Section 1.1: Envisioning Your Ideal Week

Let’s engage in a brief exercise. Picture your future self living your best life. You have a career that brings you fulfillment, surrounded by loved ones, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and pursuing hobbies that resonate with you. Perhaps you already embody this life—if so, fantastic! If not, that's perfectly acceptable as well. The goal is to step back and visualize a life where you are at your very best.

Now, let’s delve deeper. Grab a pen and paper.

Imagine what a typical week looks like in this envisioned life. Consider when you rise, what your morning routine entails, your work hours, and the nature of your job. How long do you work each day? What activities fill your evenings? Do you engage in specific hobbies? When do you retire for the night? Record the daily, or ideally, hourly activities you envision for yourself.

What’s the purpose of this exercise?

The goal is to identify the specific activities and habits that shape your ideal life. Remember, it’s not your identity that defines you; it’s the daily actions and behaviors you undertake. Rather than asking, “How can I live a more productive and meaningful life?”, this exercise encourages a more actionable inquiry: “What activities, behaviors, and actions am I engaging in to foster a more productive, meaningful existence?”

As Abdaal puts it: “Designing a life that works for you, not chasing a one-size-fits-all ‘hustle’ culture.”

Section 1.2: Recognizing the Gap

Upon completing the ideal week exercise, one glaring realization hit me: my envisioned week starkly contrasted with my current reality. It’s easy to get swept up in the whirlwind of life and believe we’re progressing toward our goals while engaging in activities that truly matter.

However, that was not my reality. As a medical student, I struggled to balance my health, relationships, personal interests, and aspirations. I was convinced I was on the right track, but in truth, I was floundering.

Although this realization was initially disheartening, it ultimately proved enlightening. I came to understand that I was not living the life I had promised myself, nor was I pursuing the values I genuinely held dear. It became apparent why my earlier goals had stagnated: I was not investing the necessary time to progress.

The discrepancy between my ideal week and my actual week was glaring evidence of this disconnect.

This is where transformation begins.

At that moment, I resolved to implement small changes in my life to start moving toward my goals and values, using the ideal week as a guiding framework.

Remember, the ideal week is not a rigid blueprint dictating how each day must unfold; rather, it serves as a framework to ensure you are progressing toward your objectives and ultimately leading a fulfilling life.

Now it’s your turn.

Grab your pen and paper or open your calendar. Visualize your ideal week. Consider the various aspects of life you value, the objectives you wish to accomplish, and the activities that will propel you there. Create your ideal week from Monday to Sunday—day by day, hour by hour.

In the end, your creation might look something like this (this is my ideal week; yours will likely differ):

Section 1.3: Moving Forward

The next step is straightforward: start taking action towards your ideal life. Your journey begins today.