How do you set weekly goals that work? 

If you feel overwhelmed, procrastinate, and don’t know how to focus on your biggest priorities, read on. 

By the end of this guide, you’ll know why and how to set weekly goals. I’ve even included a few examples to get you started!

Ready? Let’s dive in.

💡Key takeaways: 

  • Weekly goals are specific, actionable objectives you want to accomplish before the week ends.
  • People who set goals are 76% more likely to reach them. 
  • To set weekly goals, you should decide on a long-term goal, prioritize tasks, and plan your week.

Why should you set weekly goals?

Weekly goals are specific, actionable objectives you want to accomplish before the week ends.

They:

  • Provide clarity
  • Boost productivity
  • Keep you organized, stress-free, and ready for curveballs

So, if you’re not already setting weekly goals, you should!

Research has shown that weekly goals motivate us and give us a sense of purpose and accomplishment. 

Plus, you’re 76% more likely to reach your goals if you set them.

Now that you know the importance of weekly goals, let’s talk about how to set them in a way that makes for a successful week.

How to set weekly goals 

Weekly goals need to be intentional, actionable, and aligned with your long-term goals.

Otherwise, they’re just wishful thinking!

Here’s how to set them. If you’re short on time, take a look at this quick video where we explain the gist of it: 

1. Decide on your long-term goal

Before you set weekly goals, you need to know what you’re working toward. 

What’s your long-term goal? What do you want to have accomplished a few months, or even years, from now?

Start by determining what truly matters to you – your core values and passions. 

Then, consider where you want to make progress. It can be any part of your life, including career advancement, personal development, health improvement, or relationship improvement. 

Once you have those areas in mind, then you’re ready to set a long-term goal aligning with your vision.

2. Define your weekly goals 

Now that you have your Big Picture in mind, you can start breaking it down into weekly goals. 

The key?

Nesting your weekly goals into your long-term goal. It’s the easiest way to stay on track and hit your goal in the timeframe you want.

Speaking of…

Making each of your weekly goals a SMART goal is crucial.

🧠A SMART goal is:

  • Specific and clearly defines what you want to achieve instead of discussing it in vague terms. For example, “Write more blogs” isn’t helpful, but “Write two blog posts this week” is.
  • Measurable. Whether you’re working toward a number, timeframe, or milestone, making your end goal tangible will help you track progress more effectively and accurately.
  • Achievable, realistic, and aligned with what you currently have in terms of resources and time. Otherwise, you’re not setting yourself up for success, just frustration.
  • Relevant to your long-term goal and vision.
  • Time-bound with a deadline. If you don’t set one, it’s easy to keep pushing things off and eventually forget about your goal altogether.

But don’t forget to prioritize your goals carefully! 

You could have the best weekly goals in the WORLD. 

But not focusing on the right priority or prioritizing several things will lead to burnout.

So choose one primary goal for the week and make sure it’s aligned with your long-term goals and has leverage  (which means it will make it easier to hit your other goals).

woman working on a macbook wearing headphones

3. Prioritize tasks 

But prioritization doesn’t stop with your weekly goals.

To reach those weekly goals, you also need to carefully prioritize each related task.

When I’m not sure what to prioritize, I like to use the Champagne Moment exercise to determine what’s most important.

Here’s how it works.

After I’ve created a to-do list that includes ALL of the tasks I need to complete to reach my weekly goals, I take a step back and ask myself:

🍾Which of these tasks would I be so happy to get done that I would stop for a bottle of champagne on the way home?

Whatever that answer is will be my priority for the week.

Pro tip: Prioritize with leverage.

Instead of focusing on small tasks that won’t move the needle, prioritize the ones that will make everything else easier. 

Once you’ve identified your top priorities, it’s time for what I call a Task Triage.

For each task, ask yourself:

  • Is it related to my number one weekly goal? If yes, it stays.
  • Is it time-sensitive? If so, find another task to sacrifice. 
  • Can it be terminated, automated, consolidated, or outsourced? Do it!
  • Is it a “someday” task? Move it to a separate list. 
  • Do you need more clarity? Send it back if so. 

Download our Live-or-Die Task Triage Cheat Sheet here.

Prioritizing with leverage and streamlining your tasks list will help you focus on what matters. 

4. Be flexible with your goal setting

I see a LOT of clients who say that setting weekly goals is pointless – their schedules are too busy or chaotic.

And listen… I get it.

But the truth is, the more chaotic things get, the better it is to have goals. They act as an anchor to keep you grounded and a compass to give you a sense of direction, even when things feel completely out of control.

Even if everything doesn’t go perfectly, your goals help you focus on what matters.

