Three-Question Friday Review
Close the workweek by learning, adjusting, and celebrating
- Difficulty
- Starter
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 99%
The Three-Question Friday Review is a 15-minute weekly reset conducted around midday rather than during the end-of-day rush. Open the calendar to reconstruct what actually happened, then ask three questions in sequence: What did I learn this week? What would I have changed about this week? What can I celebrate about the week? The first captures lessons that would otherwise pass unnoticed. The second turns reactions, conversations, and choices into useful adjustment data without making the entire review negative. The third deliberately surfaces progress and gratitude that memory often overlooks. Record the answers and carry at least one change into the following week. Champagne argues that this review clears mental narratives before the weekend, allows Monday to begin fresh, and reveals how much was learned and accomplished in only five days.
Origin
Champagne shared the review as a practical gratitude and reflection routine for finishing a week cleanly.
Core principles
- 01Unreviewed experience loses useful data
- 02Midday review prevents end-of-day rushing
- 03Celebration balances correction
- 04A clean close protects the weekend and Monday
How to run it
- 1
Schedule midday Friday
Reserve 15 minutes before the pressure to finish the day takes over.
Pro tip Use a recurring calendar block.
Watch out Waiting until the final minutes of Friday encourages a rushed checkbox exercise.
- 2
Reconstruct the week
Open your calendar and scan the meetings, work, and conversations that shaped the last five days.
Pro tip Let the calendar correct the bias of recent memory.
- 3
Capture learning
Ask what you learned and record the most useful lesson.
Pro tip Include lessons about your own reactions, not only technical knowledge.
- 4
Choose a change
Ask what you would have changed, then translate one answer into a practical adjustment.
Pro tip Focus on a behaviour you can control next week.
Watch out Do not turn the review into self-punishment.
- 5
Celebrate deliberately
Name what deserves celebration, including progress that would otherwise be forgotten.
Pro tip Specific wins are more useful than saying the week was good.
- 6
Close the loop
End with a clear adjustment and permission to enter the weekend without carrying every narrative forward.
In the wild
A manager reviews her calendar Friday at noon. She records a lesson from a client call, recognizes that she became defensive in a team conversation, decides to pause before answering similar feedback next week, and celebrates completing a delayed proposal.
→ The week produces one behavioural adjustment and one consciously retained win instead of an undifferentiated sense of busyness.
Common mistakes
Reviewing from memory alone
Without the calendar, recent or emotionally vivid moments can crowd out much of the week.
Skipping celebration
A review focused only on correction carries unnecessary negativity forward and loses evidence of progress.
Is it for you?
Best for
People whose weeks move too quickly to notice lessons, adjustments, and wins.
Not ideal for
Teams seeking a detailed operational retrospective with metrics and assigned actions.
From the transcript
“What did I learn this week? What would I have changed about this week?”
“What can I celebrate about the week?”
“take 15 minutes”
From the episode
Marc Champagne: The Power of Being Present
Marc Champagne