How do I run a weekly review that changes anything?
You have tried reviewing your week. It became a list of what happened, and then nothing was different. You want a review that actually alters the following week.
Most weekly reviews fail for one reason. They describe the week instead of changing the next one. A review that changes nothing is a diary, and a diary is a fine thing, but it is not this. Here is a version that works. First, keep it to fifteen minutes and a fixed time. A review that needs an hour will be skipped, and a skipped review is worth nothing. Second, ask three questions only. What did I say I would do? What did I actually do? Where is the gap, and what caused it? The third question is the whole exercise. Third, convert exactly one gap into one change for next week. Not five. One. Five changes are a wish; one change is a plan. Fourth, write the change as something visible on a calendar, not as an intention. "Be more focused" cannot be done. "No meetings before eleven on Tuesday" can. Fifth, next week, start by checking whether last week's one change happened. That check is what turns a review into a loop instead of a ritual. What did you say you would do last week?
What changes unlock by starting
- The review is short enough that you keep doing it.
- You look at the gap between said and did, which is where the information is.
- One change per week actually lands instead of five that do not.
- The review becomes a loop that corrects itself rather than a ritual.