Triage Checklists: Daily routines, Weekly Review?

J

Jessica Cox

Registered
Looking for triage checklists & advice!
:: Triage daily wrap-up/maintenance routines
:: Triage Weekly Review

/ Situation:
Entrepreneur mom running 15-year-old marketing agency with my hubby and small team.
Also running nanny service for two boys, one of whom just turned 2 years old. (long-term gig, since these are my kids.)
Also tag-teaming cooking, laundry, house-cleaning with hubby.

Days are packed. Looking for bare-bones, survival GTD rhythms. Need something I can keep current between 5:30 am diaper/sheet changes, shifting childcare schedules (roughly 10-hours of full childcare per week), and the excitement of running a business.

/ Current Triage daily wrap-up checklist:
Check calendar, check work deadlines, scan email, Slack, check whose lunch to make tomorrow, check for clean uniforms, night routine, Bible verse, PT.

Should I even try for Inbox 0 every day?
I see other people doing this. Some days it happens. Those people are definitely operating at a higher level.

/ Triage Weekly Review Checklist:
Is it possible to conduct a Weekly Review in 30 minutes to an hour?

I actually do try to follow the traditional checklist. But since I don’t always hit Inbox 0 through the week, I often find myself just processing things to 0 in this window. And then a childcare emergency hits. Progressive Weekly Review?

Thanks in advance for advice & examples!
 
I don't reach inbox zero every day.

I find keeping my lists short helps choosing tasks and reviewing. This means heavier use of someday maybe, which I split between S/M weekly review, and S/M quarterly review.

I prefer a partial weekly review over a progressive one. If I only have time for a partial weekly review then I trust my gut on which part of the system is most out of control.
 
Jessica Cox said:
Looking for triage checklists & advice!
:: Triage daily wrap-up/maintenance routines
:: Triage Weekly Review

/ Situation:
Entrepreneur mom running 15-year-old marketing agency with my hubby and small team.
Also running nanny service for two boys, one of whom just turned 2 years old. (long-term gig, since these are my kids.)
Also tag-teaming cooking, laundry, house-cleaning with hubby.

Days are packed. Looking for bare-bones, survival GTD rhythms. Need something I can keep current between 5:30 am diaper/sheet changes, shifting childcare schedules (roughly 10-hours of full childcare per week), and the excitement of running a business.

/ Current Triage daily wrap-up checklist:
Check calendar, check work deadlines, scan email, Slack, check whose lunch to make tomorrow, check for clean uniforms, night routine, Bible verse, PT.

Should I even try for Inbox 0 every day?
I see other people doing this. Some days it happens. Those people are definitely operating at a higher level.

/ Triage Weekly Review Checklist:
Is it possible to conduct a Weekly Review in 30 minutes to an hour?

I actually do try to follow the traditional checklist. But since I don’t always hit Inbox 0 through the week, I often find myself just processing things to 0 in this window. And then a childcare emergency hits. Progressive Weekly Review?

Thanks in advance for advice & examples!
Click to expand...
@Jessica Cox

GTD system: Paper, Digital, or Hybrid ?

If Hybrid, what is Digital and what is Paper ?

Meanwhile, as a quick starter; does each member on the 'family enterprise' have their own physical Inbox ?

Thinking out loud: 'Big' Inbox for the two year older ['in a few blinks', he'll be 12-years-old] for Mommy and Daddy's to help ?
 
Last edited:
what tools are you using now? It seems pretty likely you need something very lightweight and low friction. A basic GTD implementation will give you that, but you still need to figure out how to see what you need to see when you need to see it. Consider something like morning, afternoon, and evening contexts so you know when to look at what, and with kids, kids napping, et cetera. You need to figure out what works for you as a calendar item and what goes on a next action list. You also need to consider if checklists can help you.
 
Wow! It sounds like you have your hands full with a business and kids and all the other stuff of life! You say you are excited about your business, and that sounds like you have the energy to engage with all this stuff coming at you. It also sounds like you already have a GTD system in place to some extent.

Do you need software for a to-do list or checklist that is fast and easy to use? If you have Windows 10 or 11, MS To-Do is free to download and use. Compared to other software, you can probably get set up and running pretty quickly. If you don't know the program, you can watch a few YouTube tutorials about it, and learn it very fast. It's not a complex program, but it has good functionality, and it's fun to check off the items. (Also, I believe you can use MS To-Do with Outlook.)

You could set up your whole GTD system in MS to-do, or you could use it for whatever isn't working well in your current GTD system. For instance, you could use it for Routines and/or Standard Operating Procecures (SOPs), such as the SOP for doing a daily or weekly review.

Here's a link to a short basic video tutorial for MS To-Do.

