I've read Getting Things Done. I've tried the full-on weekly review with sixteen steps and three-hour time blocks. For about two weeks. Then I stopped doing it entirely because it felt like homework.
What actually stuck is a stripped-down version that takes ten minutes. Sometimes less. I do it Sunday evenings while coffee is brewing, and it's the single habit that keeps my week from descending into chaos.
The Four Steps
That's it. Four steps. No journaling prompts, no reflection questions, no quarterly goals alignment. Just these:
1. Clear the Inbox (2 minutes)
Whatever task app you use has an inbox, capture list, or "quick add" section. Mine is the default Reminders inbox.
Go through every item that landed there during the week. For each one:
- Do it now if it takes under two minutes
- Schedule it by giving it a due date or moving it to a project
- Delete it if you no longer care
The goal is an empty inbox. Not a pristine system, just an empty inbox. Everything else can be messy.
2. Review Your Calendar (2 minutes)
Look at the next seven days. Not to memorize your schedule — just to notice what's coming.
I'm specifically looking for:
- Prep required. Do I need to prepare anything for a meeting? Make a reservation? Send something ahead of time?
- Conflicts. Did I accidentally double-book something?
- Busy days. Which days are packed? That tells me when I won't have time for deep work.
If I notice something that needs action, I add a task for it right then. "Prep slides for Thursday standup." Done.
3. Pick Three Priorities (3 minutes)
Look at your task list — all of it, every project — and pick three things that would make this week feel successful.
Not three tasks per day. Three tasks for the entire week.
I write these down separately from my main task list. In my case, I have a Reminders list called "This Week" that only ever has three items. Sunday evening I delete last week's items (completed or not) and add three new ones.
These are my non-negotiables. Everything else is bonus. This constraint forces me to decide what actually matters, which is harder than it sounds.
4. Delete Stale Tasks (3 minutes)
Scroll through your task list and delete anything that's been sitting there for more than three weeks untouched.
If you haven't done it in three weeks, one of two things is true:
- It's not actually important
- It's blocked by something you haven't acknowledged
Either way, having it on your list isn't helping. Delete it. If it's truly important, it'll come back. If it doesn't come back, you've just proven it didn't matter.
This step is psychologically difficult the first few times. You'll feel like you're giving up on things. You're not. You're being honest about what you're actually going to do.
Why Sunday Evening
Some people prefer Sunday morning or Friday afternoon. I like Sunday evening for one reason: I start Monday already knowing my priorities.
Monday morning me is groggy and susceptible to whatever feels urgent in my inbox. Sunday evening me has perspective. By doing the review the night before, I'm essentially giving Monday me instructions.
I also specifically do it while making coffee — tying the habit to something I already do. If your Sunday evenings are sacred family time, pick a different trigger. Friday end-of-day works fine. The timing matters less than the consistency.
The Tools Don't Matter
I use Apple Reminders. Before that, I used Things 3. Before that, Todoist. Before that, a paper notebook. The weekly review worked with all of them.
If you're spending more time evaluating task apps than actually reviewing your tasks, that's procrastination disguised as productivity. Pick something. Use it for six months. Then switch if you want.
What I Deliberately Skip
The classic GTD weekly review includes stuff like:
- Review all active projects
- Review "Someday/Maybe" lists
- Review goals and objectives
- Process physical inbox
- Review waiting-for items
I don't do any of that weekly. Maybe monthly. Maybe quarterly. But not every week.
The point of my weekly review isn't to achieve inbox-zero enlightenment. It's to enter Monday with a clear head and three priorities. That's the minimum viable review, and it's enough.
When I Skip It
Sometimes I skip the review. Vacation weeks. Sick weeks. Weeks when Sunday got away from me.
The difference is noticeable. Monday feels reactive instead of intentional. I spend the first hour or two doing the review retroactively, or I just muddle through the week feeling slightly behind.
Missing one week isn't catastrophic. Missing three in a row is when things start falling through cracks.
Try It This Sunday
Set a reminder for Sunday evening. Ten minutes, four steps:
- Clear inbox
- Review calendar
- Pick three priorities
- Delete stale tasks
That's it. Do it for four weeks and see if your Mondays feel different. They probably will.
