Reviews
Reviews are the backbone of GTD. Without regular reflection, tasks pile up, priorities drift, and the system loses its power. Pulse includes structured weekly and monthly reviews to keep your productivity system honest and up to date.
Why Reviews Matter
David Allen calls the weekly review the "critical success factor" for GTD. Reviews serve three purposes:
- Clear the decks — Process your Inbox, update stale tasks, and close completed projects.
- Reflect on progress — Identify what moved the needle and what distracted you.
- Recalibrate priorities — Adjust urgency and importance based on what you have learned.
Without reviews, your task list becomes a graveyard of good intentions. With them, it stays a living action system.
The Weekly Review is Non-Negotiable
David Allen considers the weekly review the single most critical habit in GTD. Even a quick 10-minute review is infinitely better than skipping it entirely.
Weekly Reviews
Weekly reviews are your primary reflection checkpoint. Pulse structures them around four areas:
Accomplishments
What did you complete this week? Look beyond just checking off tasks — identify outcomes that genuinely advanced your goals. This is where "Moved the Needle" importance tags become useful in retrospect.
Distractions
What pulled you off track? Be honest. Distractions are not failures — they are data. Recognizing recurring distractions lets you build defenses against them.
Reflections
Open-ended observations about your week. What patterns did you notice? What would you do differently? Is there a project that needs more attention or one that should be put on hold?
Habit Adherence
How consistently did you follow through on your habits? The habitAdherence field stores a structured assessment of which habits you maintained and which ones slipped. This ties directly into the habit tracking system.
Monthly Reviews
Monthly reviews take a wider lens. While weekly reviews focus on tactical execution, monthly reviews address strategic direction:
- Are your projects still aligned with your goals?
- Which life buckets received the most attention? Which were neglected?
- Are your habits serving you, or have some become obligations without value?
- What bottlenecks recurred across multiple weeks?
Monthly reviews use the same data structure as weekly reviews but encourage deeper, more strategic reflection.
Review Data Structure
Each review is stored as a reviewEntry with the following fields:
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
reviewType | "weekly" or "monthly" | The scope of the review |
reviewDate | date | The date the review covers |
accomplishments | text | What you achieved during the period |
distractions | text | What pulled you off track |
reflections | text | Open-ended thoughts and observations |
habitAdherence | JSON | Structured data on habit completion rates |
Triggering a Review
From the Web App
Navigate to the Reviews section in Pulse. You can create a new review entry by selecting the review type and date, then filling in each section.
Via AI (MCP)
If you use an AI assistant with the Pulse MCP server, you can trigger a review using the create_review tool. The AI can help you reflect by:
- Pulling your completed tasks for the period
- Summarizing which projects saw the most activity
- Checking habit streak data to assess adherence
- Prompting you with targeted questions based on your week
The TriggerReview workflow in the MCP skill automates much of this process, generating a structured review from your actual task and habit data.
Review Tasks
Pulse can also create review tasks — regular tasks with isReview set to true and a reviewType specified. These appear in your task list as reminders to conduct your review, ensuring the practice does not slip through the cracks.
Building a Review Habit
Recommended Schedule
Weekly review: Friday afternoon or Sunday evening. Monthly review: First day of each month. Block 30-60 minutes and treat it like an important meeting with yourself.
The most effective approach is to schedule your reviews:
- Weekly review — Pick a consistent day and time. Friday afternoon or Sunday evening are popular choices.
- Monthly review — The first or last day of each month. Block 30-60 minutes.
You can create a recurring habit in Pulse for your review practice itself, linking it to the Reviews feature for a self-reinforcing loop.
Tips for Better Reviews
- Do not skip the weekly review. It is the single most important GTD practice. Even a brief 10-minute review is better than none.
- Be specific in accomplishments. "Worked on project X" is less useful than "Completed the API integration for project X."
- Track distractions without judgment. The goal is awareness, not guilt. Patterns become visible over time.
- Use the Eisenhower Matrix during reviews. Check whether your completed tasks were mostly Urgent/Important (reactive) or Not Urgent/Important (proactive). Aim for more proactive work each week.
- Reference your monthly review in planning. Let strategic insights from monthly reviews influence which tasks and projects you prioritize in the weeks ahead.