For years, I started every Monday already behind.
The weekend would end, and I’d open my calendar to a wall of meetings, tasks, and commitments. By Wednesday, I was reactive. By Friday, I was exhausted – and not much had moved on what truly matters.
I wasn’t running my days. My days were running me.
Then I started doing something simple: a weekly review.
Every Friday or Sunday – 20 to 30 minutes, no more – I sit down and do two things: reflect on what happened, and design what’s next.
It sounds small. It’s not.
This practice has helped me reduce anxiety, cut the sense of overwhelm, remove non-essentials, and stay focused on what matters – week after week.
Reflect on what happened.
I ask myself 7 questions:
- What went well?
- What drained my energy — and what gave me energy?
- What can I remove from my calendar?
- What should I remove, postpone, delegate from my tasks, commitments or automate?
- Which meetings can be eliminated or made shorter?
- What am I avoiding that I actually need to do?
- What’s missing from my schedule that truly matters?
Design what’s next
After the questions, I do four things:
- Revisit my key priorities
- Adjust plans for the next one to two weeks
- Define my top priorities for the coming week – with clear outcomes. Three for work. Three for life beyond work.
- Schedule time in my calendar to work on those priorities, as meetings with myself.
That last step matters. If your priorities aren’t in your calendar, they’re wishes. Someone else will fill that time for you.
Why it matters
Most people plan their weeks. Few people review them.
Without a review, you keep repeating the same patterns:
- Saying yes to things that drain you
- Carrying tasks that should be delegated or dropped
- Avoiding the one thing that would actually move the needle
- Starting Monday with last week’s unfinished chaos
- Giving your best hours and energy to work – and leaving nothing for what matters beyond it
A weekly review isn’t about productivity hacks. It’s how you stay the author of your own week – instead of just responding to everyone else’s agenda.
It is about awareness and then deliberate action. Especially if you’re leading others.
But none of it works if you never stop to look.
Your action this week
Step 1
Set a 30-minute appointment with yourself – Friday afternoon or Sunday evening.
Step 2
Ask the 7 questions. Don’t overthink. Write whatever comes up.
Step 3
- Take action. Adjust your plans for the next one to two weeks based on what you learned.
- Define your top priorities for next week with clear outcomes – what done actually looks like. Three for work, three for life beyond work.
- Block time to work on them.
One review won’t transform your life. But do it for a month, and you’ll notice something shift – your weeks get clearer, Monday feels lighter, and you start making more progress on what matters.
Not because you worked more. Because you stopped running blind.
Cheers, Andrey Sergeyev
For short ideas on leading, living and scaling business with focus on what matters – follow me on Linkedin
You might also enjoy:
<- Back to all Newsletters
Get practical ideas every Thursday
Join hundreds of leaders who lead and live with focus on what matters.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.