Stay on Track: The Essential Practice of Regular Reviews

If you've been following this newsletter for a while, you're likely familiar with the idea that productivity involves both effectiveness and efficiency.

Effectiveness is about directing your efforts toward the right goals.

Efficiency is about maximizing the value of your efforts.

Today, I want to share a simple method that will help improve your effectiveness, leading to sustained productivity.

On your productivity journey, you'll often make changes that may or may not work for you. These changes may require you to either build on what’s working or adjust what isn’t. However, it’ll be difficult to sustain productivity if you don't know what is working. For example, there are many time management techniques out there:

1. Time boxing

2. Time blocking

3. Time batching

4. 2-Minute rule

5. Pomodoro technique

6. 52/17 rule

But how do you know which works best for you after trying them?

The challenge of not knowing the impact of your changes or efforts can lead to other issues:

• Frustration from genuine effort without clear results.

• The risk of altering something that’s working but hasn’t yet shown full results.

• Difficulty in identifying what needs improvement.

In every business, company, or area of life, there’s a common method used to gauge progress: Regular Reviews.

Yes, it's that simple.

You probably conduct or are involved in some form of review at work to track whether you or your team is meeting set goals.

For example, content creators review their posts' performance by checking views, likes, comments, and shares. This feedback helps them understand what’s working.

Due to the structure set at work, regular reviews are done and are mandatory. But have you tried doing this on a personal level?

Now, ask yourself:

• When was the last time you did a personal review to check if you're meeting your own goals?

• Do you have a scheduled time for personal reviews?

• What kind of personal reviews do you conduct?

• Do you follow a structured approach to clarify your current state and plan your next steps?

Highly productive people conduct regular reviews, and you need to start doing yours to enhance and sustain your productivity.

At this point, I’m sure you already know you should have regular reviews. The question is, why don't you?

I can tell you that I also struggled to do reviews regularly until I changed certain things and my mindset to enable me to become consistent. The results have been tremendous from something as basic as a regular review.

Here are some steps to help you start conducting your personal regular reviews to become more effective:

1. Understand the Different Types of Reviews and Decide Which to Do

Types of Reviews and Suggested Durations:

• Daily Reviews (5-10 minutes): 

  At the end of each day, quickly review what you accomplished, what needs to be carried over, and what your priorities are for the next day. This habit keeps your tasks manageable and your focus sharp.

• Weekly Reviews (30-60 minutes): 

  At the end of the week, take a deeper dive into your achievements, setbacks, and ongoing projects. Adjust your goals, reprioritize tasks, and plan the upcoming week with intention.

• Monthly Reviews (1-2 hours): 

  A monthly review offers a broader perspective on your progress. Evaluate your performance against your monthly goals, adjust strategies as needed, and set the direction for the next month.

• Quarterly Reviews (2-3 hours): 

  Every quarter, review your long-term goals, assess major milestones, and ensure your daily and weekly efforts align with your bigger objectives. This is also a good time to pivot if your current path isn’t yielding the desired results.

• Annual Reviews (Half-day or more): 

  An annual review allows for a comprehensive evaluation of your year. Reflect on your accomplishments, analyze what worked and what didn’t, and set strategic goals for the next year. It’s also an opportunity to celebrate your successes and recharge for the year ahead.

2. Start Small

The goal should be to eventually incorporate all these review types, but as a beginner, choose one and be consistent.

3. Set Reminders

Once you've decided on the review type, immediately set a reminder in your personal calendar for it. Even if you miss a couple, keep the reminder recurring. Each time you get a notification, it’s an opportunity to get back on track.

4. Create a Simple and Reusable Template for Your Reviews

This will ensure consistency and reduce the effort required to conduct the review.

5. Celebrate Your Successes

Reward yourself each time you successfully complete a review.

Feel free to reply this email and share your learning and experience on regular reviews.

If you are interested in having a 1-on-1 coaching session with me to learn how to double your productivity, redesign your daily routine and reclaim time, book a free strategy call and let’s discuss.