I'm really starting to like Larry Port and his Rocket Matter Blog. I never met Mr. Port, but few company blogs, much less software blogs, keep my interest. Generally, I relegate them to a "software updates" folder in Google Reader, which I glance over in header-only view now and then. But I've noted that, more often then not, I'm opening and reading the Rocket Matter Blog, even though I am not a user of the product. So, today I've added it to my blogroll (a career highlight for Mr. Port, I'm sure).
The Rocket Matter Blog is an eclectic mix of software updates, productivity and practice-management tips, cloud computing and Web 2.0 news, legal project management, legal tech reporting, and Mac stuff (it's okay to write "stuff" when talking about Macs). He does, however, have a thing for tomatoes.
As a long-time adherent of David Allen's Getting Things Done method, I was happy to learn today that Mr. Port is a kindred spirit. In today's Rocket Matter Blog post[1] he reminds us to do our "weekly review," which is simply a time you block out each week to gather and process all your "stuff"; review and update your lists, calendar, and goals; and generally "[g]et clean, clear, current, and complete."[2] BUT THEN HE GOES AND THROWS IN A TOMATO!
I recommend combining the weekly review with the Pomodoro Technique. Hopefully, within one or two 25 minute periods you can get your life organized and do yourself, your friends, and your family a favor and chill out this weekend.As I explained in an earlier post:
[F]orcing myself into 25-minute--or any artificially set block of time--is an act of violence on my natural work rhythm. When I am working on something that requires a great deal of focus, I do my best to protect myself from interruptions that would disrupt my concentration. Having a kitchen timer alarm go off and taking a five-minute break is just as disruptive as a phone call or a knock at the door.[3]This is even more so the case with my weekly review. I do my weekly review on Monday afternoons, when it is in the wee hours of the morning in the USA. I rarely get calls from the USA between the hours of Sunday 11pm to Monday 4am Eastern time. I lock my self in the office, ignore e-mail (I process to in-box zero everyday, no need for that to be part of my weekly review), logged out of IM, and I don't take phone calls. Well, certain people in my company can reach my by telephone in an emergency, but for the most part I'm unreachable.
Part of the weekly review is to think beyond your next actions and upcoming events. You should be going over and assessing your goals--and (especially) not just "work" goals. It is a time to think creatively about your business, your family, and your interests. Let ideas flow. Brain storm. Capture everything and convert into goals, projects, and next actions. To regulate this process with a kitchen timer is sacrilegious.
Each to their own, I suppose. I'll still be enjoying Mr. Port's posts--at least those where he's left out the tomatoes.
[1] Larry Port, It's Friday! Do Your Weekly Review, Rocket Matter Blog, Apr. 17, 2010, http://www.rocketmatter.com/blog/its-friday-do-your-weekly-review/ (last visited Apr. 17, 2010).
[2] David Allen, Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity 47 (2001)
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