It's always the most unsexy things, like get enough rest and drink enough water, that are life-changing and this is no different.
I don't care what you're trying to create in your life, the one thing that will be a make or break is a weekly review. It is The Single Most Impactful Change that ripples into every area of your life.
It helps you:
- Create a consistent routine
- Stay close to what matters right now
- Do the things you say you want to do
- Troubleshoot when things don't go the way you planned
- Build self-compassion
- Get honest with yourself
- Understand your resources (time, money, energy, attention)
- See your patterns
- Set and maintain boundaries with others
I could go on, these are the things off the top of my head and which I think are the most impressive. Overall, it helps you get clear, focused, taking action, and showing up to your work, your relationships and the world in the way you want. It is a cornerstone to living the life you design.
Get Past the Resistance
If you're feeling some resistance to trying a weekly review, let's bust some of those right now.
- I don't have the time
An effective and helpful weekly recap and review can take 5-15 minutes per week. If you don't have 15 minutes for this you need it more than anyone.
- I don't have the right stuff
You don't need anything fancy, no need to buy a pristine journal and have art pens at your side. Don't make this precious, make it useful. You could jot down 4 bullet points on the back of a receipt for all I care.
- It won't work for me
Connect with me and commit to the practice for 4 weeks. If you learn nothing from the process and haven't made strides on things that matter I'll send you $100. I am totally not kidding.
- I'm afraid of what I might find out
You might have to look at the pieces of you that you're not particularly pleased with or proud of and that feels uncomfortable. Yep.
AND you can practice holding those pieces of you with kindness and grace. Meeting your whole self with compassion is the most enjoyable and effective way of changing your behavior.
- I don't know how to start.
I got you.
How to Get Started with a Weekly Review
To get started make sure to keep it simple. I recommend writing a response to 4 questions:
- What went well?
- What didn't go well?
- What did I learn?
- What's next?
Let's Dive in....
Question 1 - What went well?
Start with your successes and any gratitude you have for the past week.
Question 2 - What didn't go well?
Be honest about your shortcomings or what got in your way. Be thoughtful about what was your responsibility and where it's important for you to hold others accountable.
Pro Tip: Balance your successes and shortcomings in number and depth. You can only think of one success this week? Then you can only identify one shortcoming. Did you describe your success vaguely and without detail and feeling? Do the same for your shortcoming. If you want to dive into exactly what didn't go well you'll start to build the muscle of noticing and describing with more precision what's going well.
Question 3 - What did I learn?
Consider what are you taking away from this week? Connect the dots going backward so that you can move forward. This brings you to the final question.
Question 4 - What's next?
Given the learnings from last week where do you go from here? Try to get granular - what is this actually going to look like? Choose an action or task that you can take as a result of the accomplishments or learnings from last week.
Rinse and Repeat
This sets you up for next week when you come back to your review process. You've set an intention for the week and have a place to review the traction you're creating. Once you have a weekly review routine you can start to build on other pieces that fit you and you're unique life, challenges and dreams.
I'd love to hear from you. Email me and let me know - Do you have a weekly review process that you follow or if you've tried one in the past? If not, how does this process sound? If you have resistance or questions please share them with me as well.
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On a related note...
Join me LIVE on Facebook on Tuesday, May 18th at 11:00am where I'll be chatting about weekly reviews. Bring any questions you have or any resistance you feel about trying this process.
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In other words...
"Success is the sum of small efforts repeated."
- Robert Collier
"Don't be fooled by the calendar.
There are only as many days in the year as you make use of.
One man gets only a week's value out of a year while another man
gets a full year's value out of a week."
- Anthony Charles Richards
"May you have the courage this week
to begin breaking patterns that no longer serve you."
- Anonymous
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A good question...
How does this week connect to last?
In what way do I want it to connect to the next?
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Until next Sunday,
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