How to Prepare for Weekly Reviews in 5 Minutes

The secret to a 30-minute weekly review isn't what happens in the meeting. It's what happens before.

Most review meetings run long because they're doing double duty: gathering information and making decisions. You can only do one of those things efficiently in a group. The other should happen async.

Here's how to prepare for your weekly review in 5 minutes or less.

The weekly update template

For each objective or key result you own, answer these questions:

1. Status (10 seconds)

Pick one:

• On track — Will hit target with current trajectory
• At risk — Might miss without intervention
• Off track — Will miss without significant change

Don't overthink it. Your gut knows.

2. Confidence (10 seconds)

Rate 0-10: How confident are you that this will land by end of cycle?

• 8-10: Very confident, barring surprises
• 5-7: Moderately confident, some unknowns
• 0-4: Concerned, significant risk

3. Progress (20 seconds)

One sentence on what moved this week. Focus on outcomes, not activity.

• ❌ "Had several meetings about the launch"
• ✅ "Finalized launch date for Feb 15, assets in review"

4. Blockers (30 seconds)

List anything blocking progress:

• Dependencies on other teams
• Decisions you need from leadership
• Resources you're missing
• Risks that surfaced

If nothing is blocking, say "None." Don't manufacture blockers to look busy.

5. Discussion needed? (10 seconds)

Flag whether this item needs sync discussion:

• Yes — Needs leadership input, decision, or cross-team coordination
• No — Information only, no action needed

Items flagged "Yes" go on the meeting agenda. Items flagged "No" get acknowledged and skipped.

The complete update

Here's what a good update looks like:

Total time to write: 2 minutes.

The 5-minute rhythm

Here's how to batch your updates efficiently:

• Minutes 1-2: Scan your OKRs. What moved? What didn't?
• Minutes 2-4: Fill in status, confidence, progress for each.
• Minutes 4-5: Note blockers. Flag items for discussion.

Done.

If this takes longer than 5 minutes, you either have too many OKRs or you're writing too much. Three sentences per item is plenty.

When to submit

Set a consistent deadline:

• Option A: End of day before the meeting
• Option B: Morning of the meeting

The facilitator needs time to review updates and build the agenda. Respect the deadline.

What happens if you don't submit

If someone doesn't submit their async update, they don't get extended airtime in the meeting. They can give a 30-second verbal update, but they don't get to consume group time with information that should have been written.

This sounds harsh. It's actually liberating. It creates accountability and protects everyone's time.

The facilitator's prep

If you're running the meeting, add 5 minutes to your own prep:

• Minutes 1-2: Scan all updates. Note items flagged for discussion.
• Minutes 2-4: Build the agenda. Prioritize by urgency and impact.
• Minutes 4-5: Note any patterns. Multiple teams blocked by the same thing? Multiple items at risk in the same area?

Walk into the meeting with a clear agenda. No scrambling.

Why this matters

The 5-minute prep is what makes 30-minute meetings possible. Without async preparation:

• The meeting becomes about gathering status
• Decisions get delayed because you're still understanding the situation
• Discussions run long because people are processing information in real-time

With async preparation:

• Everyone walks in informed
• The meeting focuses on exceptions and decisions
• You finish in 30 minutes or less

Async prep is not optional overhead. It's the foundation of efficient leadership meetings.

The template at a glance

Five fields. Five minutes. Better meetings.

Learn more

For more on running efficient weekly reviews, see The 30-Minute Leadership Review Template or learn about confidence scoring.