If you Google “GTD weekly review” you’ll get about 1.1 Million search results. Most of those hits are articles about how to stick with the weekly review habit. It’s no surprise that most people find it challenging to keep up with the discipline of reviewing everything, every week.

Many of my clients are already familiar with the concept of a weekly review when they come to me. Time and time again, they confide in me that they haven’t been able to stick with it, and they often feel a sense of guilt about not doing it.

I’m redefining the Weekly Review

I’m asking everyone I know to re-define the weekly review. Take it off your “should” list. Take it off your “have to” list. We’re going to re-define the weekly review as a weekly delight.

Many people don’t realize that the weekly review is more than just updating your lists. There’s tremendous value in doing that regularly. However, I believe the secret power of the weekly review is celebrating yourself and your accomplishments regularly.

Effortless and Enjoyable

I challenge you to try my effortless and enjoyable weekly review. Here’s how it works:

Wrap up your week by acknowledging and appreciating yourself for 3-5 things you did well. I suggest you schedule 10 minutes near the end of your week. Put it on your calendar right now.

The size of the accomplishment does not matter. It can be as simple as:

“I appreciate myself for working on the marketing report this week.”
“I acknowledge myself for keeping calm during that tense meeting.”
“I appreciate myself for spending more time with the kids.”
“I acknowledge myself for making that dentist appointment I had been putting off.”

Self-Acknowledgment is the first step towards building a powerful weekly process.

“Creating the discipline of self-acknowledgement for your success is important. Nobody will build you up as much as you can or for that matter, put you down as much as you can. One builds success and the other leads to stress. You are your own best praiser and worst critic.” – Dr. John F. Demartini

Daily Successes

Another simple approach is to record your successes daily, then review them at the end of each week. You can keep this in your regular list manager, or try out  iDoneThis.com. It’s free and it reminds you to make an entry every day. Remember to put the weekly review on your calendar because it won’t remind you of that.

Next: Get An Advisory Board

If you really want to get yourself to consistently acknowledge your wins (and perhaps also reflect on your challenges), send your week-in-review as an email to 3-5 people who can provide support and encouragement. Include your coach, if you have one, your mentor, perhaps your spouse, and 2-3 other trusted advisors.

Who’s going to be on your advisory board? Ask for their permission to update them weekly about what’s going on in your world. Let them know you’re not expecting a reply, but feedback is always welcome. This process creates accountability and support from people who have a vested interest in your success.

Remember that any weekly review is better than no weekly review. I encourage you to get started THIS week.

When you do, you’ll be taking crucial Kaizen steps towards the big Weekly Review.

The best methodology I know of for self-mastery and self-management is called Getting Things Done. But most people who ask this are simply looking for the name of a software application where they can manage their agreements. If you’re in the position of looking for a personal productivity tool, here’s what I’ve learned about selecting a good one.

Tips For Choosing Your Productivity Tool:

1. Make sure to choose something you LIKE. To me this is the most critical factor in determining how long you’re going to keep using it. Follow your enthusiasm.
2. Digital or paper-based systems? What works better for you? Are you highly kinesthetic? How fast do you type and navigate a computer?
3. How portable will it be? Can you add to/review it from any location? How important is this for you? Do you really need to work from anywhere? Should it sync with a smartphone or tablet?
4. Is there integration between Email, Calendar, Contacts, and Tasks? Is this important to you? Some people love to have everything in one program. Other people can switch easily between a calendar app like iCal and a task manager like OmniFocus. Personally, I’m in the former category.
5. Where does most of your work show up? Delegated by your boss? Emails from clients? Projects created from your own imagination? If you “live in email”, I suggest a system that’s well-integrated with your email program. Look at where you spend your time and make sure the tool you choose aligns with that.

When in doubt, a paper planner is always a great way to start. That’s how I started over ten years ago, with a simple three-ring binder and some computer printouts of calendar pages and action lists.

Now you can get a fabulous paper planner (with all the necessary innards) from David Allen Co. Everything you learn about managing your workflow in a paper planner can be transferred to a digital tool if you later decide to go digital.

But the vast majority of people who ask me about choosing a tool already know they want to go digital. Here are a few options to consider, some of which are probably already on your computer:

1. Options that integrate with Email/Calendar:

• Outlook
• Lotus Notes
• Gmail/Google Tasks
• Do.com – I know of several GTDers using this with great success.

