Suggestions for GTD style Weekly Review?
November 12, 2015 5:05 AM Subscribe
I want to start up some kind of review of my week -- half on my own, half with my spouse -- including what needs to be done next week. Any suggestions?
Does anyone have a ritual for ending the week, emptying out your head, and making sure you're working each week on stuff that is important, and not just urgent? Does anyone also have some version of this with a spouse? Would love to hear your experiences & any tips for making this stick!
Does anyone have a ritual for ending the week, emptying out your head, and making sure you're working each week on stuff that is important, and not just urgent? Does anyone also have some version of this with a spouse? Would love to hear your experiences & any tips for making this stick!
Response by poster: This is great! Just a clarification, it doesn't have to be specifically GTD compatible -- just some sort of system for getting a clear head and prioritizing priorities!
posted by EtTuHealy at 5:43 AM on November 12, 2015
posted by EtTuHealy at 5:43 AM on November 12, 2015
My husband and I use Asana too - we have a "Chores" project and subheadings for Today, Tomorrow, This Week, Short Term, and Long Term. I'm in there most days rearranging items and it keeps everything visible enough that we don't usually have something important but not urgent falling through the cracks.
posted by brilliantine at 7:16 AM on November 12, 2015
posted by brilliantine at 7:16 AM on November 12, 2015
This is more info than you probably want, but it's how I address these issues for myself. My weekly review is tightly coupled with my productivity system, so I'm throwing it up here all together.
The personal kanban hierarchy is how I make sure to work on stuff that is important and not just urgent, and also how I keep expectations of myself reasonable and avoid overwhelm. It was my answer to the massive amount of info GTD alone was throwing at me. Here is mine:
- WIP (Work In Process): what I am working on right now. Very strictly limited number of tasks/projects. Reviewed weekly. Once something makes it into WIP, the goal is to get it done, not move it back down.
- On Deck: anything urgent or important that I plan to work on within the next couple of weeks. Only slightly less strictly limited in number. Reviewed weekly.
- On Hold 1: anything that is somewhat urgent or important but that I just can't address right now. No strict limits, but I try to keep the number low. Reviewed biweekly.
- On Hold 2: anything of lesser priority. Reviewed monthly.
- On Ice: projects taking place in the farther future, or things it would be nice to do but aren't a priority. Reviewed every 6 months.
My personal weekly review is specific to the software and method I use (the GTD-specific OmniFocus set up with a strictly limited personal kanban hierarchy, plus Evernote for general info storage) and consists of 3 parts: In/process, Review, and System Maintenance. I set time limits for myself in order to move through it quickly.
Roughly, this is how my personal weekly review works:
In/process:
- Loose papers get tossed into my inbox (I process my inbox during my daily reviews).
- I purge any "temp" notes that need it.
- I review the previous and upcoming week in my calendar and capture actions for any followup or preparation needed.
- I empty my head (tasks go into OmniFocus inbox).
Review:
- I use the OmniFocus "review" setting to review and update/activate/drop projects. For anything On Hold or On Ice, I seriously consider dropping it down or out. I am ruthless about culling here. (Because I use OmniFocus, I don't have to look at all of my projects, just the ones that are up for review, which saves some time.)
- I shuffle stuff into/out of WIP and On Deck. If there is some empty space in WIP or On Deck, or I have an urgent/important task or project, I move stuff up. If I inadvertently put WIP or On Deck over their limits with quick entry during the week and didn't catch it, I move stuff down.
- I review anything in "waiting" or "agendas" and record any needed actions for followup.
- I glance through my "pending" files to see if anything needs to be updated or filed. (I have physical and email folders for this.)
System Maintenance:
- I make sure every project has a kick-start action (OmniFocus has a setting where it just shows me which projects need this. Honestly, I don't find doing this all that helpful for anything that isn't on my plate right now, at which point they naturally get populated, so I might drop this from my review.)
- I find anything that hasn't been assigned a context and give it one. (Again, OmniFocus settings to the rescue for this.)
- Specific to OmniFocus set up Kanban-style: I set review frequency for hierarchy items. That is, I select all the items in WIP/On Deck, for example, and tell OmniFocus to toss them up for review every week, then move on to Hold 1 and set for 2 weeks, etc. I do this because I just shuffled stuff around.
- Specific to Evernote: I review and organize my tags (this takes me little to no time).
- I trash junk mail from the previous week.
When my husband and I get together for our weekly business ops meeting, we discuss what we worked on over the week and do any needed communication/coordination on specific items either of us might bring to the table. Then we decide what our priorities are and what our plan is for the week going forward and for longer-term projects/goals. I integrate tasks into my system after.
