How I Do My Weekly Review, Step by Step

Let me start off by saying that I’m still a budding GTD’er, so this won’t be the be-all, end-all guide to doing a weekly review. This is just the method that I’ve established (so far) and it’s worked pretty well.

  1. Find the right location - This will more than likely be wherever your filing system is. In my case, it’s at my desk at home which is flanked by my filing cabinet and garbage can. It’s important (to whatever degree possible) to remove any distractions. For me, the biggest distraction is my computer, so I’ve taken steps to help alleviate that as a potential hindrance. I also silence my cell phone for added seclusion.
  2. Get the necessary supplies - If you’re an analog GTD’er like me, this means getting all of my project lists (kept in my binder), context-specific next action lists, a healthy stack of blank index cards, empty file folders, my label maker and my trusty fisher space pen. I also put on some good working music (upbeat, but preferably without lyrics so I don’t start singing along).
  3. Mental Sweep - Just like the book says, I try to completely empty my head into my in-basket. As fast as they come to me, ideas get scrawled down onto index cards and lobbed gently into the basket for review. It really doesn’t matter if any of these ideas will come to fruition, as long as they’re no longer present in my psychic RAM.
  4. Process the in-basket - Again, covered in much greater detail in the book. Everything in the basket is pulled out, one at a time. If it’s something that will take more than one step to accomplish or it will take more than 2 minutes, it goes on the project list (or the appropriate next action list, if it’s a single-step endeavor). I also leave myself room for new triggers that may pop up during the process. If a particular note spawns a new thread in my head about something I’d like to do, I jot it down quickly and it goes into the basket. For me, processing the in-basket is a somewhat organic process where I encourage my own head to be reminded of other things. Depending on the amount of stuff in the basket, this can take quite awhile.
  5. Review project lists - I keep my project lists in a 3-ring binder, one for work-related projects, one for personal (the latter is about 10-times as large as the former). I go through each project, and ask myself the following questions:
    • Is this something I really want/need to do? - I’ve got enough on my plate without having things there that might never get done. I’m all about keeping my list down to only what I actually want to do. Items get relegated to the Someday/Maybe list as necessary (or outright removed in many cases).
    • What’s the Next Action? - Again, read the book :) - The next physical action that needs to take place for the project to move forward.

    As I decide what the next actions are, they get added to whatever context-based list is appropriate (@Computer, @Phone, etc.). I keep these lists on index cards in my super-sexy moleskine memo pocket, which is with me pretty much all the time.

  6. Review reference materials - I think it’s a good idea to look through the information I’ve collected to see if it spawns any new project ideas. If it does, into the in-basket they go for processing.
  7. Someday/Maybe list review - Anything on this list that I think should become a proper project gets moved to it’s appropriate project list, evaluated for the next action which is recorded on the correct list.

At the end of the process, my project lists will be current, all next actions defined and my in-basket is empty. It’s a pretty decent approach that has worked well for me so far, but I’m always looking for ways to streamline my processes.

Any suggestions or feedback would be much appreciated!

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January 7, 2007 | Filed Under GTD, Practical 

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