Plus Minus Next Journaling in Roam Research: An Easy Method for Weekly Review

One of the best habits I picked up recently is doing a weekly review. I'd feel lost and agitated whenever I miss doing it. Instead, doing one primes me for the next week and allows me to learn from my mistakes and successes in the previous week.

Everyone knows that they should do a weekly review, but can't we stick to it? A weekly review can get complicated at times. We need something simple and easy, and this is where Plus Minus Next journaling can help.

Coined by Anne-Laure Le Cunff, it's dead simple, fast, and easy to maintain! Remember, the easiest habits are the easiest to carry.

Divide a piece of paper into three columns: "+" for what worked, "-" for what didn't go so well, and "->" for what you plan to do next. It should look like this:

Then, fill in each column with the events that happened in the past week. Celebrate your successes in the plus column, reflect on your mishaps in the minus column, and plan for the next week in the next column. Feel free to add personal and professional things, as the areas in your life are often interconnected. If you have no idea your wins and losses, look back at last week's plans. Did you achieve it? If no, why? And do you want to do it again next week?

I fill mine in with short 1-2 sentences, and it usually takes less than 5 minutes to do every week. It's very low friction yet so effective for reflecting on your progress and determining your next steps.

However you choose to do it, to make a habit stick, you need to make it as effortless as possible. For that reason, I have a fixed time every Sunday to do my weekly review, so I don't have to think about when I should do it. Instead, I decide beforehand, and I sit down and just do it.

I also do my journaling in Roam, as I can quickly refer to my daily notes to look at my wins and losses. Here's a template for doing it in Roam:

- {{[[kanban]]}}
    - +
        - What worked
    - -
        - What didn't go so well
    - →
        - What you plan to do next

Doing a weekly review of your accomplishments allows you to celebrate your wins and acknowledge your weak areas. Not only that, it gives you a sense of control over your life. You get to reflect on the progress of your goals, and it feels achievable to set goals every week. Not only that, a weekly review can increase your short-term productivity and lead to long-term improvements.

It's a high-yield habit, and you can easily do it in 5 minutes with Plus Minus Next journaling.