A completed example
This fictional example shows the level of detail to aim for. It is not a customer's work history.
Weekly review Name: Maya Okafor Week of: 14 September Top outcomes - Shipped the onboarding checklist redesign for the Harbor app to beta testers on Thursday - Finished the first draft of the Q4 support macros guide, waiting on review from Leo - Closed 9 bug tickets from the Lantern billing backlog Did not finish - Lantern invoice export fix. Blocked on test data from finance, moved to next week - Interview notes for the pricing research project. 2 of 5 written up Where the time went - Harbor onboarding: about 11 hours, mostly Tuesday and Wednesday - Lantern bugs: about 8 hours, split across Monday and Friday - Meetings: about 6 hours, including two planning sessions that ran long - Support guide: about 5 hours, Thursday afternoon - Email and chat: scattered, roughly an hour a day What went well - Blocking Tuesday morning for design work got the checklist done a day early What got in the way - Switching between Harbor and Lantern on Monday and Friday - Waiting on finance data stalled the export fix for three days Lessons - Ask for test data at kickoff, not when the code is ready Next week's priorities - Lantern invoice export fix, once the data arrives - Write up the remaining 3 pricing interviews - Respond to beta feedback on the Harbor checklist One thing to change - Keep Monday morning free of meetings
Make it yours
Your draft
The example is fictional. Edits stay in this page and disappear when you leave. Copy or download your work to keep it.
How to fill it in
- Start with top outcomes and list the three to five things you actually finished, naming the project and what changed.
- Under Did not finish, write each open item with one line on why it stalled and where it goes next.
- Estimate where the time went in rough hours per project, checking your calendar or a timeline instead of relying on memory alone.
- Write one or two honest lines each for what went well and what got in the way, then turn the clearest pattern into a lesson.
- Choose no more than three priorities for next week plus one small habit to change, and put the first priority on your Monday calendar.
Start from your actual work
On a Mac, Dayflow can help you remember the work behind the update. It drafts a timeline from screen activity. Export a date range as Markdown from Settings → Export. Review that record alongside your calendar and task tracker, then fill in the template above.
For a guided walkthrough, see exporting your work history or drafting a report with Claude Code. Check the assistant's draft before sending it.
Local AI keeps screenshot analysis on-device. Your own cloud provider or Dayflow Pro processes selected screenshots off-device. An assistant can receive the Dayflow data it retrieves in your conversation. Local storage does not make a cloud assistant conversation local. Read the data-flow guide before choosing a workflow.
Questions about this template
What should a weekly review include?
A useful weekly review covers what you finished, what slipped and why, where your time actually went, one or two lessons, and a short list of priorities for next week. Keep each section to a few bullets. The point is to make next week's decisions easier, not to record everything you did.
How long should a weekly review take?
Plan on 20 to 30 minutes once the habit is set. The first few may take longer while you work out what to track. If it often runs past an hour, you are probably writing a full log rather than a review, so trim each section to the items that shaped your week.
Is a weekly review the same as a status report?
No. A weekly review is mainly for you, so it can be honest about stalls, distractions and what you would change. A status report is written for a manager or team and focuses on the progress and blockers they need to know about. You can pull a status update from your review, but edit it before sending.
What day should I do a weekly review?
Friday afternoon works for many people because the week is still fresh and Monday's plan is ready in advance. Others prefer Sunday evening or early Monday. Pick one slot, put it on your calendar, and keep it at the same time each week so urgent work does not push the review aside.
How do I fill in where the time went if I did not track it?
Rebuild each day roughly from your calendar, sent email, chat history and recently edited files. On a Mac, Dayflow can draft a timeline from your screen activity, but you still need to check it and add offline work such as phone calls, in-person meetings or time spent away from the desk. Rounded hours are enough for a review.
Can I use a weekly review as a timesheet?
Not on its own. The hours in a weekly review are rough estimates meant for reflection, and nobody has approved them. If you bill clients or report hours for payroll, use your employer's or client's timesheet process. Keep the review as a personal record that helps you fill that timesheet in accurately.
Use the right format for the next step
- Weekly status report for a concise progress update.
- Daily work log for a record you can come back to.
- Daily standup template for yesterday, today, and blockers.
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