“Reflect” is the fourth step in the five-step process described in David Allen’s book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity.

“Reflect” involves regularly taking time to review what you’ve captured, clarified, and organized. The needs and priorities of your business will change over time; what you identified as necessary a month ago may no longer be relevant today. Reflecting serves to keep you on track and make sure you’re doing what you need to be doing. It lets you reaffirm that your to-do list is current so you can focus your energy and attention effectively. Plus, it helps you stay aware of tasks that may not impact short-term success but must be completed to reap significant long-term benefits. 

PRACTICAL TIPS FOR REFLECTING PURPOSEFULLY 

1. Set aside a dedicated day and time of the week—such as early Saturday morning as you enjoy a cup of coffee—to review your calendar and to-do list.
2. Schedule time to clean out your “in” boxes. This means all of them, whether physical or online—your USPS mailbox, notes on your desk, email, and the cab of your work truck. Approach this task as if you were going on vacation for a week, aiming to tackle everything important (and remove anything irrelevant) so that you have nothing critical looming over your head.
3. Encourage your crew leaders to keep a list of to-dos for the upcoming week and present them to their workers every Friday. Gathering the team together for an hour in the afternoon before the weekend can help everyone prepare the tools and materials they’ll need for projects the following week. It will help them hit the ground running productively on Monday! 

Stay tuned for our next issue when we’ll discuss the critical “Engage” step.