1. Objective
This SOP governs the weekly planning and debrief rhythm — the recurring structure that keeps you and your executive aligned, catches anything that fell through the cracks, and ensures the coming week is set up well. Most EA relationships drift over time because there's no deliberate weekly reset. This SOP prevents that drift by creating a consistent touchpoint that doubles as a review, a forward plan, and an alignment check.
Where this SOP starts: Every Friday afternoon or Monday morning — whichever works best for your executive's rhythm.
Where this SOP ends: When the week-ahead brief is sent, open items are documented, and priorities for the coming week are confirmed.Success looks like: Your executive starts every week knowing their priorities and feeling ahead. Nothing carries over from week to week without being intentionally tracked. You and your executive are aligned on what matters, what you're working on, and what needs their attention. Problems are caught in the weekly reset, not after they've escalated.
2. Your Role & Boundaries
2a. What you handle independently
- Conducting the full weekly review every week without being prompted
- Preparing the week-ahead brief and sending it each Monday morning
- Updating the task tracker and follow-up log as part of the review
- Identifying and proactively surfacing any issues or gaps from the prior week
2b. What requires executive approval before acting
- Reprioritizing any project that your executive has marked as a priority
- Making scheduling commitments for the coming week during the planning session
- Resolving any open item that requires a decision from your executive
2c. What you never do
- You never skip the weekly review — it is a standing, non-optional commitment
- You never let the review become a status dump — it should produce actions, not just information
- You never skip the week-ahead brief on Monday — even if the review was done Friday
- You never present a review without having first completed it yourself
3. The Weekly Review Process
Conduct once per week: Friday afternoon (preferred) or Monday morning before your executive's day starts.
Estimated time: 30–60 minutes for a typical week.
Step 1: Review the prior week
- Calendar: What actually happened this week? Meetings that need follow-up?
- Task tracker: What was completed? What was started but not finished? What stalled?
- Follow-up tracker: Any commitments from the week's meetings or conversations? Sent? Received?
- Inbox: Any open threads that need resolution before the new week begins?
Step 2: Clean up open items
For everything unresolved:
- Is it still relevant? If yes — add to next week's priorities
- Does it need your executive's input? Flag it in the Monday check-in
- Can you resolve it yourself before Monday? Do it now
Step 3: Look ahead to the coming week
- Calendar: What's on the calendar next week? Any meetings that need prep, confirmation, or briefs?
- Deadlines: What's due next week? Any that require work today or Monday to hit?
- Projects: What needs to move forward this week to stay on track?
- Patterns: Is there anything on the horizon 2–4 weeks out that needs to start being prepared?
Step 4: Confirm your executive's priorities (if doing a live or async review with them)
- "What are your top 1–2 priorities this week?"
- "Is there anything you're worried about getting done that I can help move?"
- "Any new commitments or changes from last week I should know about?"
4. The Week-Ahead Brief
Every Monday morning, send your executive a short "week ahead" brief before their day begins.
This is different from the morning check-in. The morning check-in is daily and focused on today. The week-ahead brief is a broader picture of the full week.
Format:
Week of [Date]
Key meetings this week:
- [Day, Time] — [Meeting name] | Brief: [attached / no prep needed / link]
- [Day, Time] — [Meeting name] | Prep: [note if something is needed]
Deadlines to hit:
- [Item] — due [date] — I'll handle by [when] / Status: [note]
- [Item] — due [date] — needs your action by [when]
On my radar:
- [Upcoming renewal, relationship touchpoint, or project item to flag]
- [Any carry-forward from last week that's in progress]
One thing I need from you this week:
- [Most important single ask — keep it to one]
Length: 10 lines or less. This is read in 3 minutes, not 15.
5. The Monthly Debrief (Optional but Recommended)
Once per month, schedule a slightly longer review session — 20–30 minutes — to look at the bigger picture.
Topics to cover:
1. What worked well this month that should continue?
2. What didn't work or caused friction? How do we fix it?
3. What's the priority focus for next month?
4. Is the EA scope still right — too much, too little, or off in any area?
5. Any tools, systems, or SOPs that should be updated?
Document the outcome and update the Executive Profile accordingly.
