Hello, Old Friend

This isn’t a view I see all that often, but I’m delighted when I do:

I managed to get a complete GTD-style “weekly review” in today. For the uninitiated, one of the critical steps in a weekly review is processing inboxes, including email, to zero. I dread reviews. Not the processing part so much, but the reviewing step.¹

It’s amazing how unburdened I feel after finishing a weekly review. Knowing what I’m not doing relieves mental pressure that otherwise nags at the periphery of my consciousness. Also, knowing I have placeholders parked by context, along with any relevant defer and due dates, reassures me that I’ll see reminders at the appropriate time.

This post is a memo to my future self about the power of weekly reviews—or, in my case, monthly ones. I need to up the cadence and recall weekly how much better I’ll feel after learning what I’m not doing.