David Allen teaches that one of the most important parts of his Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology is the weekly review. It's an opportunity to pick up, cleanup, and regain control and perspective across the horizons of our commitments. For those of us that resort to post-its (I won't mention any names, Alan) it's an opportunity to get those into a trusted system, too. At the end of each year, I like to review my systems to see what I can clean up and what I can improve upon for the coming year. I start with an extended weekly review, which often turns into a week-long review. If you are unfamiliar with the weekly review process, here are the steps that I follow, inspired by David Allen's helpful GTD Weekly Review Audio Series:
Steps to a successful GTD Weekly Review.
Get Clear
- Collect Loose Papers
- Process Papers
- Empty Capture Tools
- Process E-Mail
- Empty Head
- Review Action Lists
- Review Previous Calendar
- Review Upcoming Calendar
- Review Tickler Files
- Review Waiting-For List
- Review Projects
- Review Goals and Objectives
- Review Areas of Focus
- Review Relevant Checklists
- Review Reference & Support Material
- Review Someday/Maybe List
Discussion/Comments (1):
Day after Christmas and today I received yet another great present; my e-mail is at zero, all my projects are up-to-date, all my actions are in order, and I actually completed several items that somehow didn't make it to the top before today. Wow, I really felt good, energized and left for the day with a great sense of accomplishment.
How? I did my weekly review using the Weekly review coach but did an extended dive like Eric is discribing on his blog. The small amount of extra time paid of big.
eProductivity for Notes is a great tool we have to help achieve "Mind like Water".
Discussion for this entry is now closed.