I used to “plan the week” for two hours on Sunday and still feel lost on Monday. The fix was shrinking the ritual until I would actually do it: twenty minutes, phone face-down, calendar open.
Minute 0–7: deadlines only
I list what is due in the next seven days — coursework, readings that feed seminars, anything with a hard stamp. Everything else waits.
If a deadline has no date, I give it a temporary one (usually Friday). Undated work is how guilt accumulates.
Minute 7–15: three priorities, one clash check
I choose three outcomes for the week, not fifteen tasks. Then I glance at Monday–Wednesday for overlaps: two assessments on the same day, a society event on top of a lab.
One clash resolved on Sunday saves a panic message to coursemates on Tuesday.
Minute 15–20: put it where I will see it
I drop the three priorities into my week view and stop. No colour-coding olympics. If woods has already mirrored my timetable, I only add the flexible blocks — lectures are already there.