Free Weekly Review Template: Copy, Fill, Ship

Starting from a blank page every Friday is what stops most people. This post gives you a free weekly review template you can copy into any notes app, document or notebook, a filled example beside it, and short advice on how to use it. It takes about ten minutes once you have run it a couple of times.

The structure borrows from David Allen's published Getting Things Done weekly review checklist, which is split into Get Clear, Get Current and Get Creative. This version is shorter, built for one person or a very small team. Lesson 6.4 shows how an assistant can fill in the collecting parts for you: Your weekly review.

Copy the template once, fill in each section in about two minutes, and end by writing three outcomes with a time for next week.

The template

Copy the block below into a new note and put the date at the top.

Weekly review: [date] 1. Sweep (3 min) - Quick jobs done now: - Promises I made this week that are not on my list: - Waiting on (who, what, chase on which day): 2. Score (2 min) - Number 1: [name]: [this week] / [last week] - Number 2: [name]: [this week] / [last week] - Number 3: [name]: [this week] / [last week] 3. Seek (3 min) - One thing I would repeat, and why I think it worked: - One thing that stalled, and why I think so: 4. Set (2 min) - Top three for next week, each with a day or time: 1. 2. 3. - If it is [time], then I will [first action].

How to use it

1. Copy it onceSave the blank version as a template note so you never start from nothing.
2. Duplicate each FridayMake a fresh copy, add the date and keep old weeks in one folder.
3. Fill sections in orderSweep, Score, Seek, Set. Do not jump around.
4. Time each oneUse a timer for the whole ten minutes.
5. Read the top three on MondayMake it the first thing you open.

A filled example

The example is made up to show the format. It is not a real business or a real week. Say you run a one person photography studio.

Weekly review: Friday 13 November 1. Sweep - Quick jobs done now: replied to two enquiries, sent one gallery link. - Promises not on my list: send the wedding couple a revised timeline by Tuesday. - Waiting on: venue contract (chase Wednesday), final payment from the corporate client (chase Monday). 2. Score - Enquiries: 5 / 3 - Shoots completed: 2 / 2 - Invoices paid: 1 / 3 3. Seek - Repeat: sending a price guide with the first reply. I think it filtered out poor fits. - Stalled: editing took longer than planned. I think I booked two shoots back to back. 4. Set 1. Send the revised timeline by Tuesday noon. 2. Chase two unpaid invoices on Monday morning. 3. Block Thursday for editing, with no new shoots that day. - If it is 9am Monday, then I send the two invoice reminders.

The figures are placeholders. Yours will differ, and that is the point of comparing this week with last week.

Why the last line matters

The closing if-then line comes from research on implementation intentions. Peter Gollwitzer's summary describes if-then plans as linking a situation to a response, and reports that the evidence reviewed suggests they help people start on goals. A single line at the bottom is a cheap way to use the idea. Write only one, for the first of your three.

Adapting it to your work

You can change the Score section most. Pick three numbers you can find in two minutes.

• Selling products: orders, money received, abandoned enquiries.
• Services: new enquiries, booked jobs, unpaid invoices.
• Content: pieces published, replies or messages received, one result that matters to you.
• Coaching: booked calls, active clients, follow-ups sent.

The rest should stay steady. If you change the template every week, you cannot compare weeks.

Common questions about the template

Questions people ask

Can I print it?

Yes. Paper works well if you want to avoid screens on Friday.

Is this the official Getting Things Done review?

No. It is a short version loosely based on the shape of that method's checklist, which is longer.

What if I cannot fill in a section?

Leave it empty and move on. An empty section is information too.

How often should I change it?

Rarely. Review the template itself once a month and adjust only if a section keeps coming up blank.

Filling it in when the week was bad

Some weeks nothing goes to plan. A client vanishes, you are ill for two days, or a deadline swallows the week. Those are the weeks when people skip the review, and they are the weeks when it helps most. Run it anyway, in a shorter form.

• Sweep: write down only what you promised and what you are waiting on. That protects the relationships.
• Score: fill in the numbers, even if they are low. A flat or low number is information, not a verdict.
• Seek: write one honest sentence about what got in the way.
• Set: choose one outcome instead of three if that is all you can face.

A smaller review that happens beats a full one that does not. The template is there to get you back to a clear Monday, not to grade the week.

A note on keeping old weeks

Keep every filled copy in one folder or one running document. After four weeks, read them in a row. You will often spot the same stalled item four times, or a number that never moves. That tells you something no single Friday can. If a task has appeared on three reviews without being done, either do it first on Monday, delegate it or delete it.

Pair it with a daily plan

This template sets your top three. A daily plan turns them into a day. Plan your day in five minutes shows how, and A clean inbox every morning makes the Sweep part quicker.

Where to go next

Read the framework post for the thinking behind the four sections, or the examples post for variations. The guided version is Lesson 6.4: Your weekly review.