Chapter 11
A regular review schedule
11.1 Learning objectives
- Build a weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly review schedule.
- Know what to review at each tier and how to record the results.
11.2 Concepts
Systems do not fail all at once; they rot gradually: the recovery phone number changes, the payment card expires, hard drives age, the USB battery runs flat, a hardware key goes missing. Regular reviews turn silent failures into scheduled tasks.
Suggested schedule
| Cycle | Tasks |
|---|---|
| Weekly | Check NAS notifications (drives, backups, unusual logins); review the AI work log; clean up old draft emails |
| Monthly | Test-restore 1 random folder and compare hashes; check the offsite backup runs correctly; plug in and unplug the air-gapped drive |
| Quarterly | Check the domain table (expiry, transfer lock, DNSSEC); review AI permissions; review unused accounts; update NAS firmware |
| Every 6 months | Charge and test-open the safe USB; check recovery emails/phone numbers; check that both hardware keys still work |
| Yearly | Full recovery drill from ROOT on a clean device; volume unlock drill; reprint the emergency kit if anything changed; reread the whole course |
Recording results
Each review gets one line: date, task, result, follow-up. Record no secrets.
11.3 Worked example
Mr. A's quarterly review log:
| Date | Task | Result | Follow-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| ***/2026 | Test-restore the folder "Contracts 2024" | Hashes match for 412/412 files | None |
| ***/2026 | Domain table | example-shop.net has 40 days left | Decided to keep: renewed for 1 year |
| ***/2026 | Safe USB | Fully charged, opens | Next time in 6 months |
| ***/2026 | AI permissions | Drafting assistant still had access to an old folder | Revoked |
11.4 Common mistakes
- Scheduling reviews but not recording results.
- Reviewing only when there is an incident.
- Drilling on a device that is already signed in, so gaps go unnoticed.
11.5 Checklist
11.6 Exercises
- Put the suggested schedule into your personal calendar.
- Do your first monthly review and log it.
11.7 Summary
- Systems rot gradually; regular reviews keep them alive.
- If the result is not recorded, the review did not happen.