Weeknote templates I: ‘The daily breakdown’ and ‘Stretching questions’

Reuse these new templates to help you write weeknotes.

Analog weeknotes are possible, but digital ones might be easier to write!

These are templates to help you write weeknotes. They are based on a guide by Sam Villis, so the credit is their’s, not mine.

You might like to read the DDC guide to writing weeknotes before choosing a template.

Or you can just dive in. Writing weeknotes is a lot about just giving it a go and building your confidence from there.

How to use these templates (and write a weeknote!)

1. Copy and paste a template into a new Medium post. Feel free to mix up templates.
2. Add your own title. Be free, go wild. Or be simple. Include ‘Week X’ or ‘weeknote X’ in it somewhere.
3. Write 150–400 words (or more if you choose).
4. Add images, if you wish. Its a great opportunity to share screenshots of your work. The DDC weeknotes guide shows you places to find images that are free to reuse. (Tip: start a new line, click the ‘+’ then the 📷or 🔍.)
5. Tidy it up — Double click on any word or sentence to format it (the little and big T’s are excellent for sub-headings). Remove all text from the original template.
6. Add to the DDC Medium publication (then sit back and wait for an email from me!)

Template 1: The daily breakdown

Simple: use days of the week as your headings and write as much detail as you like. Can feel mechanical. Example.

Add a title for your weeknote here. Include ‘Week X’ or ‘weeknote X’ in it somewhere.

Add an image here, by starting a new line and clicking the ‘+’ then the 📷or 🔍.

Write an introduction here.

Monday

Describe what you did on Monday and why.

Tuesday

…Repeat for every other day you worked on the project this week.

Template 5: Stretching questions

11 questions designed to help you think and reflect on the week. You could answer all of them or pick a different handful each week to mix it up.

Add a title for your weeknote here. Include ‘Week X’ or ‘weeknote X’ in it somewhere.

Add an image here, by starting a new line and clicking the ‘+’ then the 📷or 🔍.

Write an introduction here.

What did you experiment with?

What was hard?

What did you enjoy?

What was fun?

What did you learn?

Who did you talk to outside your organisation?

What would you have liked to do more of?

What do you wish you could have changed?

What did you learn?

What did you enjoy?

What are you looking forward to next week?

Two more templates next week!

Credit: “weeknotes” image by russelldavies is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0