A weekly review is the steering wheel for your productivity system. Without regular review, tasks slip through cracks, priorities drift, and you lose sight of what matters. Spending 30-60 minutes weekly on review keeps everything aligned.
The Review Components
A complete weekly review covers several areas. First, clear your inboxes—email, Slack saved messages, notes from the week. Process each item into your task system or archive it. Second, review your calendar—what happened last week, what is coming next week? Third, review your project lists—what is stuck, what is progressing, what is complete?
Wins and Lessons
Reflect on the past week. What did you accomplish? What went well? Acknowledging wins, even small ones, builds motivation. Also consider what did not go well. What would you do differently? This reflection turns experience into wisdom.
Priority Setting
Based on your review, set priorities for the coming week. What absolutely must happen? What would be great to accomplish? What can wait? Having clear priorities prevents the drift into whatever seems urgent in the moment.
System Maintenance
Use review time for system maintenance. Update your documentation. Clean up your desktop. Archive completed projects. These maintenance tasks prevent accumulating digital debt that eventually overwhelms.
Scheduling Your Review
Most people do weekly reviews on Friday afternoon or Sunday evening. Friday closes out the work week with clarity; Sunday prepares for the week ahead. Choose a time and protect it fiercely. This hour is one of your most valuable productivity investments.
Shane Barron
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