Monthly Planning in Action: Two Scenarios
Let’s see how this method works for two different people in common situations.
Scenario 1: Maria, the Hybrid Worker
Maria is a project manager who works from home three days a week and commutes into a busy downtown office on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Her biggest challenge is the whiplash between quiet focus days and chaotic office days.
Her Monthly Plan: Maria identifies her Big Rock for the month: “Finalize budget and roadmap for Project Atlas.” She themes her weeks. Week 1 is “Data Gathering.” Week 2 is “Stakeholder Interviews.” Week 3 is “Drafting Budget.” Week 4 is “Finalizing Roadmap.”
How She Executes: She structures her weeks around her hybrid schedule. Tuesdays and Thursdays (office days) are themed for collaboration. She blocks her calendar for all her stakeholder interviews and team meetings on these days. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (home days) are themed for deep work. She blocks out long, uninterrupted chunks of time for data analysis and writing. Her monthly plan gives her the foresight to group similar tasks, drastically reducing context switching and making both her home and office days more effective.
Scenario 2: Leo, the University Student
Leo is a full-time student with a heavy course load, a part-time job, and a major thesis due at the end of the semester. He feels like he’s always studying but never making real progress on his big projects.
His Monthly Plan: Leo’s Big Rocks for the month are “Complete Chapter 2 of Thesis” and “Pass Midterm Exams.” He themes his weeks. Week 1 is “Thesis Research & Outline.” Week 2 is “Midterm Study Sprint.” Week 3 is “Drafting Thesis Chapter 2.” Week 4 is “Review & Edit Chapter 2.”
How He Executes: Leo uses time blocking to schedule his life around his fixed classes and work shifts. Instead of just writing “Study” on his calendar, his weekly theme guides him. During Week 1, the two-hour block he has between classes on Monday becomes “Library: Find 5 sources for thesis Chapter 2.” During Week 2, that same block becomes “Review lecture notes for History midterm.” This specificity, driven by his monthly plan, eliminates the procrastination that comes from vague goals. It ensures he’s always working on the right thing at the right time.
