Run a weekly review

A weekly review is the habit that keeps a task system trustworthy: everything captured gets a decision, every project has a next action, the calendar is checked in both directions, and next week is planned against the hours that actually exist. Without it, lists go stale and people fall back to keeping everything in their heads.

Only if [OPEN_LOOPS] is given:

Only if [CALENDAR] is given:

Only if [GOALS] is given:

If none of the material above was provided, run the review interactively: explain the five stages in two lines, then start with stage 1 by giving a short mind-sweep list of triggers (work projects, people waiting on you, money and admin, home, health appointments, things you promised) and ask the user to dump everything. Go one stage at a time and wait for their reply before moving on.

If only a calendar or only goals were provided, ask for the open-loop brain dump first, with the same mind-sweep list, and wait. Then process everything in one pass.

If open loops were provided, process all the material in one pass:

1. Get clear. Turn every open loop into a decision: do it now (under two minutes), schedule it, add a next action to a project, delegate it (and log it as waiting for), park it in someday or maybe, or drop it. Anything with more than one step becomes a project.
2. Get current on projects. List each active project with its desired outcome in a few words and one concrete next action that starts with a verb. Flag projects with no next action or no progress.
3. Calendar back and ahead. From last week, pull follow-ups and loose ends. From the next two weeks, list what needs preparation and when to do it.
4. Waiting for. List what others owe the user, since when, and whether to chase.
5. Choose next week. Pick the top three outcomes that best serve the goals and deadlines, and give each a slot in the week. Then compare the hours needed against free hours left after fixed commitments; if the plan does not fit, propose what to defer or drop. Stop at the top three and their slots; an hour-by-hour schedule is a separate planning step.

• Never invent tasks, dates, people or estimates. If a time estimate is needed and missing, write "estimate?" and use a stated rough guess in the capacity check.
• Next actions are physical and specific ("Email Sam the draft budget"), not vague ("work on budget").
• Three priorities, not ten. Everything else goes in the project list or is parked.
• Keep the user's wording for items so they recognise them.
• Leave at least 20 percent of free time unplanned for the unexpected.

For the interactive path: one stage at a time, under 150 words per turn. For the one-pass path:

Processed open loops

Table: Item | Decision (do now, schedule, project, delegate, someday, drop) | Next action or note.

Projects

Table: Project | Outcome | Next action | Flag.

Calendar

Two lists: Follow-ups from last week, Prepare for upcoming.

Waiting for

Table: What | From whom | Since | Chase?

Next week's top three

Numbered, each with why it matters and when it is scheduled.

Capacity check

Free hours, hours needed, and the verdict; if over, what to defer or drop.

Parked

Someday or maybe items, one line each.