The only advice I can give you for making it to stick is to schedule it and make it as quick and painless as possible. The ruthless culling helps a ton because it lifts a mental weight and makes me more willing to approach things. I like to add a little treat during my personal weekly review. Sometimes my husband and I will sip on some saké during our meetings (we have a saké brewery, so it's totally business-related).
posted by moira at 10:14 AM on November 12, 2015 [2 favorites]
The personal kanban hierarchy is how I make sure to work on stuff that is important and not just urgent, and also how I keep expectations of myself reasonable and avoid overwhelm. It was my answer to the massive amount of info GTD alone was throwing at me. Here is mine:
- WIP (Work In Process): what I am working on right now. Very strictly limited number of tasks/projects. Reviewed weekly. Once something makes it into WIP, the goal is to get it done, not move it back down.
- On Deck: anything urgent or important that I plan to work on within the next couple of weeks. Only slightly less strictly limited in number. Reviewed weekly.
- On Hold 1: anything that is somewhat urgent or important but that I just can't address right now. No strict limits, but I try to keep the number low. Reviewed biweekly.
- On Hold 2: anything of lesser priority. Reviewed monthly.
- On Ice: projects taking place in the farther future, or things it would be nice to do but aren't a priority. Reviewed every 6 months.
My personal weekly review is specific to the software and method I use (the GTD-specific OmniFocus set up with a strictly limited personal kanban hierarchy, plus Evernote for general info storage) and consists of 3 parts: In/process, Review, and System Maintenance. I set time limits for myself in order to move through it quickly.
Roughly, this is how my personal weekly review works:
In/process:
- Loose papers get tossed into my inbox (I process my inbox during my daily reviews).
- I purge any "temp" notes that need it.
- I review the previous and upcoming week in my calendar and capture actions for any followup or preparation needed.
- I empty my head (tasks go into OmniFocus inbox).
Review:
- I use the OmniFocus "review" setting to review and update/activate/drop projects. For anything On Hold or On Ice, I seriously consider dropping it down or out. I am ruthless about culling here. (Because I use OmniFocus, I don't have to look at all of my projects, just the ones that are up for review, which saves some time.)
- I shuffle stuff into/out of WIP and On Deck. If there is some empty space in WIP or On Deck, or I have an urgent/important task or project, I move stuff up. If I inadvertently put WIP or On Deck over their limits with quick entry during the week and didn't catch it, I move stuff down.
- I review anything in "waiting" or "agendas" and record any needed actions for followup.
- I glance through my "pending" files to see if anything needs to be updated or filed. (I have physical and email folders for this.)
System Maintenance:
- I make sure every project has a kick-start action (OmniFocus has a setting where it just shows me which projects need this. Honestly, I don't find doing this all that helpful for anything that isn't on my plate right now, at which point they naturally get populated, so I might drop this from my review.)
- I find anything that hasn't been assigned a context and give it one. (Again, OmniFocus settings to the rescue for this.)
- Specific to OmniFocus set up Kanban-style: I set review frequency for hierarchy items. That is, I select all the items in WIP/On Deck, for example, and tell OmniFocus to toss them up for review every week, then move on to Hold 1 and set for 2 weeks, etc. I do this because I just shuffled stuff around.
- Specific to Evernote: I review and organize my tags (this takes me little to no time).
- I trash junk mail from the previous week.
When my husband and I get together for our weekly business ops meeting, we discuss what we worked on over the week and do any needed communication/coordination on specific items either of us might bring to the table. Then we decide what our priorities are and what our plan is for the week going forward and for longer-term projects/goals. I integrate tasks into my system after.
The only advice I can give you for making it to stick is to schedule it and make it as quick and painless as possible. The ruthless culling helps a ton because it lifts a mental weight and makes me more willing to approach things. I like to add a little treat during my personal weekly review. Sometimes my husband and I will sip on some saké during our meetings (we have a saké brewery, so it's totally business-related).
posted by moira at 10:14 AM on November 12, 2015 [2 favorites]
I have an extra section similar to Projects, but it's Goals. Every once in a while, I look at each goal and ask myself, which project or task is getting me to that goal? It's usually enough of a wake-up to add some new stuff for the neglected ones and delete some unnecessary stuff that doesn't seem as important anymore.
I also go against the GTD dogma a bit - I do have priorities 1, 2, and 3. Only one for each, though, no 15 #1 bullshit. Sometimes looking at the goals changes the order.
posted by ctmf at 8:00 PM on November 12, 2015
I also go against the GTD dogma a bit - I do have priorities 1, 2, and 3. Only one for each, though, no 15 #1 bullshit. Sometimes looking at the goals changes the order.
posted by ctmf at 8:00 PM on November 12, 2015
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Ours is set up to send automated reports to our family Slack channel, so we can review status there or directly in Asana.
This is the first thing we've tried that seems to truly keep us on the same page about what's getting done.
posted by whoiam at 5:42 AM on November 12, 2015