I was chatting with my friend Kim the other day about a weekly meeting TK (my wife) and I have called The Passion Planner. And I’ll never forget the look on his face—he laughed and said, “Cyril, I know you plan everything… but do you plan this too?”
In this video, I want to share one simple habit that’s made a massive difference in my life—at work and at home.
When I work with leaders, our focus is usually on performance – how they can spend more time on what matters, and how to create better balance in their life. But towards the end of our work together, I always run a session called Amplify Your Life, and I ask them a question:
“You’ve spent all this time thinking about how to be better at work… but are you putting the same effort into your personal life?”
And what always surprises me is how little energy we put into planning for our personal life compared to how much we invest in work. Most people are working hard at managing business deadlines and meetings, but when it comes to their own life—relationships, health, family time—it often gets whatever scraps are left.
I ran a workshop recently, and a woman who’d done one of my sessions four years ago came up to me and said, “Cyril, the tools changed my work, yes—but the biggest impact was at home.”
That’s exactly what I love to hear.
If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know how much I value a weekly plan. I do one every week to map out my priorities for work. But just as important is the personal weekly plan—something I do with TK.
It’s become a standing ritual for us. Every week, we sit down for what we call our Passion Planner session. It’s a short, simple check-in, but it keeps us connected and aligned through all the busyness of life.
Here’s how it works:
1. The Sandwich
We each take turns saying:
- One thing we’re grateful for in each other
- One thing we’d like to improve or tweak
- And another positive thing to end on a good note
It’s a nice mix of honesty and kindness—like a feedback sandwich. Helps us stay connected without things building up.
2. Key Projects
This part is about what’s happening in life outside of work. Maybe it’s a holiday we’re planning, something with the kids, budgeting, a home project… whatever’s going on.
We chat about how we’re tracking and if we need to support each other more.
3. Calendar Sync
We go over the week ahead. Who’s got what on? Am I travelling? Is TK volunteering? Do we need to shift anything?
This part avoids so many crossed wires and surprises.
Honestly, after more than 25 years of marriage, I still feel deeply in love with TK. I reckon one of the biggest reasons is this: we communicate. We don’t always agree (far from it!), but we’re in the habit of talking things through – and resolving stuff early, not letting it fester.
So, my question to you is: Do you take time each week to plan for yourself? And do you and your partner check in regularly to talk about what’s really going on, not just who’s picking up the kids or paying the bills?
If not, I can’t recommend it enough. Even 20–30 minutes a week can make a big difference. It helps keep the little things little and makes the big things happen.
Wishing you a great week ahead!
A bientôt,
Cyril
