The ideal cadence of planning for personal success.
The Weekly Review is the lynchpin of the Getting Things Done system. It is an intentionally dedicated period of time (typically 30 minutes to 3 hours) in which you perform a routine set of standard organizational tasks.
the Weekly Review is the critical success factor for marrying your larger commitments to your day-to-day activities.” – David Allen, Getting Things Done
GTD Weekly Review Components
- Clear
- Collect all loose papers & material
- Get the inbox to zero
- Clear your head
- Current
- Review next actions list
- Review week’s calendar
- Preview next week’s calendar
- Review “waiting for”
- Review all project lists
- Review any other checklists
- Creative
- Review someday, maybe
- Ask yourself if there’s anything else you want to accomplish
Other Good Options
- Review quantified self metrics
- Create time-blocked schedule
- Review OKRs
- Send a message to a loved one about your week, and ask them about theirs
- Align tasks to projects
- Write a weekly journal entry
A week is short enough to control, but long enough to be flexible if any changes need to be made. It also allows us to see the bigger picture – how this week fits into our monthly, quarterly and yearly goals – and still stay focused at the same time. - Andrey Sergeyev
Gamified Weekly Review
Demetri Martin’s “If I…” stand up special contained an inspiring example of a weekly review as a sort of game.