Write a weekly status update your manager will actually read
To write a weekly status update with AI, paste your notes and ask for what moved, what is stuck, and what you need. Correct anything that is not true before you send it.
Next step: do Step 1. Copy the box, fill in the blanks, and paste it into the chat.
A prompt is the message you paste. A Director check is a short look before you use the result.
What you'll need
- Rough notes from the week: tasks, messages, or a list you already keep
- The one thing you need from your manager, if any
- Last week's update, if you sent one
Step 1: Dump the week without cleaning it up
Turn these rough notes into a weekly status update for my manager.
Format exactly like this, with short bullets:
Done this week
In progress
Stuck (say why, and the next step)
Need from you
Rules:
- Do not invent completed work, dates, or percentages.
- If a note is vague, keep it vague and mark it "CHECK."
- Under 150 words.
- Plain language. No "synergy" or "circle back."
Notes:
[paste]
Step 2: Clear every CHECK
Replace each CHECK with a fact you know, or delete the bullet. A shorter update that is true beats a longer one that is fuzzy.
Step 3: Put the ask where it can't be missed
If you need a decision, make it the first line under "Need from you," with a date.
Here is my edited update: [paste].
Make the "Need from you" line specific: the decision, the options, and the date I need it.
Change nothing else.
Director check: look before you use it
- Would you be comfortable if your skip-level forwarded this? Take out blame and jokes that don't travel.
- Is every "done" actually done? "Almost" belongs in "in progress."
- Is the stuck item blaming a person instead of naming the blocker? Name the blocker.
- Can someone who missed the week act on this? If not, add the next step, not more background.
One extra tip
Next Friday, paste last week's sent update plus this week's notes into the same kind of chat and ask only for what changed. The headings stay stable, so your manager isn't relearning the format.
A reply to one email is Reply to work emails. Keep this page for the Friday note. More work guides are on Work.
Common questions
What belongs in a weekly status update?
What changed this week, what is stuck and why, and what you need from someone else. Skip a diary of every meeting.
Should I sound more productive than I was?
No. A status that hides a delay costs more later. Say the delay in one plain sentence and name the next step.
Can I reuse this every Friday?
Yes. Keep the same headings so your manager learns where to look.
By Joe Rangel · Last updated · More Work guides