This is the fifth blog post in a series about my experiences working through the Productivity Field Guide by David Sparks, available in the Plus and the Standard editions.
In this post, I want to help you get the work done to “move the needle” on your Arete projects and habits. We’ll discuss how to do weekly reviews and daily plans and how I do mine.
Why Have Weekly Reviews and Daily Planning?
Your Arete statements of your “best version of yourself” in each role are just words unless you act on them. During quarterly planning, you decide what habits and projects you will work on in the quarter. The weekly review is to check in every week and ensure you follow your plan.
“During weekly planning I don’t spend any time looking at roles or arete. Instead, it is all about existing projects and habits. How are they doing? What’s off the rails? How do I get it back on the rails?” David Sparks, Productivity Field Guide.
It’s in the week-to-week and day-to-day work that you do that you make progress on your Arete.
It’s great to make big plans, but I find it’s all too easy for me to get wrapped up in life and forget what I intend to focus on. I need weekly reviews and daily plans to remind me.
How to Do Weekly Reviews and a Template You Can Use
1. “How Did I Do Last Week?
The big question to ask yourself at each weekly review is, “How did I do last week?” I want to know, “Did I make progress last week?”
You may look back at the last week and think, “Wow, I accomplished a lot on my projects and habits.” If so, congratulate yourself and ask why that happened. What did I do that made that happen?
Sometimes, however, I look back at the past week and say, as I did this past week, “I made a little progress but also wasted a lot of time.” This isn’t a time to beat yourself up but a time to learn from your mistakes.
Why didn’t I make much progress? Maybe another role unexpectedly took precedence, like caring for an ill spouse or a friend who needed you. That’s OK.
Or maybe, like my last week, I realize I just bounced around and wasted a lot of time because I didn’t prepare a detailed daily plan for each day. When faced with a wide-open schedule, I opted to goof off or waste my time chasing rabbits down holes. That’s not OK.
It helps me to answer this question in writing by typing it or dictating and transcribing it. I quickly recognized my error — I didn’t make a daily plan each day. I determined to double down my efforts to prepare and follow a daily plan each day next week.
2. “What do I want to Accomplish Next Week?”
To answer that question, I look at my calendar and see my commitments the following week. I also look at upcoming tasks for the week in my task manager. This gives me a sense of how much time I’ll have. I review my active projects and think about what needs to be done next.
I add a step here that David Sparks does not. Despite reviewing my roles and Arete during the quarterly and monthly reviews, I also quickly review them during my weekly reviews.
Below each role, I include a list of current projects and, more importantly, habits I intend to work on. I need to be reminded of my Arete each week to keep them top of mind, and I particularly need to be reminded of the habits I intend to develop under each role.
I look at the following week’s events, projects, and habits and try to get honest with myself about what I can (and can not) get done in the next week. I may hyper-schedule (time block) some of my work on the calendar for that week.
3. A Template You Can Use
You are free to view and copy the Weekly Review Template I use. You’ll need to modify it to fit you. I have other computer maintenance-type items on it that aren’t related to the Weekly Review, so I left them out.
I do my weekly review every Sunday, but you can do it any time that works best for you. I’d suggest you do it sometime Friday-Sunday so you’ll have your next work week planned.
How to Do Daily Planning and a Template You Can Use
During my weekly review, I decided what I wanted to work on that week. I’ve discovered it’s vital to have a plan for each day to make that happen. When I don’t, the work doesn’t get done.
“Spending fifteen minutes wearing my manager hat and planning my next day might be the best investment of my time in the entire day.” David Sparks, Productivity Field Guide.
1. When is the Best Time to do Your Planning?
In the Productivity Field Guide, David Sparks suggests that you do your daily plan for the next day when you shut down your work the previous day. He likes that he knows what he’s doing the next day and can get up and jump right into it without thinking about what he will be doing.
I’ve found that day-before planning doesn’t work well for me. By late afternoon, I’m exhausted, and the last thing I want to do is plan my next day.
So, instead, I do my daily plan as a part of my morning routine. My mind is fresh (and awake after a cup of coffee or two), and I’m anxious to plan my day and get on with it.
Many people seem to have difficulty following the plan that “yesterday me” made the evening or afternoon before. “Today me” doesn’t want to do it. By doing my planning in the morning, “today me” makes the plan and immediately executes it. I don’t have to deal with the resistance to following “yesterday me’s” plan.
Since I do my plan as a part of my morning routine, I’m also acknowledging something I’m grateful for, reading, reviewing my calendar and tasks, and generally preparing myself for my day. See How to Jump-Start Your Day by Setting Up A Morning Routine With Apps, Widgets, and Shortcuts on Your iPad.
2. Elements of a Daily Plan
Review your calendar and task manager. You know the projects and habits you intend to work on from your weekly planning.
Here are the elements you need in your daily plan:
1. Pick out the three main tasks you want to accomplish that day.
2. Choose your priority task for the day. What do you want to complete if you don’t do anything else that day?
3. Select a realistic number of tasks to do that day.
4. Write a schedule for the day. List your tasks and when you intend to do them, generally in one-hour blocks.
I overestimate how much time I’ll need to complete a task. As humans, I know we are not very good at estimating how long it will take us to complete a task.
5. Transfer your schedule to your calendar. This helps me to know what I did during the week when I look back at this week during my weekly review the following Sunday.
Often, I transfer my schedule to an index card. I keep this card on my desk where I can see it all the time, and it helps me keep track of what I need to be doing and when.
6. Follow your plan! A schedule doesn’t help you if you don’t follow through and follow it to the best of your ability. It may well be that unexpected things happen, and you can’t do everything you planned to do. If so, find another time to do it and schedule it on your calendar.
3. A Daily Planning Template You Can Use
You are free to view and copy the Daily Planning Template I use. You’ll need to modify it to fit you.
You’ll notice it’s titled “Daily Note Template” because I combine my journaling prompts with my daily planning. Feel free to copy and paste the sections that fit you and modify them to fit your needs.
Putting It All Together – Achieving Your Best Self Through Weekly and Daily Planning
By incorporating weekly reviews and daily planning into your routine, you can stay focused on your goals and make progress on your Arete projects and habits.
Remember, consistency is key to achieving success. Take the time to reflect on your past week, set realistic goals for the upcoming week, and create a detailed daily plan. Use the templates provided to help streamline your process.
Don’t just dream about your best version of yourself – take action and make it a reality. Start implementing these practices today and watch your productivity soar!
Progress is a process – take it one day at a time.