Review - The Third R

The third R in the 4Rs Circle stands for review.  

Now this might not be the sexiest R word in the dictionary.  There were actually a few other Rs that auditioned really well to be one of the 4. Review edged them out and this is why.

When you first read the word review did it trigger anything for you?  For me, I thought of reviewing notes for tests and exams.  And then work proposals or other people’s work.  To be honest, neither of these thoughts, although practical and necessary actions, really grabbed my attention.  Well at least not in the jump-up-and-down-I-can-hardly-wait-to-dive-right-in kind of way.

Part of the pull review had was how it relates back to the ‘open loops’ I mention in the blog post R is for Read.  So many times I’ve signed up to take yet another course only to lose interest, motivation or run out of time to finish it.  The result is a pile of unfinished courses and a basket full of open loops.   These unfinished courses often leave me feeling disappointed in myself and let down by whatever promise “said course” was to deliver.

So why did I feel compelled to take all these courses?  Some were of interest but were about topics that I wanted to feel more competent, in control and confident about. What a course does is provide structure and an easy way to access the material, which in many cases is often available for free in libraries and on the internet.   Courses often come along with a time table, exercises and assignments, audio recordings and  or videos to watch.  When presented all nicely formatted they appear organized and very doable.  But when I try to fit them into life, they can send me into overwhelm.

Why review is important is because I probably don’t need to take another course.  I need to review the materials that I already have.  I get to refresh my knowledge of the information I’ve already read.  I even get to review what is still current and of interest and release the rest.

The 4Rs Circle isn’t another course.  It is a way to add flexible structure and gentle accountability so you can begin to close your open loops.  It provides a platform that makes it easy to show up for yourself and your work.  There is also a connection to creative and communal energy when you are part of a circle that can be channeled into focused action.

If you would like to experience a 4R Circle, please join me for a no-cost kick off event on Thursday, August 18 at 11 am ET.  CLICK HERE to RSVP.