kms

Review Checklists

Review, reflection, and refinement should be part of your routine. I’m a loose follower of GTD and a heavy user of Things (though I don’t always use it in the way they suggest), but I’ve struggled to make reviews part of my routine. I made these checklists to lower the barrier of entry. In addition, I’ve created Beeminder goals to keep me on track.

Unlike most blog posts, this is a living document. I expect it to change. When It does, I plan to make notes of the changes at the bottom.

Daily Review

What do I want to get done today?
Check calendar.
Review and archive all emails in inboxes, creating next actions as needed.
Review next actions in Things, moving to today as needed.
Review due today actions in Outlook.
Choose one important thing to get done first tomorrow.

Weekly Review

What went well last week?
What didn’t go well last week?
What do I want to get done this week?
Review someday actions in Things, moving to next as needed.
Review unscheduled actions in Outlook, scheduling as needed.
Do I have appointments to make?

Monthly Review

What went well last month?
What didn’t go well last month?
What do I want to get done this month?
What events are this month?
What projects are my focus this month?
Are all recurring items being minded?

Annual Review

What went well last year?
What didn’t go well last year?
What do I want to get done this year?
Where do I want to be next year, and how do I get there?
What are my priorities for the next year?

Updates:

1. Added “What went well” and “didn’t” checkpoints. Added backlog reviews.
2. Added calendar check. Changed email process from keeping actionable to creating actions.