Joe's
Digital Garden

Pythefnos Retrospective

There are 26 [[Pythefnos]] Retrospectives in each year conducted on the first Monday of each fortnight. These reviews are my chance to reflect on the last two weeks and make plans for the next two weeks.

This is time boxed to two hours.

The Review

  1. Start a new journal entry for the previous fortnight
  2. Fill in the [[5 Habits & 2 Vices]] tracking
  3. Fill in the [[Sleep Log]]
  4. Fill in the pomodoro count under the [[DayJob Time]] tracking
  5. Export the last 14 days from [[Todo.txt]] into a text file to review
  6. Fill in media section and update the [[Currently Reading]] note, and Media section of the Quarterly Vision document
  7. Fill in the highlights from each [[area]] this pythefnos
  8. Take two minutes and write a note for what I am grateful for this pythefnos
  9. Take a second to write what was negative this pythefnos.
  10. Write a one sentence summary of the pyhefnos

The Planning

As we review each area, add any new or upcoming tasks to [[Todo.txt]] and update any relevant project or resource notes.

  1. Review the Inbox from the previous Pythefnos
  2. Review the Quarterly Vision Document
    1. Review each project linked in the Vision Document
  3. Review the next two weeks in the Digital Calendar
  4. Review each [[area]] note (time permitting)
  5. Review the contents of [[Todo.txt]] by project
    • Is every task assigned a project?
    • Is there a stub or next action item for each project in the Quarterly Vision Document?
  6. Review the contents of [[Todo.txt]] by context
    • Is every task assigned the correct context?
  7. Prioritize all C (do this fortnight) tasks
  8. Identify one goal for the next Pythefnos
  9. Identify 7 - 10 tasks that are the "Big Rocks" of this pythefnos
  10. Identity [[5 Habits]] to track this pythefnos
  11. Identify [[2 Vices]] to track this pythefnos
  12. Run cat recur.txt >> todo.txt to add recurring tasks
  13. Squash-merge [[Todo.txt]] repository into master and create a new branch

The Fortnight Review Journal

The template for the Fortnight Review is constantly evolving. I generally copy the previous journal entry and tailor it to the new fortnight. In general it consists of:

  • A reminder of the Hamming Question, John Jones Questions, and [[Zen Precepts]]
  • One or more bulleted sections where I outline notable accomplishments and events that occurred during the sprint.
  • A section listing what I am on reading, playing or watching
  • A section to answer the question "What am I grateful for this fortnight?"
  • A section to answer the question "What was negative this fortnight?"
  • A table breaking down my [[Monthly Habits]] tracking
  • A table breaking down the total hours spent in each category tracked in TOK
  • A copy of the current quarterly goals
  • My goals for the next fortnight

What single thing, if successfully performed, would have the biggest impact?

Hamming
  • Am I consistent and reliable?
  • Do I understand what meeting expectations means?
  • Can the team reach me when they need me?
  • Does the team know what I'm working on?
  • Do I respond quickly on Slack or Hangouts to proactively resolve issues?
  • Do I project a virtual presence on a daily basis?
Jon Jones, "How to Cut the Tether and Work from Anywhere"

External References

  1. Raemon. The Hamming Question <https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/P5k3PGzebd5yYrYqd/the-hamming-question>, LessWrong. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
  2. Jones, Jon. How to Cut the Tether and work from Anywhere<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka_GEK-u4VE>, GDC. Retrieved October 19, 2017.

Linked References