Time to Reflect: Cooking Up Your GTD Weekly Review
I was always rather apprehensive about starting the Weekly Review because it seemed like a potentially never ending task and completely absorbing. What has helped considerably, psychologically getting over that barrier to starting, is using one of two incredibly simple and rather obvious things - one, an Online Alarm Clock that you can set for 30 minutes (or however long you want to invest) and which goes off sounding like a bullfrog impersonating a police siren.
The other is using the Pomodoro Technique (a simple technique that involves a kitchen timer shaped like a tomato and 25 minutes chunks of your life). This helps you cut up the task into bitesize pieces, gives you a break in between and helps you plan exactly how much time you want to devote. You will get over the loud ticking (or find a cozy home for it under a chair in a far corner of the room).
Now I set my online clock, or wind up my tomato and get reviewing.
2 comments:
I discovered the Pomodoro technique earlier this year, and I use it quite often. I've found it really useful for those jobs where I've been procrastinating - usually writing reports or filling in application forms. A Pomodoro is usually enough to get me started, and once I'm started I can usually finish.
And there's a nice little PomodoroLE app available for the iPhone, for the gadget lovers amongst us ;-)
Hi Stuart, Thanks so much for sharing your application of this technique! I just downloaded the iPhone app (the free one) and will enjoy playing around with it! Thanks again!
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