This is my Weekly Review...
"...There are many like it but this one is mine. My Weekly Review is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. Without me, my Weekly Review is useless. Without my Weekly Review I am useless."
There have been many posts on GTD Weekly Reviews and so I felt it would not create any harm if I would post mine as well. As stated in the modified quote from Full Metal Jacket above, it is the Weekly Review that works for me. Friday is where I have a standing appointment with myself to do my Weekly Review in a 2h timeframe. Usually it takes me a bit less, but that allows me to also review other aspects or higher planning levels like Areas of Responsibility or Goals.
I use a OmniOutliner Pro template and create a fresh checklist from it every time I do my review. The structure of the checklist is pretty straight forward.
Getting clear
This is where I collect all loose papers and files including
- Business Cards, that hide in my briefcase or collection file
- Receipts and everything else that piled up in my purse
- Papers and notes I took in meeting and stuffed into my collecting file
- Everything else that is in my notebook bag and does not belong there
- Pictures I took with my iPhone (download to iPhoto)
Next step is to clear all my inboxes including
- My Mail.App inboxes (Business account and GMail account)
- My physical inboxes in the Office and at Home
- Messages on my business and mobile voicemail
- All notes and snippets I collected with Evernote which go automatically in my Evernote inbox notebook
- All downloads and attachments which all live in my Downloads folder
- News articles from RSS feeds that I have flagged in NetNewsWire
Finally I start emptying my head (limited to five minutes) by
- Taking a blank paper and sit down
- Reviewing the GTD trigger list
Getting current
This is the big review galore which includes
- Reviewing past (last week) and future (4-6 weeks out) calendar data in iCal
- Reviewing my recent digital meeting notes which I collect using a Finder Smart Folder
- Reviewing my next action list by context which also includes the '@Action' folder in Mail.app
- Reviewing my waiting for list which also includes the '@Waiting' folder in Mail.app
- Reviewing my project list and moving all project that do not have a next action into Someday/Maybe
- If I have any relevant checklists, I also consultant them at this point
Getting creative
This is where I use all remaining time to ponder around Someday/Maybe and higher planning levels
- Reviewing Someday/Maybe list
- Being creative and courageous looking at what really has my attention on my job, environment and family
My Weekly Review checklist is now working for me since a long time. Individual needs and environment may be different, but hopefully my Weekly Review provided some inspiration for you.
