What is the Weekly Review?

The weekly review is a dedicated time to step back from daily doing and get perspective. Originally from David Allen's GTD methodology, it's a habit that keeps your productivity system—and your life—on track.

During a weekly review, you:

  • Clear your inboxes
  • Review your calendar and commitments
  • Update your project and task lists
  • Reflect on the past week
  • Plan for the week ahead

Think of it as maintenance for your productivity system. Without regular reviews, any system degrades—tasks pile up, projects stall, and important things slip through the cracks.

When to Do It

Most people do weekly reviews on:

  • Friday afternoon - Close out the work week, enter the weekend clear-headed
  • Sunday evening - Prepare for the week ahead
  • Saturday morning - When you're fresh and have time

The specific day matters less than consistency. Pick a time that works for your schedule and protect it.

How Long Does It Take?

  • First few times: 1-2 hours (clearing backlog)
  • Once established: 30-60 minutes
  • With practice: Can be as short as 20-30 minutes

Why Weekly Reviews Matter

Prevents Things from Slipping

When you only work day-to-day, it's easy for tasks and commitments to fall through cracks. The weekly review catches these before they become problems.

Provides Perspective

Daily work keeps you in the weeds. Weekly reviews lift you up to see the bigger picture—are you working on the right things? Are projects moving forward?

Reduces Stress

An incomplete or outdated system creates anxiety. You sense something is wrong but can't identify it. Weekly reviews restore clarity and calm.

Enables Proactive Planning

Instead of reacting to whatever comes your way, you can intentionally plan your week around priorities.

Keeps Your System Fresh

Task managers, note systems, and inboxes all need maintenance. Weekly reviews keep everything current and trustworthy.

How to Do a Weekly Review

The weekly review has three phases: Get Clear, Get Current, and Get Creative.

Phase 1: Get Clear

First, collect all loose ends and process them.

Empty all inboxes:

  • Email inboxes to zero
  • Physical inbox (paper, notes)
  • Desktop files
  • Downloads folder
  • Note-taking app inbox
  • Voicemails and messages

Process to zero doesn't mean respond to everything. It means decide what each item is and put it where it belongs.

Collect loose ends:

  • Brain dump anything on your mind
  • Check notes from the week
  • Review voice memos or quick captures
  • Process receipts and papers

Phase 2: Get Current

Now update your lists and commitments.

Review past calendar:

  • What happened last week?
  • Any follow-ups needed?
  • Uncompleted items to reschedule?

Review upcoming calendar:

  • What's coming this week?
  • What preparation is needed?
  • Any conflicts to resolve?

Review all projects:

  • Is each project still active?
  • Does each project have a next action?
  • Any projects complete or stalled?

Review all task lists:

  • Cross off completed items
  • Update due dates
  • Are tasks still relevant?
  • Anything missing?

Review waiting for:

  • Who owes you what?
  • Follow up on overdue items
  • Add reminders as needed

Review someday/maybe:

  • Any items to activate?
  • Any to delete?
  • Any new additions?

Phase 3: Get Creative

With a clear head, think bigger.

Reflect on the week:

  • What went well?
  • What could improve?
  • Any lessons learned?

Identify priorities:

  • What's most important this week?
  • What are your top 3 goals?
  • What would make this week a success?

Plan the week:

  • Block time for priorities
  • Schedule important tasks
  • Protect focus time

Weekly Review Template

Here's a simple template to follow:

Get Clear (15 min)

  • Process email to zero
  • Process physical inbox
  • Empty note-taking inbox
  • Clear downloads folder
  • Brain dump anything on mind

Get Current (20 min)

  • Review past week's calendar
  • Review next two weeks' calendar
  • Review all project lists
  • Review all next actions
  • Review waiting for list
  • Review someday/maybe

Get Creative (15 min)

  • Quick reflection: wins and lessons
  • Identify top 3 priorities for next week
  • Block time for important work
  • Review goals and areas of focus

Done!

  • Take a breath. You're caught up.

Tips for Consistency

Same Time, Same Place

Consistency comes from routine. Schedule your weekly review as a recurring calendar event. Protect this time fiercely.

Create a Ritual

Build a ritual around your review:

  • Favorite coffee shop
  • Specific playlist
  • Comfortable environment
  • Post-review reward

Start Small

If an hour feels overwhelming, start with 15 minutes. A short review is infinitely better than no review. Expand as the habit solidifies.

Use a Checklist

Don't rely on memory. Use a checklist (like the template above) to ensure you cover everything. Tools like Todoist or Notion can have a recurring weekly review task.

Don't Skip It

When life gets busy, the weekly review feels like extra work. Ironically, this is when you need it most. Even a quick 10-minute version maintains momentum.

Batch Administrative Tasks

Use weekly review time for related maintenance:

  • Expense reports
  • File organization
  • Software updates
  • Backing up data

Review Your Review

Periodically assess your weekly review:

  • Is it working?
  • Taking too long?
  • Missing anything?

Refine the process to fit your evolving needs.

Tools for Weekly Reviews

Task Managers

Todoist - Create a recurring weekly review project with subtasks for each step.

Things 3 - Use the Review feature to see all projects at once.

Notion - Build a weekly review template page with checkboxes.

Note Apps

Obsidian - Create a weekly review template for daily notes.

Reflection journals - Structured prompts for weekly reflection.

Calendar Apps

Review upcoming weeks in your calendar app:

Automation

Connect review triggers with Zapier:

  • Friday afternoon reminder
  • Auto-create review page
  • Archive completed tasks

The weekly review is perhaps the single most important habit for sustained productivity. It bridges the gap between doing work and organizing work. Master it, and you'll maintain clarity through any chaos.

Productivity Stack Team PS
Written by

Productivity Stack Team

Our team of productivity experts researches and tests tools to help you work smarter. We combine hands-on experience with thorough analysis to provide actionable recommendations.

The Weekly Review FAQ

Initially, 1-2 hours as you clear backlog. Once established, 30-60 minutes is typical. With practice and a clean system, 20-30 minutes is possible. Don't rush—thoroughness matters more than speed.
Popular times are Friday afternoon (close out the week), Sunday evening (prepare for Monday), or Saturday morning (fresh and unhurried). The best time is whatever you'll actually do consistently.
Don't double up the next week. Just do a review as soon as you can. Skipping one week won't ruin your system, but multiple consecutive skips will. If you miss often, reconsider your scheduled time.
No, anyone can benefit from weekly reviews. While it's a core GTD practice, the concept applies to any productivity system. Regularly reviewing your commitments and plans keeps any system healthy.
Process all your inboxes to zero—email, physical papers, notes, and anything else that collects inputs. To zero means deciding what each item is and where it belongs, not necessarily completing everything.
For each active project, ask: Is this still relevant? What's the next action? Is it moving forward or stalled? Projects without next actions need attention. Completed projects move to done.
Yes. One unified weekly review covering work and personal is more effective than separate systems. You're one person with one mind—review all your commitments together.
Any tool that holds your tasks and projects works. Todoist, Things 3, and Notion are popular. The key is having a checklist template to follow so you don't miss steps.
Schedule it as a recurring calendar event. Protect the time fiercely. Create a ritual around it (favorite coffee, specific location). Start with a short version if needed. Consistency matters more than duration.
Your system may have too many uncommitted items. During reviews, aggressively delete or defer low-priority items. Also consider if you're over-organizing during review time—save deep organizing for separate sessions.

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