"There are times when slowing down and retreating into a more reflective mode is called for. That’s actually not slowing down, however; it’s slowing the body down, so that the mind can continue to be active at a more dynamic level."- Making It All Work, page 192
If you need to, think of it as a pit stop or an oil change for your car; it’s not optional if you want to get long life and high performance out of your car. True, with a car you could always run the thing into the ground and buy a new one. You only get one body though; you only get one life. You need to take time out for direction and perspective. Consider it a mental oil change.
Allen recommends scheduling 2 hours each week where you can disconnect from emails, phone calls and “drop ins” to focus on planning and vision. Personally, I’ve found Friday morning to be the most effective time to complete this weekly review, but others swear by Sundays. The time and day is up to you, but regardless of when it’s scheduled, this block of time should be treated as a “can’t miss” meeting with your most important client: you.
We bent the rules this week and are bringing you three Insights (mostly because the The Big Idea of “Get Clear, Get Current, Get Creative” lends itself so nicely to three action points!) So here you go:
"A great target is to reach a zero with all your input every twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Bigger pileups will always happen, but those should be the exception, not the rule."- Making It All Work, page 277
How many inboxes do you have?
Seriously. How many email accounts? How many voicemail boxes? How many “collection-of-stuff areas” in your life? While (possibly) necessary, all of these are a distraction unless addressed and managed regularly. Allen suggests minimizing the number of inboxes in your life; really, you should have a couple voicemail boxes (home, work, cell) a max of 2 email inboxes (work and personal) and as few physical collection spots as possible. And once a week, MINIMUM, you should be working to reduce the number of items in those boxes to ZERO. (Refer to last week’s article, or the article on Getting Things Done for more direction on how to effectively work through your inboxes.)
"What do I need to complete?"- Making It All Work, page 217
You’ve heard the expression, “Can’t see the forest for the trees”? Often times we get caught in the “can’t see the week for the days”. In addition to collecting new “to dos” from your recent week of activity, the weekly review is your opportunity to look ahead – scan your calendar for the next two weeks and visualize the events you have scheduled. What do you need to prepare? How long will it take to do excellently? What extra could you do to make this event your masterpiece? The weekly review offers as much benefit looking forward as it does looking back.
“…grant permission to identify with the ‘what’ of success before they have the ‘how’”.
Making It All Work, page 243
Dream. Don’t hope, or wish, but dream. The difference, in my mind, is that a dream follows the path you’re already on (or are seriously contemplating) and takes a “what if?” approach.
“What if you were to have wild success in the next 6 months. What would that look like?
“What if you were able to get access to the CEOs of your ideal client company?”
“What if you budgeted for a trip to Spain and asked for a month off a year in advance?”
A crucial part of the weekly review (and the major reason why you want to block off two hours) is for the dreaming. Once you have the last week filed and out of your head, and once you have your ducks in a row for the next two weeks, spend some time getting creative. Let your mind go and imagine performing with excellence. Imagine leaving your customer breathless at your level of dedication and detail. What would that look like? What could you charge for that, and what could you provide? Worry about the “what” first – use the rest of the week to figure out the how.
I’ll tell you from personal experience, nothing makes Friday evening more enjoyable than knowing everything is in its rightful place at home and at the office, and that the weekend is for relaxing and dreaming. Regular planning and redirection is crucial to living a successful, purposeful life. Do yourself a favor and schedule the “pit stop”.
You’ve heard the expression, “Can’t see the forest for the trees”? Often times we get caught in the “can’t see the week for the days”. In addition to collecting new “to dos” from your recent week of activity, the weekly review is your opportunity to look ahead – scan your calendar for the next two weeks and visualize the events you have scheduled. What do you need to prepare? How long will it take to do excellently? What extra could you do to make this event your masterpiece? The weekly review offers as much benefit looking forward as it does looking back.
David Allen is an author, consultant, international lecturer, and Founder of the David Allen Company. He is widely recognized as the world’s leading authority on personal and organizational productivity. His thirty years of pioneering research, coaching and education of some of the world’s highest-performing professionals, corporations and institutions, has earned him “Forbes'” recognition as one of the top five executive coaches in the United States, and as one of the ‘Top 100 thought leaders’ by Leadership magazine. Fast Company hailed David Allen “One of the world’s most influential thinkers” in the arena of personal productivity, for his outstanding programs and writing on time and stress management, the power of aligned focus and vision, and his groundbreaking methodologies in management and executive peak performance. “TIME” magazine labelled his first book, “Getting Things Done” as “the defining self-help business book of the decade.”
