Fine-Tuning Your Engine: The Weekly Review
A system is only as good as its feedback loop. The weekly review is a non-negotiable, 30-minute appointment you keep with yourself every Friday. This is where you transition from simply doing the work to intelligently designing your work. It’s how you ensure your system evolves with you.
During your review, look back at your calendar for the past week and ask three simple questions:
1. What worked well?
2. What didn’t work?
3. What will I try differently next week?
To guide your reflection, pay attention to a few simple metrics. You don’t need complex spreadsheets, just honest observation.
Metrics That Matter
Energy Levels: Look at the shape of your week. When did you feel most focused and energized? Was it Monday morning? Wednesday afternoon? Your energy is your most valuable resource. If you consistently have high energy at 10:00 AM, that is prime real estate for your most important deep work. Protect it fiercely. For those interested in the science of energy and sleep, the Sleep Foundation provides excellent resources at https://www.sleepfoundation.org/.
Deep Work Sessions Completed: How many of your planned deep work blocks did you successfully protect and complete? This number is a far better indicator of productivity than “hours worked.” If this number is low, it’s a sign that you need to be more proactive in defending your time or that your blocks are too long to be realistic.
Rollover Rate: How many of your “1” or “3” tasks were consistently pushed to the next day? A high rollover rate is a clear sign that you are over-planning. It’s a signal to be more realistic and less ambitious with your daily 1-3-5 list. The goal is sustainable progress, not daily burnout.
Your weekly review is also the perfect time to apply the 80/20 Principle. Also known as the Pareto Principle, it suggests that for many outcomes, roughly 80% of consequences come from 20% of the causes. Look at your past week. Which 20% of your activities generated 80% of your results and feelings of accomplishment? Identify those high-leverage activities and make sure you are aggressively blocking time for them in the week ahead. Your goal is to constantly refine your system to do more of what truly matters.
