The Weekly Review

The Weekly Review – The Heart of “Getting Things Done”

I admit it.  I am right now a closet runway planner.  I am only looking at GTD from a runway level, and the 10,000 foot level – very rarely higher.

10,000 feet feels different than I thought it would – it feels like getting through the week, and all I am doing is checking off to-dos that I’ve done.  Then again, that is a good thing, although I could check them off when I did them and that would be even better.  But there is more to it than that – there is a ton of self management that is involved in that process.  It gives me a feeling of being in control, of deciding, what I am doing next.  It makes me feel like nothing is slipping through the cracks, and that is terribly important.

One of the keys that I’ve found to ensuring that nothing is slipping is taking notes throughout the day.  Most people I know would freak to find out I was “taking notes on them” but that isn’t the principle.  It lets me process my notes from the previous day and ensure that nothing is slipping.  It lets me keep a record, so that I know what I have committed to – childish, but if I haven’t written it down, it’s like my mind doesn’t think it exists.  I’ve heard lots of people rave over Moleskine notebooks – heck I even bought my wife one for Christmas, and she loves it.  However, I’ve found a great, cheap notebook that does the trick, and you can find something for your needs too.  If you have to know, mine is the Blueline A9C, a steal for about 8 bucks Canadian, and from a Canadian company too.  Reviewing my notes from the week prior during my weekly review or the first thing on the first morning in the office really helps me to stay focused on that runway and 10,000 foot level.

Now if I can just get myself to soar a little bit higher….