Weekly reviews and personal retrospectives are structured reflection practices that transform scattered progress into clarity and momentum. They help you close the loop on what happened, learn from experience, and plan intentionally—turning busyness into meaningful progress. Whether adapted from GTD's proven Weekly Review or Agile sprint retrospectives, these techniques create a rhythm for capturing wins, clearing the noise, and setting direction—making weekly planning not just a habit, but a reliable system for staying aligned with what matters.
What This Cheat Sheet Covers
This topic spans 12 focused tables and 122 indexed concepts. Below is a complete table-by-table outline of this topic, spanning foundational concepts through advanced details.
Table 1: Core Weekly Review Frameworks
| Framework | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
Get Clear → Get Current → Get Creative | David Allen's three-phase system: process inboxes to zero, update projects and actions, review someday/maybe items and capture new ideas | |
12-week goal → weekly plan → 85% execution target | Treats each 12 weeks as a "year" with weekly scoring to create urgency and shorten feedback loops | |
What to start? Stop? Continue? | Simple 3-column retrospective template asking what behaviors to adopt, abandon, and maintain going forward | |
Wins → Reflection → Actions → Planning | Review last week's wins, reflect on lessons, identify actions, plan the coming week with clarity | |
What went well (+) / What to change (Δ) | • Two-column format separating positives from areas for improvement • ideal for beginners or quick reviews |