Many people are familiar with David Allen’s GTD concept of doing a “Weekly Review” of your tasks, and lots of people have also struggled to integrate this habit. I know I did during my first years of studying GTD and other productivity systems. Glory, there were just so many steps! I swear it used to take me about 3 hours to complete it!
So, you can just guess that that didn’t last long as a weekly activity. Now, almost a decade later I’ve finally found a rhythm and ritual that works, so I figured some of you might want to know about my solution (So you too can stop beating yourself up about not getting your multi-hour Weekly Review done consistently.)
What is the Weekly Review?
Let’s start by getting on page. The Weekly Review is a habit/process that allows you to review and clarify the tasks or actions on your plate and prioritize what needs your attention sooner rather than later. In other words, it’s all about looking over your Master Task List and getting clear about what’s currently most important to you. That’s it!
Why does this matter? Because it’s so easy to get blinded by the urgent activities of the day and forget entirely about the quieter important tasks that also need your attention. So, this weekly practice is about checking in with yourself about what belongs on your radar screen at the moment.
The key to this approach hinges on my preferred method of prioritizing by horizons of focus (rather than levels of importance or urgency), which relates your tasks to horizons of time (Today, Soon, Later, and Someday Maybe) but in a much looser way than trying to specifically slot tasks onto your calendar (which has definite challenges.)
The Simple Weekly Review
Basically, each week you are reviewing your whole list and moving items up and down between the different horizons. That’s it.
Specifically, you’re ensuring that the things that need your attention in the near future are moved into the “Soon” category, and stuff that’s not important yet is moved down into Later or Someday Maybe. Then, during the course of the week you don’t even need to look at the Later or Someday Maybe items. They’re just hanging out for the right future moment and can be re-evaluated again next week in case that moment starts coming up.
I find that this version of the weekly review takes me less than 10 minutes. Now, a really good bonus step that I often include is a quick scan of my calendar both last week and the upcoming 2-3 weeks. Including this step allows you to confirm that any relevant tasks from last week’s meetings or upcoming events have been captured on your Master List and are also getting prioritized appropriately. If you add this step too, then it might add another 2-5 minutes.
Bottom line 15 minutes per week tops. Does that sound doable? Add a cup or tea, glass of wine, or a piece of chocolate and make that 15 minutes a joyful delight!
Daily Task Management
There is one catch however… in order for this weekly process to go so quickly you have to build your two key daily habits to a level of consistency:
1) Capture Tasks Immediately – Whenever you think of a new task it needs to get captured immediately on your Master List including its specific Next Action. This habit is crucial because if you are prioritizing an incomplete list, then you’ll stop trusting your system. Everything that needs your attention deserves a place on the list – personal, professional – all of it. That’s how you can, with confidence, decide what to do each day and each moment.
2) Review Your Master List Daily to Choose Your Inspired Action & 3 Bonuses – You have to actually look at your Master List daily to help direct what you’re choosing to do. In other words, each day you’re reviewing your “Soon” category and choosing your 4 items for “Today.” After all, you have to look at the list and work from it in order for it to support you effectively. This daily habit should take 5 minutes or less at the beginning or end of your day.
That really is it. I’ve been using this system for many years now and teaching it to others for almost as long, and it’s become so simple.
Next Actions
Choose when your Weekly Review makes sense in your personal rhythm. For some people that’s on Friday either morning or afternoon. For others it’s on Sunday or even first thing Monday morning. There is no right answer. It’s all about what feels right to you. But, pick one time and try it for 2-3 weeks. Test it out and see how it feels, then adjust if necessary.
You might also want to have your plan and a clear backup plan. As one of my clients recently shared, he prefers to do his weekly review on Sunday morning after breakfast. But, sometimes family life or travel plans interferes, so first thing Monday morning over coffee is his back-up plan. With an established backup plan, if something comes up that messes with your preferred rhythm you aren’t completely sacrificing your Weekly Review. You’re just rescheduling it instead.
If you haven’t yet started your Master Task List, then you’ll want to check out our free 6-step eguide to Start Your Master List. It will help you get your list started easily and effectively. For a more robust guide, you can pick up a copy of my book, Inspired Action: Create More Purpose, Productivity, and Peace in Your Life.
Keep it simple, and stay in the flow of action and priorities. That’s what it means to Live with Intention.
