180: Do This for a Productive Week
Coaching for Leaders
Dave Stachowiak
4.8 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 16 February 2015
⏱️ 34 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Dave Stachowiak: Coaching for Leaders
In the book Getting Things Done*, past guest David Allen first popularized the practice of a weekly review. In this episode, I share my own process for the weekly review, so that you can incorporate the actions that best work for you.
Key Points
1. Block Time
I complete my weekly review either Sunday evening or early Monday morning. Pick a time that will work consistently in your schedule.
2. Record What Worked
I don’t have an issue remembering what didn’t work, so I discipline myself to write down what did work last week. That way, I recognize strengths.
3. Review Goals
I do a full read of the annual goals I created at the beginning of the year, so I know where I am headed.
4. Determine Next Actions
I decide the next action for each annual goal to advance me closer.
5. Flag 3-5 Actions
I pick the 3-5 actions (fewer is better) than I will commit to complete this week. I leave the rest of them for another week.
6. Remove Flags from Last Week
If there are still flagged items remaining from last week (often the case) I remove them if they are not already on this week’s list. This is an administrative step.
7. Review Projects in OmniFocus
I review all my projects in OmniFocus* for important tasks that might need to be added to the week.
8. Review Habits and Set Focus
I review my daily habits on Coach.me for the last week to see where I did well and where I fell short. Then, I pick a focus habit for the week so I can realign with one I’ve been missing. I write it on my office board.
9. Review Calendar for 14 Days
Looking ahead to just this week isn’t good enough and I won’t think to look to the following week until Friday. Reminding myself to do this is key.
10. Review Tasks for 7 Days
I review all my tasks in the OmniFocus* forecast view, just to be sure I’m aware of busier days ahead.
11. Block Time
I schedule or block time that I need to be doing something (like a client meeting) if not already booked. I work hard to minimize this to only things I must do at a certain time.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | If I was going to recommend one thing to help you be productive this week, |
| 0:05.0 | this would be it. |
| 0:07.0 | On today's show my practice for the weekly review. |
| 0:10.0 | This is Coaching for Leaders, episode 180. |
| 0:14.0 | Produced by Innovate Learning, Maximizing Human Potential. |
| 0:19.0 | Greetings to you from Orange County, California. |
| 0:25.0 | This is coaching for leaders and I'm your host Dave Stahoviac. |
| 0:30.0 | This is a weekly show to help leaders improve their communication, strategy, coaching, productivity, and personal |
| 0:38.3 | mastery. |
| 0:39.3 | And today I'm going to be hitting on those last two in a big way productivity and personal mastery and as you know if |
| 0:45.8 | you've listened to the show for a bit that every few episodes well maybe every five |
| 0:51.5 | or ten episodes I'd like to step back and to be a little more |
| 0:56.7 | reflective and to really turn the the spotlight inward if you would not inward on me per se but inward for to challenge |
| 1:06.5 | you that you would do that and today a practice that I have found to be helpful and I'll walk you through some of the things I do but my |
| 1:16.2 | hope is that what I do is merely a starting point to get you started on your own practice |
| 1:21.7 | for what you can do. And one of the things that I've been |
| 1:25.9 | thinking about a lot at the beginning of the year here is being productive and |
| 1:31.4 | staying, staying focused on my goals. |
| 1:34.5 | And if you listen to last week's episode, |
| 1:37.3 | you may remember me saying at the end of the episode |
| 1:39.8 | that I had seen an article online that February was the month that dreams die. |
| 1:44.4 | That was the title and I thought what a great title and read the article and sure enough it was |
... |
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