Weekly Review + Anchor Points

An anchor on a beach.

Introduction

You wake up, check your phone, and before you know it, you’re knee-deep in emails, messangers and unexpected tasks. By noon, your priorities are buried under what felt urgent but wasn’t important. Sound familiar?

Here’s the truth: most people plan their day, not their week. They obsess over daily to-dos but have no map for where the week is going. That’s why they feel trapped in endless firefighting.

If you’re tired of surviving day-to-day and want to actually steer your week, it’s time for a shift. The Weekly Review combined with anchor points is that shift.

In This Article

The Problem

You don’t plan your week. You react to it. That’s why your calendar fills with pointless meetings, your to-do list grows faster than you can cross things off, and you end Friday wondering what you actually accomplished.

Your brain craves the illusion of progress. Replying to messages, knocking out small tasks, and reacting to interruptions feel productive. But they don’t move the needle on anything that matters.

Without a weekly plan, you lose context. You see today but forget what the week needs. You fall into “urgency mode” – where everything feels critical, even when it’s not. This leads to:

  • Burnout from constant context switching
  • Neglect of long-term goals
  • Frustration at your lack of control

This isn’t a personal failing. It’s structural. You’re playing defense in a system designed to keep you busy, not effective.

What’s Really Going On

Your brain isn’t built for modern work. It’s wired to chase immediate rewards – like clearing an inbox or ticking off easy tasks, because these give quick dopamine hits. Long-term priorities? They don’t fire up that reward system in the same way.

Add to this the cognitive load of keeping everything in your head. When you don’t externalize and structure your week, your brain spins in loops trying to remember and juggle it all. Result: stress, decision fatigue, and poor choices.

Here’s what your brain is actually doing: it’s defaulting to what feels urgent, because you didn’t give it a better plan.

The Solution: Weekly Review + Anchor Points

What It Is

A Weekly Review is a 30-minute session where you step back, review the past week, and intentionally plan the next. You identify priorities, block time for them, and set clear intentions.

Anchor points are non-negotiable blocks in your week that protect what matters – deep work, workouts, family time, or anything aligned with your bigger goals.

Why It Works

This method pulls you out of daily firefighting and forces a top-down view. It shifts your brain out of reactive mode and gives it a clear structure to follow.

  • The Weekly Review clears mental clutter
  • Anchor points give stability and focus
  • Both reduce decision fatigue because you’ve already decided what matters most

How To Use It

  1. Set your Weekly Review time
    Pick a consistent time—Friday afternoon, Sunday evening, Monday morning. Block 30 minutes.
  2. Look back
    • What worked last week?
    • What didn’t?
    • What needs to be adjusted?
  3. Identify priorities
    List 3 key outcomes for the week. Not tasks. Outcomes.
  4. Create anchor points
    Block time for these outcomes. Treat these blocks as fixed. No excuses.
  5. Fill in the rest
    Fit other tasks around the anchor points. Not the other way around.

Examples of Weekly Review + Anchor Points

  • Example 1: A freelancer blocks Tuesday and Thursday mornings for client work (anchor points), reviews Friday what got done, and plans next week’s client deliverables.
  • Example 2: A manager reserves Monday mornings for team strategy and Friday afternoons for review. Meetings and admin work go around these.
  • Example 3: A parent sets anchor points for school pickups and workouts, then builds their work schedule to fit.

What Most People Get Wrong

  • They skip the Weekly Review when “too busy” – which is when it’s most critical.
  • They treat anchor points as flexible. They’re not. The minute you start moving them, you’re back in reactive mode.
  • They confuse urgent with important. Without a review, everything blurs. You can’t tell the difference because you never stop to look.
  • They overcomplicate planning. Endless apps, color codes, or complex systems don’t save you. Simplicity wins. A calendar, a list, and 30 focused minutes are enough.
  • They don’t protect their anchor points. If you don’t defend them, no one else will. Meetings, requests, and random tasks will eat your week alive.

Try It Yourself

Tonight or this weekend, take 20 minutes and:

  • Write down your top 3 outcomes for the next week
  • Block anchor points in your calendar for these
  • List what you’ll stop doing or say no to
  • Set a reminder for your next Weekly Review
  • Tell one person your anchor points so they help keep you accountable

Final Thoughts

You’re not stuck because you lack discipline. You’re stuck because you’re trying to navigate the week without a map. The Weekly Review plus anchor points is the map.

Start small. Protect one anchor point this week. Review once. You’ll see the difference.