GTD® Weekly Review Tuneup for the New Year
Like anything done fifty-two times a year, the Getting Things Done Weekly Review can get a little stagnant, a little “ho-hum” or completely mundane. The new year is a good time to step back and look at your Weekly Review with a questioning eye. Is it ready for a tune-up?
Evolution
Think of your Weekly Review as part of your GTD journey; it is going to evolve as you evolve. Your responsibilities and areas of focus change from year to year, so why not your Weekly Review? If you have a repeating project in an application, open it up and read through the items with a critical eye. Do they all still make sense? Are there tasks that were there to build a habit you now possess? If you are just following the David Allen script, think about building your own custom template, adding and omitting as you go.
Fight Fear
Change, in any form, can be hard, and change to your Weekly Review can seem like a big undertaking, but it doesn’t have to be. Try taking a moment to think about your Weekly Review from a higher perspective, asking a few questions along the way. Have you picked up any new inboxes recently, such as new social accounts? Are there places in your life where people assume you will be looking and you should review weekly? Do you have all your professional and personal projects captured? Do you think about that weekly? Maybe you should.
Bloat
Another issue with the Weekly Review can be the bloat of being added to over a long period of time. This happens a lot if you are using some task management system where you can quickly add things to your Weekly Review. Now is a good time to review your review and see if there are task or items that should be their own projects. Remember, your Weekly Review is not time to “Do” it is time to “Review.” Go through each item and ask yourself does this really need to be done weekly? Is it making my Weekly Review take longer than it should? Could I remove this and make its own project that repeats on its own schedule?
What Attracts & Repels
Lastly, pay attention to your Weekly Review as you do it and notice if there are tasks that attract you. These would be things you are happy to do and almost can’t wait to get done. For me this is getting my physical desk inbox to zero -- nothing like scanning and shredding on a Saturday morning. Also notice if there are things that are repelling you in your review. For me this is reviewing my lists in Evernote. Sometimes it just feels like a lot to review, so I try to get through it fast. If you find things that attract or repel ask yourself why and see if you can re-word those tasks to make them feel more friendly and doable. Another trick is to add a task you like to do, “Start mood music,” right before something you don’t like to do, “Review all lists,” as a way of easing into it.
How is your Weekly Review or GTD practice coming along? Post a comment in the Success Community or directly at me @JasonMAtwood
