally work on Sundays.
I want my weekends to feel like rest—not like a soft launch into Monday.
So I moved my weekly planning routine to Fridays.
Now, I:
Catch up on any work I didn’t get done (or move it to the next week)
Look ahead at the next week
Go into the weekend knowing my life + business are both prepared for the week ahead
That shift alone changed how rested I actually feel.
My Friday Planning Routine (Step-by-Step)
This routine has three main parts. Together, they create the space for real rest.
ONE || I get my grocery shopping done for the week
Throughout the week, we add items to our grocery list as we notice them (I LOVE using our Alexa app for this).
By Friday, I’ve already decided on our dinners for the week ahead so all I have to do is add anything we need to the list for dinners and any regular staples we might be out of.
Because of this, I can usually hit Aldi and our local grocery store and be back home within an hour.
This removes weekend errands and daily decision fatigue, which matters more than people realize.
TWO || I plan for the week ahead (this is the heart of it)
This is where my weekly reset really happens.
Before I write a single task down, I walk through the same planning rhythm every Friday:
1. Brain dump everything:
I get everything out of my head and onto paper. Tasks, reminders, ideas—nothing filtered yet.
2. Review my calendar:
I look at:
Calls and meetings
Appointments
Family commitments
This gives me a realistic picture of my capacity for the week.
3. Choose my top 3 priorities for the week
From my to-do list I choose just THREE things that will move my business forward, because THAT’S what matters most.
4. Block time for those priorities
I block time for my top priorities so they don’t get squeezed out by everything else. I love using Google calendar and daily themes to know exactly where I can fit in my priorities for the week.
5. Delete or delay what doesn’t matter
This step is just as important as planning. If something doesn’t directly support my weekly priorities, it either gets delayed or removed completely.
6. Delegate what doesn’t need to be mine
If a task is time-consuming and doesn’t require me specifically, it gets delegated. This is how planning turns into actual follow-through instead of another pretty to-do list.
This entire process lives inside my SYS Planner… and it’s the reason my weeks feel intentional instead of scattered + stressful.
THREE || I clean the house (so my weekends stay clear)
I want to be clear about this part: I don’t deep clean on Fridays.
I do about 20–30 minutes of cleaning every weekday so my weekends don’t turn into catch-up mode.
On Fridays, I:
Put fresh sheets on the bed
Pick up the house
Vacuum and mop
I also do one load of laundry every weekday, so Friday is just folding and putting the last load away.
The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is walking into the weekend without unfinished business following me around.
“But Kristen… don’t you feel guilty doing nothing?”
Nope.
Because my white space is meant to be used however I want.
Sometimes that’s binge-watching a show.
Sometimes it’s cleaning out a closet.
Sometimes it’s literally doing nothing at all.
What I refuse to do is:
Feel guilty about rest
Work on the weekends because I didn’t plan ahead
Sacrifice my downtime because my priorities weren’t clear
Rest feels good when it isn’t borrowed from future stress.
Why This Friday Planning Routine Works
This routine works because it’s proactive.
Instead of:
Catching up on weekends
Carrying mental to-do lists everywhere
Feeling behind before the week even starts
I plan ahead and let the structure do the work for me. Because structure is what creates FREEDOM.
This Is Exactly Why I Created the SYS Planner
I created the SYS Planner to help you:
Plan your week intentionally
Prioritize what actually matters
Protect your time without burning out
You don’t need to wake up earlier, have better habits, or be “more disciplined.”
All you need is a system that helps you plan your week on purpose so your weekends stay yours.
And I want to give you permission to do the same.
Try this Friday planning routine for yourself, and let me know how your weekend feels afterward.