- YouTube

Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen.
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com

Here's a link to David Allen's list and video about the Weekly Review:
gettingthingsdone.com

Episode #43: The Power of the GTD Weekly Review®

David Allen talks about the GTD Weekly Review, sharing valluable tips and tricks. Includes download of free Weekly Review Checklist.
gettingthingsdone.com gettingthingsdone.com

Heres a pdf about the weekly review:

Here's a link to a reddit post about gtd for family management:

Here is a trigger list of all sorts of things that might trigger your memory of what is needed in your specific case:

I think it takes time to create checklists and standard operating procedures and routines (and a complete GTD system) for a family and a business because it takes thinking about what is needed, writing it down, and even timing tasks to know long they generally take, and testing it and refining it. In this regard, there is a great classic book about routines and home management tasks called "Sidetracked Home Executives (SHEs) - From Pigpen to Paradise" by Pam Young and Peggy Jones. They help you create a 3x5 card system for household routines and checklists and procedures (even for your kids) with a sense of humor that keeps things in perspective. Here's a link:


Getting things under control when you have so much going on is probably not going to be easy or fast, but one step at a time you will gradually make progress. Try to take this longer view to spare yourself frustration and stress. This could be viewed as a problem that you are translating into a project in your GTD system. What is your desired outcome? What is most important to you in this process?

Here is a video from GTD Focus with GTD Coach Meg Edwards about prioritizing from the higher horizons:

GTD higher horizons and how to work with them - Haku Videot

www.bing.com www.bing.com

Can you love and understand and accept yourself as you are, expect inevitable mistakes and frustrations in this process, and let that be okay? Here is a great exercise you can download that teaches how to get bigger than what's bugging you. You will see a place on this web page where you can enter your email and receive this brief mini-course by email at no charge. I have done this mini-course, and I loved it! Here is the link:

https://focusingresources.com/learning/get-bigger-than-whats-bugging-you#signup

I sure hope something here resonates for you and saves you some time.

Best wishes,

Emily
 
I think you're doing pretty great so far! I don't get to Inbox Zero every day. Maybe 2-3 times a week, and that's my work one which is not super busy. My personal one I archive off regularly, after deleting the rubbish - maybe once a fortnight. However there are few actionables in there, maybe a handful a week which I manage with the star function (I use Yahoo, don't judge me).
The best way to deal with email I find is little and often - as Hafa10 suggests, a few minutes a day blitzing it is very helpful, even if it just deleting the rubbish and archiving the reference. Try not to use all your dedicated weekly review for inboxing - that's how things sneak up and explode.
As for weekly review, I do a Friday planning session combined with WR. It can take me as little as 30 mins, or can end up spread out over the whole day. You don't have to do it all in one bite. If I feel the need for a Big Review I generally do something like (personal system):

Check emails for actionables, check physical intray for actionables - add to appropriate list or action if <2mins
write in my Morning Pages journal, this sometimes shakes out things I need to think about more
scan GTD lists for completes, not-doing-this-anymores, things that need a rewrite or stuff to move to another list
Mind Sweep - this might be a collection of scribbles from during the week, plus a session with the trigger list
Add mind sweep to relevant lists or scrap
Weekly planning - this is mainly filling in my bujo dailies with must-do's and appointments, I don't use a traditional calendar at home
Review of projects list and support info - current? Anything need updating / changing / deleting / rephrasing?
Review someday / maybe
Quarterly or so I'll try and spend some time on higher horizons, but it's generally just a check in to make sure I'm happy with them

All of the above can be taken one at a time or in chunks, whatever works.
 
cfoley said:
I don't reach inbox zero every day.

I find keeping my lists short helps choosing tasks and reviewing. This means heavier use of someday maybe, which I split between S/M weekly review, and S/M quarterly review.

I prefer a partial weekly review over a progressive one. If I only have time for a partial weekly review then I trust my gut on which part of the system is most out of control.
Click to expand...
Thank you! SM/Sub-categories for weekly/quarterly is genius!
Have been trying to use tickler for this, but that ties things to a more focused review schedule.
 
gtdstudente said:
@Jessica Cox

GTD system: Paper, Digital, or Hybrid ?

If Hybrid, what is Digital and what is Paper ?

Meanwhile, as a quick starter; does each member on the 'family enterprise' have their own physical Inbox ?

Thinking out loud: 'Big' Inbox for the two year older ['in a few blinks', he'll be 12-years-old] for Mommy and Daddy's to help ?
Click to expand...
Family Enterprise Inbox:
That’s a great idea! Might do a stacking paper sorter for the boys just to help me (and them) learn to process things that are theirs. Older brother can already do a little to help manage his school things.

