Getting Things Done Part 4: Weekly Review

This is part four in the Getting Things Done series. You should also read GTD: 43 Folders, GTD Part One: The Basics, GTD Part Two: Software and GTD Part Three: Email Management.

We are past the halfway mark of the Getting Things Done series. I hope you are enjoying reading it as much as I enjoyed researching and writing it. I also sincerely hope that some of you will find that this system is just what you needed to boost your productivity and, well, get things done.

In this part of the series, I am going to discuss the importance and logistics of creating a customized weekly review. If you currently have a 9 to 5 or recently left one, I’m sure you’re about to jump ship on me. But bear with me for a moment. I thought I could leave boring things like weekly reviews at the office as well. This is a different kind of weekly review, though. It is for no one’s benefit except your own. You get to design it, decide when to perform it and change it whenever you want. The only rule here is that you stick with it.

When I first implemented a GTD system, I thought that perhaps I could skip the weekly review. I figured I’d just do a review whenever I felt like it or if things seemed to be slipping. I quickly found out that if I really wanted to optimize my productivity and organization, a weekly review was a task that just could not be skipped. Now I have a set time and place for the review (about an hour on Sunday evening, my beautiful new home office). I keep that date with myself and I haven’t regretted it once.

In order to build anything for the first time, you need to have some plans. Even if you are inventing something new, you don’t need to reinvent each part of it in order for the final product to be unique to your needs. Such is the case with the weekly review. I am going to outline the basics and then you can shift and bend them however you see fit.

1. Use Your In-Basket

Maybe you are vigilant about putting all loose papers in the in-box. I am not. I need this first step to get all my stuff in one place. Honestly, if I skipped this step my weekly review would be an endless loop of, “Oh yeah, what about this?”

2. Process it

During this step, you get anything into your system that isn’t already there. These things may be emails, meeting notes, random post-its with research notes, or anything else that holds information with which you need to do something. This includes non-actionable materials that simply need to be filed.

3. Write it Down

You know all those ideas and project thoughts you have floating around in your head? This is the time to get them out. They aren’t safe in your head, so put them somewhere where they are.

4. Update Lists

Go over your basic to-do lists, project lists and checklists. Cross off anything you have completed and update anything that need to be. Take time with this as it’s also a good time to get a different perspective on actionable items and ongoing projects while you are not actually doing them.

5. Review Calendar

What did you do this week? Check your calendar to see if you missed anything, process any meeting notes or reference information into your system. Then look at what you have coming up on the calendar. If there is something for which you need to prepare, be sure to put it on your task lists so you are ready to go at meeting time.

6. Check your Waiting-For List

Waiting-for items, according to David Allen, are actionable tasks in which you are invested, but do not require your immediate action. So you are waiting-for someone else to do something. Checking up on these items is very important because they are the most likely to fall through the cracks as often we pass things off and they someone pass through our memory at the same time.

7. Review Horizon List

Is there anything on the “someday” list that can move up or go away? By reviewing this list on a regular basis, you don’t lose track of your long-term goals and plans. It can also be a great time to brainstorm new projects and ideas.

There you have it. Seven simple steps of a thorough weekly review. Now comes the fun part. You get to make it all yours. I keep an editorial calendar listing upcoming stories so that’s really what my calendar review time is for. One of my to-do lists includes story ideas so I spend a good deal of time further developing those in steps four and seven. As I work solo, I rarely have a waiting-for list, but occassionally I will be waiting for feedback from a client so I don’t skip this step completely.

The trick is to keep it structured enough. I could spend all week on my weekly review so I need to stick to the steps. However, some of you may be more mentally organized and able to jump around without wasting time. It may take some time to get it just right, but when you do you will really see the benefits. Once I had my weekly review in a semi-stable state (I still tweak it as necessary), I found that I enjoyed the time to sit back and look at the whole picture of now, tomorrow and onward.