But your weekly goals shouldn’t feel rigid or restrictive, but flexible!

After all, they’re meant to guide you.

So, if you run into a calendar “landmine” that turns your week on its head, don’t just throw out your weekly goals entirely.

Instead, re-evaluate, readjust, and reshuffle your tasks when needed to keep making progress. 

At the end of the day, weekly goals aren’t about perfection. They’re about consistency.

So, set your goals, but stay flexible. Chaos or not, you’ll thank yourself!

5. Plan your week 

If you really want to reach your weekly goals, you need to plan for a successful week.

This is where our Winning the Week Method comes in handy.

After you’ve reviewed last week for any lessons and decided on your number one priority for the week, you can start scheduling each task.

We call it “calendarizing” your to-do list.

First, look at your calendar to get an idea of how much time you have this week. 

This is called your time supply. It needs to be accurate – if it isn’t, one small conflict can change everything. 

Next, look at your to-do list to see what’s competing for your time (your tasks). 

We call this your time demand.

📅After making sure your supply and demand are aligned, you can start planning your week by “calendarizing” your to-do list and assigning each task to a time slot.

It might seem simple, but it’s a highly effective way to make sure you don’t have too much on your plate.

Here’s how to do it in a way that doesn’t make your calendar something you dread looking at, regardless of how many tasks you have coming up:

  • Step 1: Put the stuff you enjoy in first, like self-care, social time, and hobbies.
  • Step 2: Schedule your deep work and priorities when your energy is highest. For example, I like doing deep work on Monday or Tuesday mornings.
  • Step 3: Add flex time for the unplanned, unwanted work (UUW) that will DEFINITELY show up when you least expect it. I recommend setting aside about an hour a day – even if you don’t use it, knowing it’s there will be a huge help.
  • Step 4: Fill in the gaps with tasks that don’t require much energy. If you schedule your deep work early in the week, you’ll probably have plenty of space left over for the shallow stuff later in the week.

Then, keep going until your time supply has been accounted for!

🗓️Free download: The Lifehack Calendarizing Process

6. Review your week

At the end of the week, take five minutes to reflect on the past few days. What have you accomplished? What went right? What went wrong?

I know this can sometimes be hard, especially if you didn’t have your best or most productive week.

But it’s imperative you do it anyway – in fact, it’s the first step in the Winning the Week Method.

Why? Because it gives you a “lesson” to take into next week.

And that lesson creates what’s called a feedback loop.

Even though you’re constantly starting over, you’ll always have a slight advantage.

Over time, you’ll make small improvements that, over a year, become incredible progress.

Plus, it’s a GREAT way to shift your focus.

Reviewing your week helps you acknowledge your wins and celebrate your progress rather than dwelling on what went wrong.

And believe it or not, even in our worst weeks, we get a lot done.

So, that’s how to set great weekly goals.

Not sure which weekly goals to set for yourself, though? I’ve put together a list of some great ones – keep reading!

businessman typing on a laptop sitting on stairs

Example weekly goals 

Work goals 

  • Send ten follow-up emails.
  • Complete draft one of the quarterly report.
  • Schedule one-on-one meetings with team members.
  • Organize files for the project launch.
  • Attend two development webinars.

Health goals

  • Exercise for 30 minutes three days this week.
  • Prep healthy lunches for the entire week.
  • Drink one liter of water daily.
  • Meditate each morning. 
  • Write three journal entries.

Self-improvement goals

  • Read two chapters of a personal development book.
  • Spend time on your hobby for an hour.
  • Write five reflections each day.
  • Listen to one podcast.
  • Try a productivity strategy.

Relationship goals

  • Call a family member you haven’t spoken to recently.
  • Schedule a date night.
  • Take your kids to their favorite restaurant.
  • Plan a group outing with friends.
  • Have one meaningful conversation.

Personal goals

  • Spend three hours on a hobby or project.
  • Declutter a specific home area.
  • Take a 15-minute walk.
  • Watch a movie or read a book.
  • Start a vision board.

What’s next? 

There you go!

Everything you need to set great weekly goals and stay focused, productive, and stress-free.

It all starts with a plan.

And that’s why we created our Win the Week Worksheet – a foolproof way to plan for reaching your weekly goals while working less and finding more fulfillment. 

Get it FREE:

Read more:

How to Have a Productive Week

How to Create Weekly Goals

How to Write Incredibly Effective To-Do Lists (+Template)

Demir & Carey Bentley

Demir and Carey Bentley are the founders of Lifehack Method, WSJ & USA Today bestselling authors, and executive productivity coaches. They've helped thousands of people avoid burnout and soar to their highest level of productivity. Read more about them here.