One of the key success factors of the GTD (Getting Things Done) approach is the implementation of the weekly review.
As the name suggests, it is a question of taking stock regularly – generally once a week – of the various projects and associated actions, as well as the information you are waiting from others, the upcoming meetings and the follow up on past meetings etc.
David Allen recommends taking two hours on Friday at the beginning of the afternoon to do this exercise. I think I managed to do it twice in almost 8 years…
What to do when you are already overwhelmed with work, in meetings 80% of the time or you simply do not have the energy to block two hours to implement this good practice?
Breakdown of the weekly review
If this list review is not done, you are missing out on a lot of the benefits of this method.
So it’s really worth finding a solution that suits you, i.e. that makes you review your lists often enough to be productive, sure of your organization and relaxed at the same time.
My schedule very rarely allows me to block two hours for this kind of practice.
I understand that it would bring me a lot in terms of productivity, focus and it would reduce my stress, but I can’t.
I found it much easier to set aside 20 minutes at the end of each day to review one list at a time, rather than reviewing all lists at once.
This way of working allowed me to continue this practice until today!
To add a little fun to this good practice, I sometimes time myself… I try to review my lists in a concentrated way and as quickly as possible.
When you do this every day, it becomes a habit that does not require much effort and brings you a lot of benefits!
And you?
Have you set up a regular monitoring system for your current projects?
How often do you review your lists or other monitoring materials for your projects?
Do you have difficulty doing this on a regular basis?
Your experience interests me! Feel free to share it in the comments below 😉
Til then,
ReBoostingly-yours!
Laurent