Hybrid Setup:
Paper holds 3-4 “this must get done today.” High-priority and date-bound items.
Also get important meeting notes from phone calls when I am chasing my little guys and can’t type.
Everything else lives in electronic calendar + ToDoist system.
Things on paper go into electronic system as soon as I can get them there.
 
mcogilvie said:
what tools are you using now? It seems pretty likely you need something very lightweight and low friction. A basic GTD implementation will give you that, but you still need to figure out how to see what you need to see when you need to see it. Consider something like morning, afternoon, and evening contexts so you know when to look at what, and with kids, kids napping, et cetera. You need to figure out what works for you as a calendar item and what goes on a next action list. You also need to consider if checklists can help you.
Click to expand...
Tools:
Google Calendar | ToDoist | Paper

Contexts: I have been using morning/evening - but afternoon is definitely a unique context, and worth considering!

Checklists need updating for new reality.

Calendar vs next action: Default to mostly next actions, unless it’s a meeting involving other humans. Have wondered if I can try time-blocking (at least for weekly review!)
 
Mrs-Polifax said:
Wow! It sounds like you have your hands full with a business and kids and all the other stuff of life! You say you are excited about your business, and that sounds like you have the energy to engage with all this stuff coming at you. It also sounds like you already have a GTD system in place to some extent.

Do you need software for a to-do list or checklist that is fast and easy to use? If you have Windows 10 or 11, MS To-Do is free to download and use. Compared to other software, you can probably get set up and running pretty quickly. If you don't know the program, you can watch a few YouTube tutorials about it, and learn it very fast. It's not a complex program, but it has good functionality, and it's fun to check off the items. (Also, I believe you can use MS To-Do with Outlook.)

You could set up your whole GTD system in MS to-do, or you could use it for whatever isn't working well in your current GTD system. For instance, you could use it for Routines and/or Standard Operating Procecures (SOPs), such as the SOP for doing a daily or weekly review.

Here's a link to a short basic video tutorial for MS To-Do.

- YouTube

Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen.
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com

Here's a link to David Allen's list and video about the Weekly Review:
gettingthingsdone.com

Episode #43: The Power of the GTD Weekly Review®

David Allen talks about the GTD Weekly Review, sharing valluable tips and tricks. Includes download of free Weekly Review Checklist.
gettingthingsdone.com gettingthingsdone.com

Heres a pdf about the weekly review:

Here's a link to a reddit post about gtd for family management:

Here is a trigger list of all sorts of things that might trigger your memory of what is needed in your specific case:

I think it takes time to create checklists and standard operating procedures and routines (and a complete GTD system) for a family and a business because it takes thinking about what is needed, writing it down, and even timing tasks to know long they generally take, and testing it and refining it. In this regard, there is a great classic book about routines and home management tasks called "Sidetracked Home Executives (SHEs) - From Pigpen to Paradise" by Pam Young and Peggy Jones. They help you create a 3x5 card system for household routines and checklists and procedures (even for your kids) with a sense of humor that keeps things in perspective. Here's a link:


Getting things under control when you have so much going on is probably not going to be easy or fast, but one step at a time you will gradually make progress. Try to take this longer view to spare yourself frustration and stress. This could be viewed as a problem that you are translating into a project in your GTD system. What is your desired outcome? What is most important to you in this process?

Here is a video from GTD Focus with GTD Coach Meg Edwards about prioritizing from the higher horizons:

GTD higher horizons and how to work with them - Haku Videot

www.bing.com www.bing.com

Can you love and understand and accept yourself as you are, expect inevitable mistakes and frustrations in this process, and let that be okay? Here is a great exercise you can download that teaches how to get bigger than what's bugging you. You will see a place on this web page where you can enter your email and receive this brief mini-course by email at no charge. I have done this mini-course, and I loved it! Here is the link:

https://focusingresources.com/learning/get-bigger-than-whats-bugging-you#signup

I sure hope something here resonates for you and saves you some time.

Best wishes,

Emily
Click to expand...
Wow Emily, thank you for the resource treasure trove!
Will dive into this when I get a bigger window!

Quick note: Love Meg Edwards, but have not seen that video!
 
