The Plan Should Change With You

Most of us plan our weeks for someone with unlimited energy, no surprises and an empty inbox. But capacity changes because we’re human. This week’s question is a simpler one: what actually needs you — and what can wait?

By Tricia Scott.

As I wrote this, I was on the settee under a blanket, surrounded by tissues, with a Lemsip going cold beside me. The glamorous life of a magazine founder, as ever.

The cold arrived on Friday and had pretty much flattened me all weekend. Instead of the long, nature-infused walk I had imagined, the furthest I got was the garden to check on a budding plant I was utterly convinced was past the point of resurrection but which appears to be defiant in the face of all odds.

Looking at my week with about half my usual energy, I found myself asking what turns out to be a very useful question: What actually needs me?

Not what’s on the list.

Not what I’d like to get through.

What actually needs me.

Because we have a habit of planning our weeks for an entirely fictional (super)woman.

She has unlimited energy.

Nothing unexpected happens.

She has somehow achieved the mythical inbox zero.

Good for her 👏

What I had last week was a cold, reduced capacity and a magazine going out on Wednesday. Which has actually made prioritising surprisingly easy.

A Head Cold Is a Ruthless Editor

I’ve been editing The Female CEO for a decade, and it turns out a head cold is one of the most ruthless editors I’ve ever worked with. (Think Miranda Priestly in pyjamas.)

It does not care what looked impressive on my Trello board for the week or about the thing I’ve been “meaning to get around to”. It just starts crossing things out in inky pink pen. And once the stuff is cleared away, underneath all that noise, you begin to see what is actually holding the week up.

At the top of mine was the new issue of The Female CEO Magazine. As you know, we don’t publish an issue in August, so this one is absolutely packed.

A handful of other things mattered too.

But quite a lot, it turns out, could survive perfectly well without my attention for another week. And I think there’s something liberating about that.

Last week, the goal wasn't to get everything done. It was to stop automatically giving everything equal access to my time and energy.

Our capacity changes because we’re human.

Some weeks we’re flying.

Some weeks we have a Lemsip and the structural integrity of a damp Rich Tea biscuit. (True story.)

The plan should change with you.

So, What actually needs you?

So this week, whether you’re full of energy or operating at about 48%, try asking: What actually needs me?

What genuinely moves something forward?

What can only you do?

And what have you put on this week’s list simply because it was on last week’s?

Give the important things the best of what you’ve actually got.

Let the rest wait.

The business will survive.

I believe in you (always).

👉🏼If you want to receive a Biz Love Letter directly to your inbox every week in 2026, I email our Hello CEO mailing list every Monday. To join, head to The Homepage and sign up! 

 Tricia Scott is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Female CEO — a global platform, magazine, and community dedicated to helping women build confident, aligned, powerful businesses.

A startup mentor and multi-company director, she’s spent the past decade helping women move from overwhelmed and isolated to empowered and intentional.

Most days, she’s juggling her MacBook, her next big idea, and a very necessary caffeine supply. Connect with her at thefemaleceo.com.