The GTD Weekly Review
The practice that makes GTD actually work — and why most people skip it
How do you do a GTD weekly review and why does it matter?
The GTD weekly review is a structured 1–2 hour practice recommended by David Allen in Getting Things Done: you clear your inboxes, review all active projects and next actions, update your lists, and regain what Allen calls "mind like water." Evidence that the full review improves outcomes is largely practitioner-reported; the underlying components — external capture systems, project-level reviews, and outcome clarification — are consistent with cognitive offloading and self-regulation research.
David Allen is direct: the weekly review is the "master key" to the GTD system. Without it, the system silts up — inboxes grow, next action lists become stale, and the mind gradually re-absorbs all the open loops the system was supposed to hold. With it, you get what Allen calls "mind like water": a calm, clear state where your attention is fully on the present task because the system is reliably holding everything else. The practices below cover both the mechanics of the review and the mechanisms behind why each step works.
Practices
- Clear every inbox to zero at the start of the review
Empty every capture point — email, physical inbox, notes app, voicemail — before reviewing anything.
- Review every active project for a current next action
For every project you have open, confirm there is one and only one clearly defined next action.
- Look at the higher altitudes — goals, areas of focus, and purpose
Once per week, check that your active projects still align with your goals, roles, and values.
- Schedule the weekly review as a non-negotiable recurring appointment
Put the weekly review on the calendar as a fixed, protected block — and treat it as an external meeting.
- Review the someday/maybe list to decide what activates
Look at your someday/maybe list and decide if anything is ready to become an active project.
- Do a mind sweep to surface anything the system hasn’t captured
Before ending the review, spend 5 minutes writing down anything still bothering or nagging in your mind.
- Calibrate review depth to your current context
Match the depth of the weekly review to what the week actually calls for — short when the system is current, deeper when life has been chaotic.
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Related concepts
- Getting Things Done (GTD), Made Practical
The five steps, the next-action habit, and the science of offloading your mind
- Warren Buffett’s Two-List Strategy
Why your "almost top" goals are more dangerous than distractions
- Deep Work, Made Practical
Focus blocks, attention residue, and the shutdown ritual — with the evidence