HelenM said:
I think you're doing pretty great so far! I don't get to Inbox Zero every day. Maybe 2-3 times a week, and that's my work one which is not super busy. My personal one I archive off regularly, after deleting the rubbish - maybe once a fortnight. However there are few actionables in there, maybe a handful a week which I manage with the star function (I use Yahoo, don't judge me).
The best way to deal with email I find is little and often - as Hafa10 suggests, a few minutes a day blitzing it is very helpful, even if it just deleting the rubbish and archiving the reference. Try not to use all your dedicated weekly review for inboxing - that's how things sneak up and explode.
As for weekly review, I do a Friday planning session combined with WR. It can take me as little as 30 mins, or can end up spread out over the whole day. You don't have to do it all in one bite. If I feel the need for a Big Review I generally do something like (personal system):

Check emails for actionables, check physical intray for actionables - add to appropriate list or action if <2mins
write in my Morning Pages journal, this sometimes shakes out things I need to think about more
scan GTD lists for completes, not-doing-this-anymores, things that need a rewrite or stuff to move to another list
Mind Sweep - this might be a collection of scribbles from during the week, plus a session with the trigger list
Add mind sweep to relevant lists or scrap
Weekly planning - this is mainly filling in my bujo dailies with must-do's and appointments, I don't use a traditional calendar at home
Review of projects list and support info - current? Anything need updating / changing / deleting / rephrasing?
Review someday / maybe
Quarterly or so I'll try and spend some time on higher horizons, but it's generally just a check in to make sure I'm happy with them

All of the above can be taken one at a time or in chunks, whatever works.
Click to expand...
Thank you Helen!

Good to see a real-life breakdown of how you use the GTD system, your Inbox 0 frequency, and email triage specifically (the struggle!).

Thanks also for sharing how to clear the deck, and what you focus on for Weekly Reviews so things don’t sneak up and exploding. (Also very real)
 
Jessica Cox said:
Looking for triage checklists & advice!
:: Triage daily wrap-up/maintenance routines
:: Triage Weekly Review

/ Situation:
Entrepreneur mom running 15-year-old marketing agency with my hubby and small team.
Also running nanny service for two boys, one of whom just turned 2 years old. (long-term gig, since these are my kids.)
Also tag-teaming cooking, laundry, house-cleaning with hubby.

Days are packed. Looking for bare-bones, survival GTD rhythms. Need something I can keep current between 5:30 am diaper/sheet changes, shifting childcare schedules (roughly 10-hours of full childcare per week), and the excitement of running a business.

/ Current Triage daily wrap-up checklist:
Check calendar, check work deadlines, scan email, Slack, check whose lunch to make tomorrow, check for clean uniforms, night routine, Bible verse, PT.

Should I even try for Inbox 0 every day?
I see other people doing this. Some days it happens. Those people are definitely operating at a higher level.

/ Triage Weekly Review Checklist:
Is it possible to conduct a Weekly Review in 30 minutes to an hour?

I actually do try to follow the traditional checklist. But since I don’t always hit Inbox 0 through the week, I often find myself just processing things to 0 in this window. And then a childcare emergency hits. Progressive Weekly Review?

Thanks in advance for advice & examples!
Click to expand...
This is my bare bones system in another post.
F

Post in thread 'List "Numbness" . . . too picky, just semantics, etc. ?'

The context list is where the next action goes. you can only do it where you are. For example Project eat a bowl of cereal tomorrow. the very next action goes on the context @home- get a bowl from the cabinet. You can only do that at home. If you are @ work you can't do that action and it would be off you mind til you were @home. There is no next action list. The very next action goes into a context list. 1729020776807.png 1729020871669.pngContext list1729020976429.png
  • Wow
  • Like
Do you do contexts? Are you trying to put all of your next actions together for a project? Don't. My review takes 20-30 min a week. Looks like you work mostly from home? your daily wrap up seems to blur the lines between work and family. I don't use a seperate system for work and home, but I have the contexts as if I "went" to work. that way I only look at @home when my work hours are done. I look at @ work when I'm at work. Keeps them apart. Inbox zero doesn't mean you "Do" everything in your inbox. It means you have reviewed and done the 2 minute things. and deferred or deleted the rest. My current in box. 1729032881952.pngThe "Someday maybe" list is a lifesaver. It's something you may want to do in the future. Or you may not and delete it during a weekly review. But the weekly review is perfect for you to catch these items when they become doable. You also won't look at them all the time and get the anxiety from not doing them. They also don't become promises til you are ready for them to be. Hope this helps
All the best.
 
Jessica Cox said:
Family Enterprise Inbox:
That’s a great idea! Might do a stacking paper sorter for the boys just to help me (and them) learn to process things that are theirs. Older brother can already do a little to help manage his school things.

Hybrid Setup:
Paper holds 3-4 “this must get done today.” High-priority and date-bound items.
Also get important meeting notes from phone calls when I am chasing my little guys and can’t type.
Everything else lives in electronic calendar + ToDoist system.
Things on paper go into electronic system as soon as I can get them there.
Click to expand...
@Jessica Cox

"Paper holds 3-4 'this must get done today.' High-priority and date-bound items."

Perhaps an hallmark GTD example/practice of low-cost extrinsic/objective Input/Capturing for intrinsic/subjective High-Return Control alignment for Mind Like Water ?

Good GTD job !
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top