Weekly Review Checklist (15-Minute Version)

Open a single page—paper or digital—and set a 15‑minute timer. Close everything else. You’re building a tiny tunnel with a clear entrance and exit so your brain isn’t tempted to over‑optimize. This is not about organizing your entire life. It’s a quick sweep that restores control and nudges the week into alignment.

Put three headings on the page: Wins, Friction, Next Week. This framing keeps your attention on evidence (what worked), constraints (what rubbed), and choices (what you’ll actually do). The timer keeps you honest. You can always extend later, but finishing fast protects the habit.

Do a rapid capture. Scan your calendar, notes, email flags, and sticky tabs. Write down every open loop: lingering tasks, half‑made decisions, follow‑ups, errands. Don’t solve—just list. If it takes less than two minutes, do it now; otherwise, capture and move on.

Next, record three Wins from the past week (even tiny ones) and one piece of Friction you can fix. Wins reinforce progress; friction points reveal where process beats willpower. Think “phone in another room during deep work,” “calendared lunch to avoid energy dips,” or “one‑click template for status updates.”

Look at your projects list and ask: “What would make next week unambiguously successful?” Choose one to three outcomes—no more. Phrase them as finish lines with verbs: “Ship v1 landing page,” “Run 3 workout sessions,” “Send Q3 invoice.” If everything feels important, it’s a sign to narrow scope or cut commitments.

Now, break each outcome into the very first visible action. If you can’t name the first step in a sentence, it’s not ready for your calendar. Examples: “Draft hero copy,” “Open gym bag and put in car,” “Open invoice template and edit client name.” Small, concrete, and startable in two minutes.

Block each first action into a real time slot early in the week when your energy is highest. Then block a slightly longer follow‑up slot 24–48 hours later to maintain momentum. Protect one 90‑minute deep‑work block for your top work outcome and treat it as an appointment with yourself.

Add buffers you’ll actually use: a 10‑minute admin sweep after your morning focus block; a 15‑minute weekly review next week at the same time; and a 5‑minute shutdown to set tomorrow’s first action. Timeboxing works best when paired with small finish‑line tasks and clear recovery moments.

Scan the week for overbooking. If you have three or more high‑energy commitments on one day, move something. Decline or renegotiate anything that doesn’t serve your chosen outcomes. Delete stale tasks from your list so your system reflects reality.

Finally, write one sentence you can read on tough days: “If I only do X, the week still moves.” Put it where you’ll see it. That sentence is your humane standard when life happens.

Answer these three prompts fast: What energized me? What drained me? What will I try differently next week? Keep it to bullet points. This builds a rhythm of small experiments so your system evolves with your life instead of ossifying into busywork.

If you want a deeper refresh, pair this checklist with a light Sunday reset and a simple focus rule like The One Big Thing.