Taking a moment to step back and evaluate how things are going probably sounds like one of those things you “should” be doing. But if you’re trapped in a maelstrom of tasks, meetings, and personal commitments, stopping for a moment can feel like an impossibility.
Yet, carving out the time to do a self review and reflect on what’s working and what’s not could help to tame that storm of overwhelm.
What is a Self Review?
A self review involves regularly setting aside time to think about where you are, what you’ve accomplished, and what you want to achieve.
The review can be of a set period of time, a particular project, or your productivity in general.
The self review is an opportunity to reflect on loose ends to tie up, what’s gone or going well (or not), and what adjustments or improvements you can make. You can then use this to create an action plan so you can hit the ground running when you resume work.
Speaking about why performing a weekly review is so helpful, productivity expert Ali Abdaal says: “It lets me remember what the most important parts of the week were and lets me open any new loops that I need to, or close existing ones.” Abdaal also recommends doing a more comprehensive yearly review.
The Benefits of a Regular Self Review
Performing regular reviews provides clarity, giving you a sense of control. It enables you to be proactive rather than feeling as though you’re playing catch-up on important tasks. This is not only great news for your output but also your mental health as it reduces stress and feelings of overwhelm.
Making time for self-reflection helps ensure that you’re prioritizing correctly and that how you’re spending your time is aligned with your goals.
As productivity consultant David Allen, who includes a weekly review as one of the pillars of his Getting Things Done methodology, explains: “Most people feel best about their work the week before their vacation, but it’s not because of the vacation itself. What do you do the last week before you leave on a big trip? You clean up, close up, clarify, and renegotiate all your agreements with yourself and others. I just suggest that you do this weekly instead of yearly.”
A regular review practice also enables you to “zoom in” on the details. This means you’re more likely to spot opportunities for marginal gains, minor improvements that boost your performance. Likewise, it’s a chance to celebrate the small wins and remind yourself of the progress you’ve made, bolstering your self-confidence and motivation.
How Often Should You Do a Self Review?
There are templates out there for daily, weekly, quarterly, or annual reviews. It isn’t a case of picking just one approach and sticking to it – they all serve different purposes and can be used alongside one another.
Quarterly and annual reviews are good for big-picture thinking. If you want to see big improvements in your everyday productivity, though, you may want to perform weekly or even daily self reviews.
Many productivity experts swear by the weekly review. It’s a chance to think about how the previous week went and set yourself up for success in the following one.
There’s also a lot to be said for incorporating a daily review into your end of workday routine. A study found that 15 minutes of daily reflection was enough to have a significant impact on workers’ performance.
A daily review doesn’t need to be intense. It’s about spending a few minutes thinking about what you accomplished and setting some priorities for the following day. In giving yourself a chance to catch your breath, recap, and reflect, you help yourself properly enjoy downtime and feel better about work.
You could experiment with using a daily and weekly review in tandem or just start with one.
What Should a Self Review Include?
What you need in a review depends on how often you’re doing it and what you’re hoping to get from it.
Find a review method that provides helpful insights, without making you feel like you’re micromanaging yourself. Remember, if the process feels arduous, you’re probably not going to be able to commit to it long-term.
Here are some things you may want to keep in mind while designing your review.
Take Stock
The first two stages of David Allen’s review process are “Get Clear” and “Get Current”.
Get clear by tidying your physical and digital workspaces as well as your mental space. Catalogue important information and look to organize your files (however works for you). Note down any distracting thoughts you’ve had so they don’t turn into recurring internal distractions.
Get current by going back through and looking for any outstanding tasks and any next steps. Finally, review what’s coming up so nothing takes you by surprise.
While Allen’s advice is for a weekly review, it also jives well with Cal Newport’s requirements for a daily work shutdown ritual: “This ritual should ensure that every incomplete task, goal, or project has been reviewed and that for each you have confirmed that either 1) you have a plan you trust for its completion, or 2) it’s captured in a place where it will be revisited at the right time.”
Look for Opportunities to Learn
James R. Bailey and Scheherazade Rehman have conducted research into self-reflection and have identified 3 emotions that are particularly useful to focus on:
- Surprise – Indicates that a situation didn’t live up to your expectations. How can you use this to make better predictions in future?
- Failure – Suggests you made a mistake, or a choice didn’t pan out. Both are opportunities to learn from what went wrong.
- Frustration – Suggests that something got in the way of your goals or challenged your thinking. Understanding and working through that frustration can lead to growth.
As well as your work, think about what you can learn from your interactions with others and how you can leverage that to become a better collaborator. Teams stand a better chance of achieving long-term goals and positive cultural change if every member regularly reflects on how their emotions influence their thinking and how their behavior impacts others.
See what you can take from recent experiences that will help you in future. Once you’ve identified learning opportunities, think about how you can put the insights into practice. Find concrete ways to action what you’ve learned to improve.
Think About Your Goals
Review your overall goals and ask yourself what progress you’ve made towards them. Did you encounter any obstacles you can address going forward?
Remember that this should be a brief check-in to see whether you need to make small adjustments, not a complete reevaluation of your goals or your overall plan for achieving them (reserve that for your monthly or quarterly review).
“If you are trying to completely overhaul your life goals every week,” explains Tiago Forte, “that is a recipe for chaos, not clarity. It means you are interrupting the pursuit of your goals in order to change your goals.”
Make it a Habit
Regularity is your friend. Allen, Abdaal, and Forte all recommend creating a checklist you can complete each time (whether you do that with a to-do list app or simply as a note or document on your computer). You should then pick a set day and time to do your review.
Giving yourself a clear system to follow makes the task seem a lot less daunting, meaning you’re less likely to avoid it. And with enough repetition, it should start to feel much more natural.
Achieving Better Productivity with a Self Review
Blocking out time for a quick review of how things are going is a simple way to boost your productivity in real-time. By giving yourself a greater sense of control and enabling you to better align your actions with your goals and values, it’s a powerful way of looking out for your mental health.
Whether you do it daily, weekly or both (and certainly monthly or quarterly), the goal is to find a method of self review that works for you. Finding your ideal self review will likely take trial and error but the results make it well worth the investment.