2. List managers that don’t integrate with Email/Calendar:

• OmniFocus (Mac only)
• Word Documents / Excel Spreadsheets / Text documents
• Google Docs / Google Spreadsheets
• Evernote
• Notes (Mac only)

This is by no means a comprehensive list of all the tools I’ve explored. Some of the other applications out there don’t have everything you need, where others are simply less popular. If you come across a different application that you love, let me know and I’ll be happy to tell you what I think of it: lisa@peakeproductivity.com. Better yet, leave a comment below so we can all benefit from your experiences.

Here are 10 pieces of corporate jargon I wish I could delete, but since I can’t delete them I thought I’d “reframe” them instead. Think about how gruesome these actually are, and the alternatives. Here goes:

1. Under the gun –> Focused on a deadline
2. Running on empty –> Low energy, ready to recharge. See also, @Braindead which I call @Low Energy.
3. Under the radar –> Avoiding the difficult conversation
4. Lambs to the slaughter –> I wouldn’t reframe this, I’d just STOP doing it altogether.
5. Cracking the whip –> Putting pressure on, emphasizing the importance of, speeding things up
6. Cave in –> Let go of my point of view, open up, change your mind
7. Take a whack at / take a stab at –> Begin, get started, rough draft
8. End of my rope –> When something should have been said earlier. See also “I’ve had it up to here.”
9. No-brainer –> A clear choice (but not without pitfalls!)
10. Bite the bullet –> Just do it, eat the frog, be brave
11. Push the envelope –> Be creative, innovative, assertive, bold

And to be fair, here are a few harmless ones that I’d like to keep in the corporate vernacular:

• Ducks in a row – Now isn’t that a nice image?
• Out of the box- Especially if you’ve read Leadership and Self-Deception.
• Knock it out of the park – Les McKeown might smack me for using a sports metaphor. Business is NOT sports, nor is it war. But still.
• Ahead of the curve – Where we all want to be.
• In the zone – Evocative of a state of flow in creativity psychology.

Did I miss a good one?

How about you? What other jargon do you love or hate? Please leave a comment below or Tweet it to me @PeakeProductive.

I wanted to share with you my actual template that I’ll be using for my annual review this year. I’ve been tweaking my annual review for the past five years, and here is what has stuck, plus a few new gems.

Annual Review Template 2011
by Lisa Peake

1. Completing and Remembering The Year
Adapted From David Allen’s Productive Living Newsletter, here: http://www.davidco.com/newsletters/archive/1209b.html

You might think about your answers in relation to various areas of your life:

• Physical
• Emotional
• Mental
• Spiritual
• Financial
• Family
• Community Service
• Fun / creativity / recreation

• Review your list of all completed Projects. If you don’t have a list like this, make one up.
• Review larger outcomes – Areas of Focus, Affirmations, Goals, Visions, Missions, Purpose and Principles.
• What was your biggest triumph this year?
• What was the smartest decision you made this year?
• What one word best sums up and describes your experience this year?
• What was the greatest lesson you learned this year?
• What was the most loving service you performed this year?
• What is your biggest piece of unfinished business this year?
• What are you most happy about completing this year?
• Who were the three people that had the greatest impact on your life this year?
• What was the biggest risk you took this year?
• What was the biggest surprise this year?
• What important relationship improved the most this year?
• What compliment would you liked to have received this year?
• What compliment would you liked to have given this year?
• What else do you need to do or say to be complete with this year?

2. Releasing The Year
Adapted from an exercise as told by Alexandra DeFurio, photographer: http://defuriophotography.com/

• Gather small pieces of blank paper, and a pen. Unlined junior legal pads work well for this, or post-it notes, or simply cut up pieces of printer paper.
• Write one thing you would like to release or complete from the past year on a single piece of paper. Start a new paper for each new topic. Write as much as you wish to, and if you need multiple pages for one topic, go right ahead.
• When you’re complete with the writing, gather and carefully dispose of all of the papers by burning them in the fireplace, or by shredding. This is similar to free-form writing, but with a special focus on releasing the past year.
• Congratulations, you just took out the trash for a whole year.

3. Asking For Feedback
Borrowed from Les McKeown’s Predicatable Success blog, here:
http://predictablesuccess.com/blog/the-leadership-lesson-you-missed-in-2010/

• Send the following email to a few of your colleagues, friends, mentors, coach, boss, and family members:

“Hello

I’ve just finished a review of what I did well, and what I didn’t do well in the last year. I learned a lot of valuable lessons which I’m looking forward to applying next year. However, I’m pretty sure I haven’t caught everything, and as you know me well, I’d love for you to help: would you please hit ‘reply’ and in one ruthlessly constructive sentence answer this question honestly?:

What’s the one big lesson that above all else you think I should learn from the past year?

