Weekly Review
Weekly maintenance that keeps your vault healthy and your system working.
Why This Matters
Without maintenance, entropy wins:
- •Inbox items pile up, never processed
- •Daily notes become inconsistent
- •Projects drift without status updates
- •The system stops being useful
With weekly review:
- •Everything gets filed properly
- •Daily notes stay searchable
- •Projects stay on track
- •The compound effect continues
Configuration
Define your vault structure in CLAUDE.md:
## Vault Structure Layout: numbered-para # Options: para, numbered-para, zettelkasten, johnny-decimal, custom Folders: daily: 00 Daily/YYYY/ # Daily notes pattern inbox: 01 Inbox/ # Capture location projects: 02 Projects/ # Active projects areas: 03 Areas/ # Ongoing responsibilities resources: 04 Resources/ # Reference materials archive: 05 Archive/ # Completed/inactive Areas: # Your responsibility areas (customize) - Work - Personal - Learning
Quick Start
- •Start the review, log to daily note
- •Process inbox items (tag, add frontmatter, file)
- •Clean up recent daily notes (fix frontmatter, add links)
- •Generate summary report
Part A: Inbox Processing
Process
For each file in inbox:
Step 1: Analyze content
- •Read the file
- •Understand purpose and topic
Step 2: Determine destination
| Signal | Destination |
|---|---|
| Has deadline, specific outcome | Projects |
| Ongoing responsibility | Areas |
| Reference material | Resources |
| Completed, outdated | Archive |
| Early idea, not ready | Projects/_Incubation (or equivalent) |
Step 3: Add frontmatter
--- created: YYYY-MM-DD updated: YYYY-MM-DD tags: [appropriate, tags] status: active | draft | complete ---
Step 4: Move file
Move to appropriate location based on vault structure.
Step 5: Log action
Record what was moved where.
Part B: Energy Audit
Why This Matters
Weekly reviews often focus on what got done but miss how it felt. Tracking energy patterns reveals:
- •Which types of work energize you
- •What consistently drains you
- •Patterns you can adjust
Process
Step 1: Scan the week's notes
Look for signals in daily notes:
- •Mentions of feeling good/bad about work
- •Tasks that took longer than expected
- •Work that flowed easily
- •Resistance or procrastination patterns
Step 2: Categorize energy impact
| Gave Energy | Drained Energy |
|---|---|
| [List items] | [List items] |
Step 3: Identify connections discovered
During the week, what unexpected links emerged?
- •Notes that should reference each other
- •Concepts that connect across projects
- •Patterns across different work streams
Step 4: Determine adjustments
Based on energy patterns:
- •What to do more of
- •What to delegate/automate/eliminate
- •Schedule changes to match energy
Part C: Daily Notes Cleanup
Process
For each daily note from past 7 days:
Step 1: Verify frontmatter
Required:
--- date: YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM tags: [Daily] ---
Step 2: Fix issues
- •Add missing date field
- •Add missing tags
- •Correct any formatting issues
Step 3: Add links
Scan for mentions that could become wiki links:
- •Project names →
[[Project Name]] - •Tool references →
[[Tool]]if doc exists - •Concept mentions →
[[Concept]]if doc exists
Only link to targets that exist in vault.
Step 4: Standardize structure
- •Ensure consistent section headers
- •Add "Files Created" section if files were created
Confirmation Protocol
Before making changes, show the plan:
Inbox Processing Plan: 1. Move "Product Spec.md" → 02 Projects/_Incubation/ Tags: idea, product 2. Move "Research Notes.md" → 04 Resources/ Tags: research, reference Apply all? (Y/n/review each)
Daily Notes Cleanup Plan: 1. 20260101.md - Add frontmatter - Add link: [[Project Name]] 2. 20260102.md - Fix date format Apply all? (Y/n/review each)
Output Format
## Weekly Review Summary **Date:** [Today] **Duration:** [X] minutes ### Inbox Processing **Files Processed:** X **Files Moved:** X | File | Destination | Tags | |------|-------------|------| | [Name] | [Location] | [tags] | ### Energy Audit **Gave Energy:** - [Item that energized] - [Item that energized] **Drained Energy:** - [Item that drained] - [Item that drained] **Adjustments:** - [What to change] ### Connections Discovered | Note A | ←→ | Note B | Why Significant | |--------|-----|--------|-----------------| | [[Note]] | | [[Note]] | [Reason] | ### Daily Notes Cleanup **Notes Scanned:** X **Notes Updated:** X | Date | Changes | |------|---------| | [Date] | [What changed] | ### Statistics - Total files touched: X - Links added: X - Frontmatter fixes: X - Energy patterns identified: X
Workflow
1. Start review └── Log to daily note 2. Process Inbox ├── List all files ├── Classify each file ├── Propose destinations ├── Get confirmation └── Execute moves 3. Energy Audit ├── Scan week's daily notes ├── Identify energy patterns ├── Note connections discovered └── Propose adjustments 4. Clean Daily Notes ├── List recent notes ├── Check frontmatter ├── Find link opportunities ├── Get confirmation └── Execute fixes 5. Complete ├── Generate summary └── Log to daily note
Parameters
Optional modifiers:
- •
inbox only- Skip daily notes cleanup and energy audit - •
daily notes only- Skip inbox processing - •
energy only- Just run energy audit - •
dry run- Preview without applying - •
this month- Extend daily notes range
Success Criteria
- • All inbox items processed or explicitly deferred
- • Energy patterns identified and adjustments proposed
- • Connections discovered documented
- • Recent daily notes have valid frontmatter
- • Links added where appropriate
- • Summary logged to daily note
- • User confirmed all changes before execution