Build a regular AAR cadence, not just crisis-triggered reviews

Reviews triggered only by problems create a negative-events database; a regular cadence captures ordinary learning that compounds.

Why it works

Deliberate practice theory holds that improvement is driven by systematic, feedback-rich engagement with performance — not by accumulated time. A regular review cadence provides the feedback loop that makes experience into expertise; absence of regular feedback means experience simply accumulates without converting to skill. Crisis-only reviews bias the learning database toward what went badly, missing the positive feedback that builds confidence and reinforces effective practices.

How to do it

1. Choose a cadence appropriate to your primary domain: weekly for high-frequency activities, bi-weekly for projects, monthly for slower-moving work.
2. Schedule the review in advance — do not rely on motivation to initiate it.
3. Keep each review short (15–20 minutes) to maintain the cadence.
4. Track themes over time: recurring gap patterns are higher-leverage than one-off events.

Evidence

Deliberate practice research emphasises structured feedback as the mechanism of expert development; regular review is the individual-level analogue to coach-provided feedback. (observational)

Deliberate practice research is primarily in domains with clear performance standards; the regular-review principle is a generalisation to broader life domains.

Sources

• Ericsson, Krampe & Tesch-Römer (1993), deliberate practice and expert performance, Psychological Review

Common mistake

Running AARs only after failures or crises, which feels like the review has a punitive function and reduces willingness to engage honestly with what caused the gap.