Are you easily distracted? Do you often find yourself feeling like there’s not enough time in the day? It’s time to take control of your days by creating a weekly ritual of checking in with yourself and being more deliberate with your time.
Many successful and productive people swear by a weekly review, and one of the best and most referred to versions comes from David Allen’s book, Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. Allocating a specific time every week to review your commitments and gain perspective can actually increase the amount of available time in your schedule.
Personally, I have two review times each week: Fridays and Sundays. Fridays are for tying up loose ends and clearing the week, while Sundays are for a more thorough review of the week ahead. This gives me more clarity after a day or so away from the chaos of the work week.
During my Sunday review, I look at and evaluate several areas, such as adding events and appointments to my calendar, evaluating my goals, reviewing new and ongoing projects, and planning meals for the week ahead. By doing so, I can get a sense of how busy the week will be and how I will be spending my time.
Here’s an example of a weekly review checklist that you can customize to meet your needs:
Capture
- Brain dump anything in head onto paper
- Collect any notes and process into correct places
Reflect
- Did I get my to-do’s done? If not, why?
- Did I make progress on any goals? If not, why?
Plan next week
- What is on the calendar?
- What can I do to prepare for next week?
- Start or carry over to-do list
- Start or carry over goal list
- Time block important things
Scan next 4 weeks
- Important dates? (birthdays, holidays, events)
- Schedule any prep that needs to be done
Review
- Review Annual or quarterly goals
- Are goals clear, actionable, measurable, and dated?
- Anything that needs to be changed, added, or deleted?
Clear & Prep
- Empty email inbox
- Declutter desk & other
- What can you do to make sure you have a good, strong day of rest?
By creating a weekly review ritual and being deliberate with your time, you can take control of your days and accomplish more. So, go ahead and try it out!
