In today's business world, information comes at you rapidly and from all directions. It's far too easy to become overwhelmed and find yourself in a reactive rather than a proactive mode. How can you regain a sense of balance and control?
Each week, as work winds down, make an appointment with yourself to assess how you've been doing. David Allen, the best-selling author of Getting Things Done, calls this a weekly review, which he believes is critical to achieving the results you desire.
The weekly review is more than a chance to step away from the distractions of the office, it's also a time to catch anything that might have otherwise slipped through the cracks. Schedule an uninterrupted block of time every week, and use it to evaluate and process your activities.
Allen suggests that you begin by collecting everything that belongs in your inbox. Gather all loose papers, scribbled notes, and audio memos that you haven't been able to transcribe. Empty your mind by writing down all the things that you haven't dealt with yet. Hot synch your personal digital assistant so that any notes or appointments you recently added now appear on both your PDA and desktop computer.
The next step is to process your inbox. If an item doesn't require action, trash it, file it as reference material, or add it to your someday - maybe list. If an item does require action, go ahead and complete it if it takes two minutes or less. If it requires more than 2 minutes, then delegate it or defer it and create reminders so that it won't be occupying your thoughts.
Review your deferred and someday-maybe action lists. Mark off all completed tasks. Integrate selected actions into your plans for the coming week. Schedule any next steps, such as meetings, in your calendar as needed.
Check over your waiting for lists. Are your delegated tasks getting done? Do you need to send out follow-up reminders?
Go through your projects. Remember, any tasks that require more than one step qualify as projects. Assess their progress. Do you need to rethink the stages involved? Determine what the next actions are.
Review last week's calendar. Examine the notes. Are there any follow-up activities that you've neglected? Sort these steps the same way, deciding on the next concrete action. Look over the upcoming week's calendar. What do you have to prepare?
Now that you've regained control of your working environment, take a little time to be creative and bold. Shift from the micro to the macro. Brainstorm. Capture as many off-beat ideas as you can. When the ideas stop flowing, get up, stretch, and look at those wild musings. Are they worthwhile? Take them back to your inbox and determine if they are actionable or not... Don't forget to schedule your next weekly review!
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