Templates
The weekly review template that keeps projects from leaking
A short weekly review catches obligations while they are still cheap to fix.
Most missed work starts as an uncaptured edge: a vague email, a note in the margin, an account that needs renewal, or a project with no next action. A weekly review is a containment system for those edges.
The 30-minute template
- Inbox sweep, 8 minutes: collect loose notes, emails, screenshots, files, messages, and browser tabs.
- Deadline check, 6 minutes: look seven days forward and mark anything with a real date.
- Project scan, 8 minutes: each active project gets one next action or a deliberate pause.
- Risk list, 5 minutes: write down anything that could become expensive if ignored.
- Calendar block, 3 minutes: reserve time for the two most important actions.
Rules that keep it small
Do not solve every task during the review. Do not reorganize your entire notes app. Do not add a task without a verb. The review is for deciding what exists, what matters, and what happens next.
Example next actions
- Draft the opening paragraph for the research memo.
- Email the professor with two specific questions.
- Export receipts before the trial renews.
- Convert lecture 12 notes into five retrieval questions.
Pair this with a lightweight knowledge base and the review becomes easier every week.