Unsexy Planning Hack I Swear By

The Unsexy Planning Hack I Swear By as a Twin Mom + Business Owner

I don’t need another system.
I don’t need a 5am routine.
I don’t need a new productivity app.

I need clarity.

Somewhere between running Back Two Home Base, recording Planned-ish, cooking dinner, testing recipes, potty training twins, and trying to remember if I moved the laundry… I realized I was wasting too much energy deciding what to do next.

So I started using ChatGPT to build my weeks.

Not to run my life or replace my brain. Just to remove decision fatigue.

And it has helped so much!!

Here’s exactly how I use it — and how you can too.

Step 1: I Give It My Real Life (Not My Ideal Life)

I don’t say “make me productive.”

I say:

• I’m a twin mom.

• I work from home.

• My focused work hours are 9am–111:45am and then 1pm-4pm.

• I need one content day.

• I need one errand + grocery day.

• I need to tidy the house some part of the week

• I want margin to do something for myself.

• I do NOT want every day packed.

The magic is context.

If you tell it the season you’re in, it builds something realistic.

Step 2: I Ask for Theme Days

This is the biggest shift.

Instead of doing a little of everything every day, I batch.

Here’s what my week usually includes:

Content Day – film, shoot recipes, batch captions
Admin Day – newsletter, backend work, planning
Errand + Reset Day – groceries, returns, house reset
Podcast Day – record, outline, edit
Creative/Test Day – recipe testing or hosting club planning

Now when I wake up, I don’t think, “What should I work on?”

I look at the theme.

And I start.

Step 3: I Build in White Space

I literally tell ChatGPT: Leave margin for real life.

Because toddlers get sick.
Because meetings move.
Because brisket happens.

I don’t want a perfect week.
I want a repeatable rhythm.

The Exact Prompt You Can Use

Copy + paste this and update where needed before hitting enter:

Build me a realistic weekly schedule using theme-based days and time blocks.
Here’s my life:
- I work: [insert]
- My focused hours are: [insert]
- I have kids: [yes/no + ages]
- I want margin level: [low/medium/high]
Weekly non-negotiables:
- 1 content block
- 1 admin/planning block
- 1 grocery + errand block
- 1 house reset block
- 1 meal prep block
-workout 2-3 days a week within my blocks for 30 minutes
- 1 family night
- Assign theme days. Avoid overpacking. Keep it sustainable.
Monthly non-negotiables:
- I need to create 2 specific emails once a month
- I need to focus 4 hours a month on a certain project

Why This Works

I don’t need discipline.

I need direction.

And this removes the “what should I be doing right now?” spiral that eats half the day.

It’s not rigid.

It’s planned-ish.

And that’s enough.