Weekly Review Ritual — Data Sovereignty

Mirror Mirror | Your data, your systems, your sovereignty.

Cycle: Capture >> Organize >> Protect >> Ship

Why This Exists

Systems do not maintain themselves. Without a regular review, folders accumulate junk, backups silently fail, and your carefully built structure degrades into chaos within weeks.

Fifteen minutes once a week keeps you sovereign. Skip it and you are back to searching through Desktop folders named "stuff" within a month.

When: Same day, same time, every week. Sunday evening or Monday morning works best. Block it on your calendar. It is not optional.

The 15-Minute Weekly Review

Minute 0-3: CAPTURE -- Clear the Inbox

[ ] Open /00_Inbox on all devices (laptop, phone, NAS, cloud)
[ ] For each file: move it to its correct home, rename per naming conventions, or delete it
[ ] Check Downloads folder -- move anything worth keeping to /00_Inbox, trash the rest
[ ] Check desktop -- clear any files that landed there during the week
[ ] Check camera roll -- export anything project-related to /05_Media/Raw
[ ] Check voice memos / quick notes -- transcribe or move to relevant project folder

Target: /00_Inbox is empty. Desktop is clean. Downloads is empty.

Minute 3-6: ORGANIZE -- Review Active Projects

[ ] Open /01_Active -- does every folder here represent work you are touching this week?
[ ] Move completed projects from /01_Active to /02_Projects/YYYY/ or /99_Archive
[ ] Check for any files outside the folder structure (rogue files on Desktop, in email attachments, in chat downloads)
[ ] Verify naming conventions on any new files created this week -- fix anything that does not match the pattern
[ ] Update your project list / task manager with current status of each active project

Target: /01_Active contains only work in progress. Everything else is filed or archived.

Minute 6-9: PROTECT -- Verify Backups and Security

[ ] Check Time Machine / local backup -- when was the last successful backup? (Must be within 24 hours)
[ ] Check NAS sync status -- any failed syncs this week?
[ ] Check cloud backup dashboard (Backblaze/Arq) -- last successful backup date
[ ] Spot-check one file: pick a random recent file, open it from your backup location, confirm it matches
[ ] Check password manager for any security alerts or breach notifications
[ ] Review any new accounts created this week -- are they in the password manager with 2FA enabled?

Target: All three backup tiers confirmed active. No security alerts unaddressed.

Minute 9-12: SHIP -- Confirm Deliverables

[ ] Review upcoming deliverables for the next 7 days -- what is due and to whom?
[ ] Confirm all pending deliverables are on track or flag blockers now
[ ] Check /03_Deliverables/Finals -- does it accurately reflect what has shipped this week?
[ ] Verify any sent deliverables were received and acknowledged by the client
[ ] Stage any near-final work that will ship in the next 48 hours

Target: You know exactly what is shipping this week and nothing is at risk of being late.

Minute 12-15: LOG -- Record and Plan

[ ] Open your decision log (decision-log.md) -- record any significant decisions made this week
[ ] Note any recurring friction points (What slowed you down? What broke? What was hard to find?)
[ ] Write 1-3 bullet points: what is the single most important thing to accomplish next week?
[ ] If anything from this review revealed a systems problem, add it to your improvement backlog

Target: Your week is closed out. Next week has a clear starting point.

Monthly Deep Review (First Week of the Month, 30 Minutes)

Run your normal weekly review first, then add these items:

Systems Health

[ ] Run a full restore test -- pick a project folder, restore from cloud backup to temp directory, verify integrity
[ ] Check drive health diagnostics on all physical drives
[ ] Review storage usage across all drives and cloud -- flag anything above 80%
[ ] Test one automation end-to-end (n8n workflow, scheduled script, auto-sync) -- confirm it still works

Access and Security

[ ] Review who has access to your systems -- anyone who no longer needs access?
[ ] Rotate any shared passwords that were distributed this month
[ ] Check for software updates on critical tools (OS, backup software, password manager)
[ ] Review 2FA recovery codes -- are they still stored safely?

Financial and Legal

[ ] Reconcile invoices sent vs. payments received
[ ] File any new contracts or agreements in /04_Licensing
[ ] Check subscription renewals coming up in the next 30 days -- cancel what you do not use

Improvement

[ ] Review friction points logged during weekly reviews this month
[ ] Pick one friction point and fix it (new template, new automation, new SOP)
[ ] Update any templates or SOPs that are out of date

Quarterly Strategic Review (45 Minutes)

Once per quarter, zoom out from operations to strategy.

Quarter in Review

[ ] List all projects completed this quarter
[ ] List all deliverables shipped
[ ] Review revenue against targets (if applicable)
[ ] Identify the 3 biggest wins and the 3 biggest friction points

Systems Audit

[ ] Full access tier audit (see access-tiers.md quarterly checklist)
[ ] Full backup audit (see backup-checklist.md quarterly review)
[ ] Review your entire folder structure -- is anything accumulating in the wrong place?
[ ] Audit your tool stack -- are you paying for tools you do not use? Are there gaps?

Next Quarter Planning

[ ] Define 1-3 strategic priorities for the next 90 days
[ ] Identify any new systems, tools, or team members needed
[ ] Set deliverable targets and deadlines
[ ] Update your ecosystem dashboard (see ecosystem-dashboard.md)

Annual Review (2 Hours, December or January)

[ ] Archive all completed projects from the year to /99_Archive/YYYY/
[ ] Verify all archived projects have complete backups
[ ] Review and update all templates in /06_Systems/templates/
[ ] Audit every subscription and tool -- ruthlessly cancel what you do not need
[ ] Update emergency access protocol -- is the sealed envelope still current?
[ ] Rotate all critical passwords (hosting, DNS, email, financial)
[ ] Review your entire Data OS structure -- does it still serve your work?
[ ] Set annual goals and map them to quarterly milestones
[ ] Celebrate. You maintained sovereignty for another year.

Review Ritual Rules

Never skip the weekly. Two skipped weeks and entropy wins.
Time-box strictly. 15 minutes means 15 minutes. If something needs more time, log it and schedule a separate block.
Same day, same time. Consistency builds the habit. Willpower does not.
Use this checklist. Do not wing it from memory. Print it or bookmark it.
Log everything. Your decision log is the record that future-you will thank present-you for keeping.

Mirror Mirror Data Sovereignty Course | Template 5 of 9

Your data, your systems, your sovereignty.