Weekly Review and Planning with my Bullet Journal
The last month I've started doing something at the end of each week that has totally affected my productivity and my mindset. Since I've started using this technique, I am able to do much more over the course of the week both in a personal and working level.
The new thing that I've implemented into my planning and bullet journaling is a Weekly Review. It's the time where I step back and assess everything that has happened during the week that just passed. I see where I am at, and what needs to be done. It usually takes me 20-30 minutes every Sunday afternoon to go through the process, and that makes me focus, concentrate on my priorities and make sure that I'm dealing with the things that really matter. That gets me ready for the week ahead.
I've been looking around for new and more organised ways to do things (as I always do!), and I came across a lot of articles and planners that mentioned the Weekly Review concept. So, I took all the information that I found and adjusted it to my needs.
The first thing I do, is to go back to the week that just passed in my bullet journal and see how I did. I know there's a million questions I could ask myself about what happened, like how I felt, the obstacles I encountered etc. But I decided to keep it simple to three questions:
- Which were my biggest wins?
- What didn't work?
- How can I improve?
This helps me to actually see what I've achieved this week and give myself a pat on the back :) It also shows me what didn't work, and what changes need to be done to make things happen. It's a really nice way to focus on the things that matter and find solutions. I also like to separate personal from work, and therefore I create a section for each one.
After I finish with my Weekly Review, I move on to myWeekly Planning. For this, I go through a few steps:
- I check all my emails to see if there is any appointments, events or tasks for next week.
- I go to my Calendex to see if there is any birthdays, appointments of events.
- I go through my monthly spread and my previous week spread to see if there is any tasks that I have to migrate to this week. I also look at any notes that I have written to myself to remind me of things that need to be done.
- I check my housework routine to see what I need to do each day.
When all this is done, and I have filled in my weekly spread, then I identify the key tasks / priorities that I need to do this week. I choose 3 for personal and 3 for work. Of course there are more things that I need to do, but I have to finish these 6 first, before I move on to the other projects. That way I don't get distracted and lose focus.
Under each project, I write all the necessary steps I need to take. There is no particular order, I just brainstorm and write things down. I can add extra steps if needed as I go along and when I finish one of the steps, I tick it off. During the week, I will go back to this page to see what I can do that day for each project, depending on the time I have. For specific tasks that I want to make time, ie. hand lettering practice, I will
It makes me feel very organised and ready when I've got all the steps that need to be done in one page :) It is a way to collect all the information you need from your notes, emails, bullet journal and your brain (!) onto a page, so that you can figure out how to take action on what needs to be done.
Do you do a weekly review? What system do you prefer for your goal setting and your projects?
