A Weekly Review That Takes 20 Minutes, Not Two Hours
I abandoned every elaborate weekly review I tried. This stripped-down version is the first one I have kept for a full year.
Every productivity system I have tried includes a weekly review, and every weekly review I have tried was abandoned by week six. They asked too much. Two hours on a Sunday, eighteen checklist items, three separate apps to reconcile.
A perfectionist sees a two-hour review and thinks, I will do it properly next week. Next week never comes.
So I built a version that takes 20 minutes. I have done it 51 weeks out of the last 52. The one I missed was my sister's wedding, which I think is allowed.
The rules
The review happens on Friday afternoon, not Sunday. Fridays are when the week is still fresh, and it means the weekend starts with a clear head instead of ending with homework.
I set a timer for 20 minutes. When it rings, I stop, even if I am mid-thought. The timer is what makes the whole thing sustainable.
The five questions
I answer these in a single note, in bullet points, no full sentences required.
- What actually got done? I scan my calendar and sent folder. Usually I have done more than I feel I have, which is a nice little reset.
- What is still open that matters? Not everything that is open, only things that would hurt if ignored for another week.
- What am I quietly avoiding? There is always one. Naming it takes away about half its power.
- What are the three priorities for next week? Just three. These become the first items on Monday's card.
- What can I drop? Something always goes. A meeting I can decline, a project I can pause, a commitment I can renegotiate.
That fifth question is the most important one, and the one most systems skip. Reviews usually add things. This one is designed to subtract.
What I deliberately left out
- Inbox zero. Emails can wait for Monday.
- Reorganising my task app. Tempting, satisfying and almost always procrastination.
- Goals for the year. I review those once a month, separately.
- Long reflection. Journaling is lovely, but it belongs somewhere else in my week.
A real example
Last Friday my avoided item was a difficult email to a client about a late invoice. Writing avoiding the invoice email in my review made me laugh at myself a little. I sent it in the remaining four minutes. The client paid on Tuesday.
My drop item was a weekly sync meeting that had lost its purpose months earlier. I suggested switching to a shared written update. Everyone agreed with obvious relief.
A review you do every week beats a perfect review you do twice a year.
If your current review keeps slipping, try cutting it to five questions and twenty minutes. Imperfect and finished is a fine place to be.
Cover: Photo by Eric Rothermel on Unsplash.
