Have you ever found your current self being mad at your past self for something your past self did (or didn’t) do? I have so much experience with this.

No One to Blame But Myself

A few years ago I planned our summer calendar. I kind of rushed through the planning of it, didn’t invite people in to help me, and didn’t really think about what it would take to pull off what I was planning. The event ideas were simple enough, but the event executions were a little more complicated.

Well, I started to utter a phrase as I was walking through a brutal three week stretch – Summer Wes isn’t very happy with Spring Wes. And I wasn’t. I was almost miserable because of the amount of work I was having to do, but it was 100% my own fault.

And why was it my own fault? Because I made the decisions quickly and without much thought. Why? Because of the “trap weeks” in my schedule.

One more clarifying point: I live my life by deadlines. So when I have no deadlines, I have a hard time finding motivation. Genuine question: can you relate? I admire people who don’t live by the deadline mentality, but I choose not to shame myself about it either.

So, a “trap week” is a week where I have no looming deadline, so it feels like I can take things easy. But the reason I call it a trap is because not moving the ball forward that week means more work down the road.

Thus, Spring Wes takes things slow until he has to have a calendar to publish, then plans events in haste, only to make Summer Wes deal with the pain later.

What If There’s A Different Way?

What if identifying the trap week (or trap weeks or trap season) actually helps clarify the necessary perspective to move things forward.

If you find yourself in a trap week, here are four questions to think through:

1. What’s happening in 1-2 weeks? Sometimes the traps come because it feels like there’s nothing pressing at this moment. But what about next week, or the week after? Can you spend time today doing a little bit of work to make next week go smoother?
2. What’s happening in 3-4 weeks? Zoom out a little more. What’s coming down the pipe over the next 3-4 weeks? Do you have a big event or deadline that needs some final preparation done? Are all of your details in line? What can you spend time doing this week to make your life better in 3-4 weeks?
3. What’s happening in 5-8 weeks? This still isn’t really long term planning, but it helps. Five weeks from now, what will you need to spend a little bit of time doing to cross the finish line that week, and is it something you can do today? The answer to this question may not always be simple or easy, but it is likely always worth the exercise.
4. What’s happening in 2+ months? These are big events, projects, deadlines, or milestones. Knowing what you’re looking at down the road helps you know how to spend your time today. What can you do today to make your 2 months-from-now self happy?

Systematize It

A few years back I built a spreadsheet based on these concepts. The concept is simple: I keep a list of upcoming projects, events, and deadlines along with their due dates. Then, as time progresses, I move them down the “funnel” until they eventually land in the week they’re due. The result: I’m able to, at a glance, evaluate what needs to be done in a trap week.

That’s what works for me. What works for you? Is there something you’re doing that helps with trap weeks? Do you feel it the way I do? How do you make the most of the weeks with less pressure to maximize the weeks with more pressure?

I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment here or wherever you read the post. And if you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe so you get these posts in your inbox so you don’t miss a thought.