Thanks!”

4. Creating The New Year
Adapted From David Allen’s Productive Living Newsletter, here: http://www.davidco.com/newsletters/archive/1209b.html

• What would you like to be your biggest triumph of next year?
• What advice would you like to give yourself next year?
• What is the major effort you are planning to improve your financial results next year?
• What would you be most happy about completing next year?
• What major indulgence are you willing to experience next year?
• What would you most like to change about yourself next year?
• What are you looking forward to learning next year?
• What do you think your biggest risk will be next year?
• What about your work, are you most committed to changing next year?
• What is one as yet undeveloped talent you are willing to explore next year?
• What brings you the most joy and how are you going to do or have more of that next year?
• Who or what, other than yourself, are you most committed to loving and serving next year?
• Who in your world can you ask for help and support next year?
• What one word would you like to have as your theme next year?
• What quality will support you in creating your ideal year? (e.g. Trust, Honesty, Loving Discipline, Abundance, Focus, Creativity, etc.)
• Schedule some time to create any Ideal Scenes, Vision Boards, or Affirmations that will support you in the coming year. Put it on your calendar. Make sure you will have any relevant supplies by then (markers, magazines, paper, poster board, etc.) Enjoy this special time of preparation and visioning with yourself.

As always, be sure to take the parts that serve you and leave out the rest.

Wishing you a year’s end full of graceful completions, loving connections and radiant joy. Talk to you next year!

-Lisa

Here are 15 ideas to get you started on your next productive break:

1. Drink a full glass of water. You might be surprised to find out that much of your hunger is actually thirst.
2. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Your eyes need a break if you work at a computer for much of the day. Relax. Breathe deeply.
3. Keep a folder full of inspiring emails and randomly pick one to read. Include favorite quotes and personal emails that “made your day”.
4. Keep another folder with humorous emails, video clips, cartoons that come your way. Visit this folder anytime you’ve lost touch with your sense of humor.
5. Listen to a song or piece of music that you love. Any one song. Sing along if you like.
6. Read one paragraph of that book you’ve been putting off.
7. Get up and have a dance party in your office. Or in the bathroom, if you must hide your incredible talents from your co-workers.
8. Go outside and throw a ball for your dog. Cuddle with your cat. Do something non-intellectual that opens your heart.
9. Take a walk around the block. Notice what you see.
10. Send a quick text of love and appreciation to a friend or family member. Enjoy what you get back.
11. Stand up and stretch. Get creative and find different muscle groups that haven’t been stretched in a while.
12. Find a small physical task to do. Repair something. Re-fill something. Be productive while you’re disengaging, if you must.
13. Take a nap. Corporate offices are adding nap rooms. If you own your own business or work from home, there’s no excuse for being sleepy on the job. Give yourself a “power nap” when you need it.
14. Browse photos of the people and places you love. Keep them handy on your desktop or screensaver.
15. Remember what you’re grateful for. Especially in moments of grumpiness or weariness, remembering gratitude can provide a great burst of energy.

Please don’t squander all of your break time on reading the news or checking Facebook. These things have the potential to distract and drain you. Instead, devote your break time to to one of these mini-meditations.

What else do you like to do to replenish yourself during work time? Please leave a comment to share with others.

Don’t believe me? Try it for yourself. Ask yourself this question with a sincere and open heart, then listen for the answer:

What is my most important task right now?

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

This works best when you have a complete inventory of all your outstanding agreements with yourself and others, that you’re reviewing and updating regularly. Even without a pristine inventory, have the courage to awaken to what matters most, right now. Today. This minute.

Email me and let me know how this went for you. I’ll reply to you personally with feedback and support. Really!

The average office worker is interrupted seventy-three times every day. And the average manager is interrupted every eight minutes.

- CubeSmart, Inc.

Clients regularly ask me how to deal with seemingly constant interruptions in the workplace. Here are the three strategies I recommend, in order of appearance:

1. Minimize Unnecessary Interruptions

• Establish clear boundaries around the time you need for focused work. Close the door, turn off the phone, let your team know you’re offline.
• Get better at leading meetings and make sure they actually accomplish “the real work” of deciding what will be done, by whom and by when.
• Create times that you are fully accessible – office hours, if you will. Let people know when you want to see them.
• Establish regular meetings with key team members to facilitate enough communication that they won’t need to pop their heads in so often.

