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- How to do a Weekly Review
How to do a Weekly Review
Taking a look back at your week and reflecting on your wins
My Yapping Corner
Hi there!
Maintaining my relationship with writing newsletters can be pretty tricky. Some days, I’m excited to write and share what I know, while on other days, I feel like a nobody who can’t write anything at all. And then there are the worst days, it feels like a complete chore.
But today, as I write this, I’ve mustered the courage to start again. Just showing up and writing is a bigger step than not doing anything at all.
Anyway, here’s an interesting tip to help you boost your productivity and stay on top of what you’re doing each week. With this method, what gets tracked gets measured and prioritized. It helps you focus on your tasks instead of feeling lost or overwhelmed about what to do next.
How to Do a Weekly Review
One of the best productivity tips I’ve learned so far for making the most of my week is the Weekly Review. It involves taking time to reflect on what happened during the week and planning for your commitments in the upcoming one. This practice also helps you tick off completed tasks and review any projects from the week.
So, how do you conduct a Weekly Review? Here are some tips to get you started:
1. Pick a Day and Time for Your Weekly Review
Choose a day at the end of your week, whether that’s Friday, Saturday, or Sunday—whatever works best for you. Personally, I prefer Sundays because they’re perfect for winding down, relaxing, setting the mood, and reflecting on the past week.
2. What Should You Include in Your Weekly Review?
Here are some prompts to guide your review:
What went well this week?
List your wins—whether big or small. These could be successful tasks or accomplishments you’re proud of from the past week.What could be adjusted?
Identify tasks or activities that can be postponed or restructured for another week.What should I stop doing?
Pinpoint habits or activities that might prevent you from achieving your goals (e.g., playing too many games, staying up late). You can also use this space to express frustrations if that helps.What should I start doing?
Note down tasks or activities you want to focus on in the upcoming week.
3. Add Your Weekly Review to Your Calendar
Accountability is key! Set a reminder—whether it’s an alarm, a calendar event, or a sticky note on your desk—to ensure you don’t skip your review.
4. Choose a Platform That Works for You
Use whatever tool fits your style—digital or analog. Personally, I prefer analog because it helps me focus better than digital tools. That said, I write my weekly reviews in a Google Doc for easy access and organization.
If you need a starting point, I’ve created a template based on Ali Abdaal’s Weekly Review format. You can access it here.
I hope this helps you align your ideal week! Weekly reviews are invaluable for reflecting on your wins and setting a clear plan for the weeks ahead.
Try it! Now that you know how to do a Weekly Review, it’s time to start putting it into practice! I’d love for you to share your weekly review by replying to this email. Let me know how you felt while aligning your weekly goals and reflecting on your wins!
📄 Journal Prompt (from Day One App)
What’s one small way I can simplify my day today?
🎶 🖌️ Music and Art Corner
Featured Artwork - I stumbled upon Stubvy Draws’ artwork inside the Facebook group called Artists na ‘di Naliligo (literally translated as Artists who Don’t Take a Bath). I admired this artist’s work because of how vibrant the color is and the painting style is amazing.
Credits to Stubvy for allowing to let me post their work here!
Aren’t Stubvy’s work amazing? If you happen to look for commissions, don’t hesitate to commission this artist and check out other works!
Music - We binge-watched High School Musical over the weekend and couldn’t help but reimagine our teenage selves indulging in school fantasies—just like the students of East High who seem to break into song and dance at every opportunity (lol).
Here’s a song I loved the most as it takes me back to our third-year high school prom:
Video - I’ve recently started approaching Bullet Journaling (BuJo) differently, focusing on keeping it simple and straightforward instead of overcomplicating it. If you’re new to BuJo or want to simplify your process, here’s a quick tutorial from Ryder Carroll, the creator of Bullet Journaling. In less than three minutes, he breaks down how to use BuJo in its simplest form.
📘 Readers Delight
25 Reasons to Write Online and How to Start a Newsletter in 2025 - Here is an interesting read from Anne-Laure Le Cunff, author of the book Tiny Experiments, where she explains the reasons why online writing is still the highest leverage use of your creative and intellectual energy.
The Power of Weekly Review - This newsletter from Ali Abdaal is where he shares his methods on how to do a Weekly Review
Morning Brew - How I keep in touch with the World News daily (use my referral link to join and read Morning Brew). Happy Reading!
Podcast - I enjoyed listening this episode from Ali Abdaal where Ryder Carroll, the author and the creator of Bullet Journal was the guest.
🖊️ Words to Live by
“Don’t just imagine doing things someday. Do them now.
Get out of your head and take action.”
🎯Here Comes the Challenger!
Here’s a challenge: Take 15 minutes to create something messy this week—whether it’s a doodle, a paragraph of prose, or an idea sketch. The goal? Focus on the joy of creating, not perfection.
Share your work: I’d love to see what you make! Reply to this email. I’ll share my work too, so we’re in this together!
Thank You!
Thanks for joining and reading Thursdays With Ran! I hope you found something here to spark your creativity or boost your productivity.
If you enjoyed this issue, feel free to forward it to a fellow creator or productivity lover—it might be the inspiration they need.
See you next week,
Randylle
P.S. Got a topic you’d like me to explore? Do you want your works to be featured in the next newsletter? Hit reply—I’d love to hear your ideas and see your works!
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