6. Tracking What Carries Over
One of the most common operational failures: items that "didn't get done this week" get mentioned, noted, and then forgotten as the new week starts. Prevent this by explicitly tracking carry-overs.
In your weekly review:
- For any task not completed this week, confirm: Does this move to next week with a new date, get deprioritized, or get canceled?
- Update the task tracker accordingly
- Note any carry-overs in the week-ahead brief: "Carrying over from last week: [item] — still in progress."
This makes carry-overs visible rather than invisible. Visible carry-overs get resolved. Invisible ones disappear.
7. Escalation Protocol
Escalate when:
- During the weekly review you identify a significant open item that requires your executive's urgent attention before Monday
- The coming week's calendar is significantly overfull and you need their input on what to move
- The review reveals a pattern of the same things not getting done week after week — this signals a systemic issue worth surfacing
Weekly review escalation format:
Flag from this week's review:
[Brief description of the issue]
My recommendation: [proposed resolution]
This needs your input by [Monday morning / [specific time]] to address before the week begins.
8. Tools & Access
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
| [Task manager] | Weekly review — task status check |
| [Calendar platform] | Prior week review + next week planning |
| Follow-up tracker | Commitment review |
| [Email / Slack] | Week-ahead brief delivery |
| Executive Profile document | Preference documentation for rhythm |
9. Changelog
| Date | Notes |
|---|---|
| April 2026 | Initial release |
How to Use This Document
Your Certified Executive Assistant will build and maintain a weekly operating rhythm around you — helping you plan ahead, debrief what happened, and make sure nothing important gets dropped. This worksheet captures how you want your weekly cadence to work so your EA can design it to match your actual operating style.
Every question shows our recommended default in bold. If it works for your business, check it and move on. If you want something different, mark your preference.
Section 1: Your Weekly Review Meeting
1.1 — Do you want a weekly planning and debrief session with your EA?
- ☐ Yes — a brief standing meeting each week (recommended)
- ☐ Yes — but async only (written, not a live meeting)
- ☐ No — I'll initiate when I need it
1.2 — If a meeting, how long?
- ☐ 15–20 minutes (recommended)
- ☐ 30 minutes
- ☐ 45–60 minutes
1.3 — When should this meeting happen?
- ☐ Friday — to close the week and plan ahead (recommended)
- ☐ Monday — to set up the week
- ☐ Other: _____
1.4 — What time?
Preferred time: _____
1.5 — What should be covered in the weekly session?
- ☐ What got done this week (recommended)
- ☐ What didn't get done and why (recommended)
- ☐ Open items still in flight (recommended)
- ☐ Top 3 priorities for next week (recommended)
- ☐ Key meetings and commitments on the horizon
- ☐ Any bottlenecks or blockers to discuss
- ☐ Other: _____
Section 2: Week-Ahead Preparation
2.1 — Do you want a written week-ahead brief from your EA before each week starts?
- ☐ Yes — delivered Friday by EOD, covering the upcoming week (recommended)
- ☐ Yes — delivered Monday morning
- ☐ No — I prep myself
2.2 — What should the week-ahead brief include?
- ☐ Your meeting schedule for the week — who, what, when (recommended)
- ☐ Top 3 priorities for the week (recommended)
- ☐ Open items carried over from last week (recommended)
- ☐ Key deadlines or milestones this week
- ☐ Anyone your EA will be reaching out to on your behalf
- ☐ Other: _____
2.3 — What format and channel?
- ☐ Short written message in Slack (recommended)
- ☐ Google Doc or Notion page
- ☐ Other: _____
Section 3: Proactive Support Preferences
3.1 — How far ahead do you want your EA to look when planning support?
- ☐ 48–72 hours in advance — what's coming up in the next 2–3 days (recommended)
- ☐ 1 week ahead
- ☐ Day-of only
3.2 — What does proactive support look like in your business?
Check all that apply:
- ☐ Pre-meeting prep briefs prepared 24 hours before external meetings
- ☐ Follow-up drafts ready before the meeting ends
- ☐ Reminders sent to contacts for upcoming deadlines before you have to ask
- ☐ Quarterly events (renewals, reviews, filing deadlines) surfaced 30+ days in advance
- ☐ Other: _____
3.3 — Are there recurring deadlines, events, or dates your EA should always know about and prepare for?
| Event / Deadline | Frequency | How Far in Advance to Prep |
|---|---|---|
3.4 — Are there business relationships your EA should be tracking proactively?
