Simply put, the weekly review is a set-aside period every week, usually an hour or two, where you dedicate yourself to getting organized for the week ahead and ensure that nothing is slipping through the cracks.
The important thing to remember is that the review is time reserved for you to be an executive of your personal and professional life, organize your tasks, make lists of people you need to follow up with, and arrange your priorities so you're always working on the things that are actually important.
This also means that you shouldn't spend your review time actually working. This is your time to step back. During your review, it's important that you—like any good manager—set the priorities, not micro-manage.
- . Take some time to clean up your workspace and empty your inbox. Then, review your projects. Which are most important? Which ones have milestones coming up in the following week? Organize them by priority and urgency so when you start next week, you'll know what to start without having to think about it.
- . Look at your calendar. Perhaps next week you have a big meeting with your boss about a big software upgrade, but you forgot to call the vendor to get the details. Put that call on the calendar for next week, and give yourself enough time to research before your meeting with your boss. Finally, check your mail for anyone you may be waiting on input from. Make notes or appointments to check in with them next week.
- . Look at those projects you've always wanted to get to, like redesigning your personal web site, and think about what small parts of those projects you might be able to slip into your schedule . Think about how you can be more efficient—maybe you're a sysadmin and there's a new tool that will cut down on the time you spend each week pushing patches to your servers. Take some time to get out in front of your life, instead of sitting in the passenger seat.