The Weekly Review Habit That Changed How I Plan My Work Week

I started doing weekly reviews a couple of years ago, and it became a cornerstone habit that changed how I approached life. Although I stopped the practice for a while, I’ve recently picked it up again—and I’m reminded of just how transformative it is. Reviewing my week helps me feel more grateful, less overwhelmed, and more in control of my priorities.

My Weekly Review Process

My weekly reviews are very straightforward. First, I go through my journal notes for the week and look at what has occupied my mind the most. Then, I look at my completed to-do list tasks.

After doing both of the above, I open a new page in my Notion workspace to start crafting my review and ask myself:

• What were my big wins this week?
• What could be improved?
• What would make next week a great week?

To keep everything organized, I break my responses into sections based on my current priorities—like work, personal development, or health. While I use Notion, this process works just as well with any other note-taking app you’re comfortable with.

How I’ve Benefited From Weekly Reviews

My entire weekly review process takes 30-60 minutes. This is a huge return on investment considering how much more grateful and focused I’ve become since restarting it. Here are some of the biggest benefits I’ve noticed.

1. I Celebrate Small Wins More

I have big and often abstract goals, which can make the path to achieving them quite lonely. Moreover, it’s easy to not realize that I’m actually making progress. This is why celebrating small wins is so important.

Regardless of how big or small, all wins feel the same. For example, when I embarked on my weight loss journey in 2014, losing 2lbs in a week for the first time felt just as good as when I dropped 70lbs in total.

Acknowledging my small victories has been one of my most effective digital gratitude journaling techniques, and with weekly reviews, I now see what I’ve been doing well each week.

2. I Think More Clearly

One of the best parts of my weekly review is thinking about what will make the next week successful. This reflection gives me clear priorities to focus on as soon as the new week begins. I’ve noticed that when I start Monday with a clear plan, I feel more productive and less distracted throughout the week.

3. I Feel Less Overwhelmed

Big goals can be daunting, but breaking them into smaller, manageable chunks makes them far less intimidating. Weekly reviews help me outline these steps so I can make steady progress without feeling overwhelmed. Instead of worrying about a long-term project, I focus on actionable tasks I can complete within the week.

Kaizen is one of the best Japanese productivity methodologies I’ve ever encountered; it’s the idea of getting slightly better each day. The book Atomic Habits by James Clear really drilled this concept into me, and my weekly reviews are the best way that measure their effectiveness.

4. I’m Less Anxious

Like many people, I’ve struggled with overthinking and feeling directionless. Through thousands of hours of journaling, meditating, and consulting mentored, I’ve realized that any anxiety I feel usually stems from two causes: 1. Not knowing what I should be doing to accomplish my goals. 2. Feeling like I lack direction in my life.

My weekly review has stopped me from feeling anxious because it covers both bases. I still get those feelings occasionally, but I’m in a much better place to handle them and determine what to do next with a balanced mind.

5. I Can Understand and Tackle Roadblocks

Even with the perfect productivity system, things will occasionally go wrong. Understanding why these things happen is vital for future growth, and my weekly review helps me do precisely that.

By answering what I felt could have gone better, I can clearly identify gaps that need filling. Moreover, I can understand why I didn’t achieve my objectives. For example, I’ve encountered connectivity problems in the past that stopped me from working and or injured myself at the gym.

My Top Tips for Creating an Effective Weekly Review

Now that you know the advantages of starting a weekly review habit, let’s start building yours. To help you do this, I’ll share my top tips below.

1. Start by Setting Clear Goals

My weekly review would be nowhere near as effective if I didn’t know what I was working toward. In all the key areas of my life, I have very clear goals that I’m trying to achieve; these serve as my North Star. Here are some of my current ones:

• I want to speak Danish at C1-level by the end of 2025.
• I’d like my travel blog to achieve 10,000 monthly sessions by June 2025.
• I want to build a weekly wellness routine that helps me live a healthy lifestyle almost all of the time; this includes weightlifting, cold swimming, the sauna, etc.

Before doing anything else, make sure that you understand your goals. You use the SMART goals method to achieve this. I recommend setting and tracking your goals with Notion, but you can use any note-taking or project-management app that you like.

2. Be Honest With Yourself

It’s not always easy to admit when you’ve fallen short, but honesty is crucial for growth​​​​​.

Not every week will be perfect, and sometimes, it won’t be due to things that you’ve done. If you want your weekly reviews to work for you, being honest—even when it’s inconvenient—is non-negotiable.

3. Consider Digitizing Your Weekly Reviews

I use Notion for my weekly reviews because it’s easy to keep everything in order. I find it easy to look through my old reviews and see how much progress I’ve made.

While I use a blank page, you can use templates available for apps like Google Docs, Microsoft Word, or even journaling tools. Find a system that feels intuitive for you.

4. Ask Yourself Important Questions

Besides filling out your weekly review, it’s also important to ask yourself deep questions. For example, if something goes wrong, you can go deeper to find out why this was the case.

I also think it’s important to ask yourself what are the biggest tasks that’ll move the needle forward for you. If you’re going through a challenging period, I also recommend asking what you can do to get through it.

Reincorporating weekly reviews has made a significant impact on my life, and it’s something that I’ll continue with in the long run. I feel less overwhelmed and more focused, and I think it’ll have similar benefits for you. Make sure that before starting a weekly review, you know the goals you’re supposed to be working toward.