Reflect

The critical success factor to implement the approach

Plan: Reflect (6:40)

The 4th phase is reviewing all the things that have been captured, clarified and organised, but not yet done. (Doing = stage 5).  Having gained control of our busy world, stage 4 allows us to maintain control.  Naturally, we will carry out mini daily reviews, checking the calendar, tasks and so on.  But a deeper Weekly Review is also recommended.

Most productivity models include an element of a weekly approach (Steven Covey – Weekly Planning, David Allen – Weekly Review, Michael Hyatt – Weekly Preview).  

 

Pro Tip

When should you do your Weekly Review?

  • Start of the week - this works for some; setting the week up before you start.  You may want to let the dust settle, and consider doing it mid-morning.
  • End of the week - many choose their last working day, so the weekend is enjoyed without having to think about work.  If so, you may want to bring it a little earlier into the day, so there is still some doing time left afterwards for items that may have gone under the radar.
  • Middle of the week - this allows you to look back and forwards in your planning.
  • Before a meeting with your boss - some find this has an added benefit of getting on top of things before their weekly catch up with their boss.
  • Just after a team meeting - others find that team meetings bring a lot of new things and so doing a personal Weekly Review after can help refocus.
  • During a handover - this might be suitable if you have a job-share.  However, even if you carry out some of your Weekly Review with a colleague, I still recommend some personal time.

There is no one correct answer – and if it isn’t working at a certain time for you, try moving it to another slot.  Why not schedule it now?  Either put it into your calendar as a weekly recurring appointment or into your actions system as a weekly recurring task.

The slides below show how to ensure your Weekly Review is effective and what to include to ensure it is thorough.

When do you find best for yours?  Tell us in the comments below.

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The Weekly Review will sharpen your intuitive focus on your important projects as you deal with the flood of new input and potential distractions coming at you the rest of the week.

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Guide

Download this guide and keep it to hand as you embed your Weekly Review. 

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