Weekly Review

Synthesize a week into a structured review covering wins, learnings, blockers, and next-week priorities.

Keywords

weekly review, GTD, getting things done, OKR check-in, retrospective, weekly retro, journal, reflection, end of week, EOW

Clarify First

Before synthesizing the review, confirm these inputs. If any is unknown or vague, ASK — do not assume:

• The week's raw inputs — actual wins, learnings, and blockers; this is the content the review synthesizes, not invented
• OKR / goal progress — current numbers vs target drives the check-in section and flags drift
• Next-week priorities — the top 1-3 commitments the review must end on

Stop rule: ask only the 2-3 that most change the output. If the user says "just draft it," proceed and list your assumptions at the top of the artifact.

Quick Start

1. Fill in assets/weekly_review_input.json with the past week's wins, learnings, blockers, OKR progress
2. Run: python scripts/weekly_review_synthesizer.py weekly_review_input.json
3. Save the output as your week's review

Core Workflows

Workflow 1: Standard Friday Review (30 min)

1. Capture 3-5 wins from the past week
2. Capture 1-3 learnings (what surprised you, what you got wrong)
3. Capture top 1-3 blockers / risks for next week
4. Update OKR / goal progress
5. List top 3 priorities for next week
6. Run synthesizer

Time Estimate: 30-45 minutes weekly.

Workflow 2: Bootstrap (First Time)

1. Read references/weekly_review_methodology.md
2. Decide cadence (Friday afternoon vs Sunday evening — both work)
3. Block 30-45 min recurring on calendar
4. Use input template; tune over 4 weeks until format works for you

Time Estimate: 1 hour to set up; 30-45 min weekly thereafter.

Workflow 3: Quarterly Pattern Review

1. Save weekly reviews in a single folder
2. Quarterly: read all 12-13 weeks
3. Look for patterns: recurring blockers, energy patterns, OKR drift
4. Adjust cadence, cadence, or commitments based on patterns

Time Estimate: 1-2 hours quarterly.

Tools

weekly_review_synthesizer.py

Reads structured weekly input JSON and produces a markdown weekly review.

python scripts/weekly_review_synthesizer.py input.json
python scripts/weekly_review_synthesizer.py input.json --json

Reference Guides

• references/weekly_review_methodology.md — GTD weekly review, OKR check-in patterns, common pitfalls

Templates

• assets/weekly_review_input.json — Input template

Best Practices

• Block the time. 30 min recurring; defend against rescheduling.
• Same time each week. Habits stick when the trigger is consistent.
• Capture the pattern, not the noise. Weekly review is a layer above the moment-to-moment task list.
• OKR check-in over chase. Weekly OKR progress is signal; quarterly is the action moment.
• Compound across weeks. Reviews are most useful when read in batches.
• Don't over-format. A messy review you actually do beats a perfect one you skip.