This Weekly Meeting Will Change Your Life in 15 Minutes

This Weekly Meeting Will Change Your Life in 15 Minutes

Do you wait until the last minute to ask for help, so you either don’t get your needs met or you do, but you’re left feeling frazzled and irritated?

I used to do the same thing. I would end up with a crying kid in my arms at 6pm with no food in the fridge, standing solo in the kitchen, overwhelmed, feeling alone, and wondering what was for dinner and how the heck this had happened again.

Then my husband Mike and I started having an incredibly simple yet powerful meeting each and every week.

This 10-minute conversation has saved us 90% of the drama and miscommunications in our marriage (and we do something similar in our business so that we stay on track there, too).

If you’ve ever looked at a woman you admire and wondered How does she do it all? the answer is most likely that:

a) She doesn’t do it all and…
b) She has some kind of ritual or structure in place to ensure she gets the support she needs.

In the video below, I explain exactly what we do each and every week during our weekly planning meeting that only takes 10-15 minutes but saves us HOURS every week and tons of energy because we know about things ahead of time and we’ve pre-communicated.

If you find yourself feeling alone, like you can’t get your needs met, overwhelmed, and like everything in your family, business, and life falls on you, this video is a must-watch.

“Ask for help, early, often and kindly.” – Kate Northrup

This Weekly Meeting Will Change Your Life in 15 Minutes

The key players in our lives cannot meet our needs if we don’t tell them what they are. And the likelihood of your getting your needs met is dramatically increased by using the 3 words that I gave you in the video.

Now I want to hear from you: What questions do you have about the weekly planning meeting? Can you see how this practice will help you get your needs met? Do you already do something similar? If so, tell me about it – I love hearing other people’s planning rituals! Leave a comment and let me know!

P.S. My new book, Do Less: A Revolutionary Approach to Time and Energy Management, launched on Tuesday and is officially available wherever books are sold! Click here to get your bonuses, including a workshop on how to set boundaries and say no, when you buy the book!

This Weekly Meeting Will Change Your Life in 15 Minutes

P.P.S. I’m doing a virtual launch party for Do Less today at 9am PT/12pm ET, and I would love for you to join me! There will be giveaways, behind-the-scenes info that’s not in the book, and time for Q&A! It’s happening on my Facebook page, and you can click here to RSVP!

10 comments

  • Thank you for this Kate! Just forwarded this to my partner. Going to start implementing this ASAP!
    xo Carla

  • Thank you for the simple tip. It’s good just for that connection that we so often forget to make. Congratulations on your new book! I can’t wait to read it.

  • We do this at dinner with our kids (4 and 11) once a week with a monthly wall family calendar and it does make a big difference and the kids seem to appreciate it too.

  • Sandy

    Yes, I often see issues coming down the pike & if I bring it up it gets shrugged off & becomes a panic when it arrives. This works with someone thay sees it; I wonder how to draw someone in to wanting to that doesn’t seem to see the value.

    • Kate Northrup

      Great question Sandy! One way to think about it would be to describe it to the other person in the context of how their life will improve if that thing gets handled. Give that a try!

  • Brilliant Kate! The ‘what’s for dinner’ question at 6pm is one of the WORST for sure. I’m doing this from this coming Sunday.

  • Hi Kate,

    As couple therapists working together and individually, we find the weekly meeting very helpful. We liken it to Adler’s concept of the family meeting, where each participant in the family has an opportunity to bring to the table some ideas or feelings they may wish to express. There is no agenda set for parents or children, so each family member (no matter how young) feels they can contribute to how the family works.

    Thanks for the reminder for the two of us!!

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