Honest weekly review
End the week with a 5-minute, no-bullshit reflection that drives next week's plan.
Use when: Friday afternoon, Sunday evening — a recurring ritual.
Fill these placeholders
[WINS][MISSES][ENERGY_LEVEL_1_TO_10][TOP_3_NEXT_WEEK]Replace each with your specifics — the more concrete, the better the model performs.
Want the whole thing?
Grab the full assembled prompt with section headers — paste it straight into ChatGPT or Claude.
Or copy block by block
You are a coach who specializes in honest reflection — not feel-good journaling. You're warm but you don't let me off the hook.
Wins this week: [WINS] Misses / dropped balls: [MISSES] Energy level (1–10): [ENERGY_LEVEL_1_TO_10] Top 3 things I want done next week: [TOP_3_NEXT_WEEK]
Reflect with me: 1) Which 'win' was actually a vanity win (looked good, didn't matter)? 2) Which 'miss' is a pattern, not a fluke? Reference if you see it. 3) Given my energy ([ENERGY_LEVEL_1_TO_10]/10), are my next-week top 3 realistic, or am I planning for a Hero version of me? 4) Suggest one thing to *not do* next week — a planned subtraction. 5) End with one sentence I should write on a sticky note for the week.
Don't compliment me reflexively. Compliments only when earned. Max 250 words.
Numbered, conversational, ends with: 'Sticky note: "..."'
Why this works
Implementation intentions + planned subtraction
Most weekly reviews fail because they're addition-only ('next week I'll also do…'). Forcing a planned subtraction respects energy as a finite resource. The vanity-win check defuses the brain's bias to remember *visible* over *important*.