Every Sunday evening or Monday morning I pause for 5-10 minutes to plan out the week ahead. Over the years I have used a variety of methods, but none have been as easy and effective as a sheet of paper and a sharpie. Today, I replicate that by using a pen on my iPad, but the process and output is the same. The secret is that a single piece of paper combined with the thick lines of a marker keep you from writing too much down. The method forces you to focus on what can actually be accomplished. Spending time planning to complete too many tasks or pursue too many goals is a waste of time and is demotivating. Forced prioritization simply yields better results. How-to: The picture above is my plan for next week. You can use the Weekly Planning Template (pdf) I’ve created or make your own by computer or…