"In 25 minutes, I can fully get prepared for my week."
Mark McGraw walks through the five-step weekly planning process he's run every single week for years — a Pomodoro-style 25-minute block with a countdown timer on every step. If you've ever spent two hours "getting ready for the week" and finished 30% done, this is the fix.
What you'll learn in this episode:
✅ How to turn the Pomodoro technique into a timed weekly prep agenda
✅ Step 1 (3 min): goals in view, do not disturb on, everything closed but calendar and tasks
✅ Step 2 (5 min): find your weekly Kaizen moment — one small improvement that creates leverage
✅ Why Kaizen time is planning time, not doing time
✅ Step 3 (5 min): interrogate your calendar — two weeks forward for landmines, two weeks back for loose ends
✅ Step 4 (5 min): triage your task list and name the week's real priorities
✅ Step 5 (7 min): time block around the Eisenhower matrix — important but not urgent
✅ Why TBD prospecting blocks belong in your calendar before you know who you're meeting
✅ The 75% calendar rule, and what white space on a Tuesday really tells you
✅ Why discipline in the moment is what buys you flexibility in advance
🎙️ Host: Mark McGraw — Building Your Sales Engine
👇 Timestamps below 👇
✅ Like + Subscribe for more expert sales insights
🎙️ Full podcast episodes: buildingyoursalesengine.com
LINKS
Sandler: https://www.Sandler.com
Episode page: https://www.BuildingYourSalesEngine.com/
Show links: https://linktr.ee/buildingyoursalesengine
Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmcgraw/
Weekly Planning Timer tool:
Chapters
0:00 — Cold Open: "Only one tenth of a percent of the population does this"
0:38 — The Promise: Fully Prepared for the Week in Under 25 Minutes
1:16 — Two Hours In, 30% Done: Why Unstructured Planning Fails
2:40 — Borrowing the Pomodoro Technique and Adding an Agenda
3:40 — Step 1 (3 Min): Goals Out, Do Not Disturb On, Everything Else Closed
4:43 — Why a Countdown Timer Keeps You on Task
5:30 — Step 2 (5 Min): Find Your Weekly Kaizen Moment
7:02 — Kaizen in Practice: Bill Pay, 401(k) Statements, and Building the Timer Site
9:00 — Step 3 (5 Min): Interrogate Your Calendar Two Weeks Forward for Landmines
10:30 — Look Two Weeks Back for Loose Ends and Dropped Follow-Ups
11:30 — In Workshops, We Never Fail to Find a Problem
11:56 — Step 4 (5 Min): Triage Your Task List and the "Someday" List Trick
14:00 — Step 5 (7 Min): Time Blocking and the Eisenhower Matrix
16:00 — Flexibility in Advance, Rigidity in the Moment
17:30 — The 75% Rule: What White Space on Your Calendar Really Means
19:10 — Block 30 Minutes for This, Recurring, for the Rest of Your Life
20:52 — Recap: The Five Steps and Celebrating the Win
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Plan Your Entire Week in 25 Minutes
Building Your Sales Engine 423 views 20 hours ago