2. Accept and Attend

Give the interruption your full attention. This may sound counter-intuitive, but interruptions by their very definition have “got you”. Surrender. Giving someone your partial attention will not make you more productive, nor will it make them go away.

• Look, listen, focus, and attend to your interruption.
• Stop looking at your computer screen.
• If it’s an incoming phone call, try closing your eyes. They’ll thank you for it.

3. Embrace Divine Interruptions

Become fully present and available to the person interruption you. Every interaction is an opportunity to build a supportive relationship with another valuable human being. 

• Take a deep breath.
• Make eye contact. Allow this person’s eyes to remind you of your own innate goodness.
• Look only for the good in this person. Listen carefully for the good in what he or she is saying.
• Count your blessings. You may be interrupted, but this means you are also: connected, valued, collaborating, communicating, and not least on this list, actively employed!

Why are they called divine interruptions? Because they are perfect, because they are beyond your control, and because you can make them magic if you Minimize, Accept, and Embrace them.

Here’s an interview with two of the people who have most influenced my approach to working smarter and happier. You’ll need to subscribe to Harvard Business Review or pay if you want the full length PDF. What they offer you for free, though, is not half bad.

Being More Productive

An Interview with David Allen and Tony Schwartz by Daniel McGinn (May 2011)

Here’s the absolute bottom line:

Tony Schwartz: Organizations need to recognize that human beings are basically organisms containing energy. And that energy is either being renewed or being dissipated over time. An organization has to realize that part of its responsibility, whether it wants it or not, is to ensure that people have full tanks of energy. This is one of the big variables that will determine which organizations thrive in the next 10 or 20 years.
David Allen: Think about it this way: While we’ve been sitting here talking, stuff has been piling up in our in-boxes and our voicemails. Some of it has the potential to meaningfully shift our priorities. When we turn to this accumulated stuff, we’ll need to eliminate old business that is pulling on us, that’s taking our attention, and reallocate our resources to these new priorities. You can only do one thing at a time, and you only have so many resources. You either feel OK about sitting here talking to us, or you feel bad about the 9,000 other things you’re not doing. Everybody needs a system to make those choices wisely.

Read the rest here: Being More Productive

Books by Tony Schwartz

Books by David Allen

Three Tips to Unleash Your Competitive Edge

If productivity is a priority for you, consider this advice for tackling your to-do list — and more.

If there were just a handful of secrets to being more purposeful, productive and profitable this year, when would you want to know them? Tomorrow? Next month?

What about right now?

Continue reading at Entrepreneur.com.

I’m no financial expert, but I’ve been refining this process for about a year, and I feel like it’s finally becoming “productive”, meaning that I’ve found ways to reduce the time it takes and maximize the value I receive from it.

Click the link below to see my actual checklist:

Lisa’s Bi-Weekly Financial Review

It’s a Google Document “Form” which means I can check off all the boxes I complete, click Submit, and have a record of what I did. That way, if I need to skip some steps, I can see what I didn’t complete and come back to it later. Bear in mind that I’m a freelancer, so some of my steps apply to how I receive income and pay taxes. Nonetheless, this should be pretty easy for you to borrow (copy-paste) and tweak into your own template.

Now if you’ve looked that over and are wondering how to make it your own, I recommend you look over David Allen’s Personal and Professional Incompletion Trigger Lists (pp. 114-117 in Getting Things Done; pp. 288-289 in Making It All Work). If you don’t have the lists, go buy the GTD Setup Guides, also known as templates or laminated cards. Use the sections labeled Financial (why not look at all of them while you’re there) to trigger other ideas about what to review. (Full disclosure: That’s not an affiliate link, but David Allen is a thought-leader of our time, so I kinda think he deserves your $16 bucks.)

So now that you’ve read my Financial Review, I’d love to get your input, feedback and encouragement. Here are my questions for you:

• Is there anything else you do that I’m missing?

• How often do you review the nitty-gritty of your finances?

• What other steps do you take to plan long-term?

• Do you do your review with your spouse? Business partner? Accountability partner?

• Has a regular review like this one helped you? How?

Please leave a comment below, or Tweet your ideas to me @peakeproductive.