Example: clients you check in with quarterly, partners you want to stay warm with, prospects in a follow-up sequence.
| Contact | Type | Check-In Frequency | EA Action |
|---|---|---|---|
Section 4: End-of-Day & End-of-Week Reports
4.1 — Do you want a daily end-of-day summary from your EA?
- ☐ Yes — brief EOD check-in each day
- ☐ Only on Fridays — as part of the week-close (recommended)
- ☐ No — I don't need a daily summary
4.2 — What should a Friday week-close summary include?
- ☐ Tasks completed this week (recommended)
- ☐ Open items still pending (recommended)
- ☐ Any items waiting on you specifically (recommended)
- ☐ Any commitments made to third parties on your behalf
- ☐ Other: _____
4.3 — Where should the week-close summary be delivered?
- ☐ Slack message (recommended)
- ☐ Other: _____
Section 5: Monthly Debrief
5.1 — Do you want a monthly debrief with your EA in addition to the weekly sessions?
- ☐ Yes — a 30-minute deeper review each month (recommended)
- ☐ No — the weekly sessions are enough
5.2 — What should the monthly debrief cover?
- ☐ What got done across the month vs. what was planned (recommended)
- ☐ Where your EA added the most value (recommended)
- ☐ Where there were gaps, delays, or dropped items (recommended)
- ☐ Top priorities for the coming month (recommended)
- ☐ Tool and process improvements to discuss
- ☐ Other: _____
5.3 — When in the month?
- ☐ Last business day of the month (recommended)
- ☐ First business day of the month
- ☐ Other: _____
Section 6: Your Priority Framework
6.1 — How do you define "top priority" in your business?
What signals to your EA that something should jump the queue?
6.2 — When everything feels urgent, what is the actual order of importance?
Rank from 1 (highest) to 5:
| Category | Your Rank |
|---|---|
| Revenue-generating activities | ___ |
| Existing client commitments | ___ |
| New business development | ___ |
| Internal operations | ___ |
| Personal / family | ___ |
6.3 — Are there recurring activities that should always be treated as highest priority, no matter what?
6.4 — How should your EA communicate when they think something should be re-prioritized?
- ☐ Flag it directly and give me their recommendation — I make the final call (recommended)
- ☐ Just handle it based on their best judgment
- ☐ Always defer to the established priority list without offering input
Section 7: Planning for Focused Time
7.1 — How many hours per week do you want blocked for focused / deep work?
- ☐ 2–4 hours
- ☐ 4–8 hours (recommended)
- ☐ 8–12 hours
- ☐ More — describe: _____
7.2 — What does "deep work" mean for you?
What are you doing when you're in your best, highest-value work state?
7.3 — Should your EA actively protect focus time from meeting requests?
- ☐ Yes — treat focus blocks as firm holds; only move with my explicit approval (recommended)
- ☐ Yes — but they can offer alternatives if a meeting is important
- ☐ No — I'll manage my own focus time
7.4 — Are there times of day when you're consistently at your best for deep work?
Section 8: Escalation & Rhythm Exceptions
8.1 — What weeks or periods require a different weekly rhythm?
Example: conference weeks, vacation, end-of-quarter crunch, slow summer weeks.
8.2 — How should your EA adjust during those periods?
8.3 — If you miss or cancel the weekly review, what should your EA do?
- ☐ Proceed with the week using last known priorities; flag anything that changes (recommended)
- ☐ Wait to act on anything discretionary until we reconnect
- ☐ Send me an async summary to get my input before proceeding
Section 9: Anything Else
9.1 — Is there a rhythm or operating cadence from a previous job or engagement that worked really well that you want to recreate?
9.2 — Is there anything about how you plan and reflect on your week that your EA should know to support you well?
Sign-Off
By completing this document, you confirm that your EA is authorized to manage your weekly rhythm and planning cadence within the boundaries you've defined above. Levrly will keep this on file and reference it if questions arise.
| Client Name | _____ |
| Date Completed | _____ |
| VA Name | _____ |
| Levrly Account Manager | _____ |
To update any decision in this document, contact your Levrly account manager or submit a change request through your client portal.