Life in Weeks Tracker in Notion (Copy/Paste Template + Setup)

You can build a life-in-weeks tracker in Notion by creating one database row per week, generating week start and end dates from a birthdate plus a week index, then showing the database as a small-card Gallery grouped by Year. Add one extra property called Weekly Outcome and a simple weekly review checklist so the tracker becomes an execution tool.

It's like an accountability coach for your week. Drift kills weeks.

What you'll build (in 10 minutes)

You will end up with a Notion setup that has:

A Weeks database (1 row = 1 week)
Auto-calculated Week Start and Week End dates
A reliable Week Index since birth (no ISO week edge cases)
A Life Grid view (Gallery) grouped by Year
A This Week view that auto-highlights the current week
A FocusNinja layer:
- Weekly Outcome (one measurable outcome per week)
- A recurring Weekly Review checklist (wins, drift, next week)

This is the same execution rhythm we use in FocusNinja: Morning Anchor. Midweek Pulse. Weekly Review. The tracker is the big picture. The loop is what makes the weeks count.

Fast path: copy the build sheet (template you can recreate in minutes)

Notion templates break when shared as duplicate links. Copy this build sheet directly with zero dependencies.

Database 1: Settings (one row)

Create a small table database called Settings with exactly one row.

Properties

Name (title). Value: My Life Settings
Birthdate (date)
Lifespan (years) (number). Default: 90
Week 1 starts on (select). Values: Monday (use Monday in this guide)

Why this matters: Notion formulas can't reliably reference a single "global variable" unless you put it in a database and relate to it.

Database 2: Weeks (main tracker)

Create a table database called Weeks.

Minimum properties (copy these names)

Week (title)
Week Index (number). Starts at 1
Settings (relation to Settings)
Birthdate (rollup from Settings → Birthdate)
Lifespan (years) (rollup from Settings → Lifespan (years))
Week Start (formula)
Week End (formula)
Year of Life (formula)
Status (formula)
Weekly Outcome (text)
Wins (text)
Weekly Review (text)
Highlight (checkbox) or (text) if you prefer

You can stop here and it will work.

Step-by-step setup (from scratch)

Follow these steps exactly once. After that, the tracker runs itself.

Step 1: Create the Settings database (1 minute)

In Notion, create a new page called Life in Weeks.
Add a Table database named Settings.
Add the properties listed above.
Create one row:
- Name: My Life Settings
- Birthdate: your birthdate
- Lifespan (years): 90 (or your number)

This is the only "manual" part that should never change.

Step 2: Create the Weeks database (2 minutes)

On the same page, add another Table database named Weeks.
Add a Relation property named Settings and link it to the Settings database.
In each Week row, you will relate it to My Life Settings.

Create rollups for Birthdate and Lifespan

In Weeks, create:

Birthdate (rollup)
- Relation: Settings
- Property: Birthdate
- Calculate: Show original
Lifespan (years) (rollup)
- Property: Lifespan (years)
- Calculate: Show original

Now formulas can use Birthdate and Lifespan.

Step 3: Add formulas (copy/paste)

These formulas assume:

Week starts on Monday.
Week Index starts at 1.
Week Start = Birthdate + (Week Index - 1) weeks.

Formula: Week Start

Create a formula property Week Start:

if(
  empty(prop("Birthdate")) or empty(prop("Week Index")),
  empty(),
  dateAdd(prop("Birthdate"), (prop("Week Index") - 1) * 7, "days")
)

Formula: Week End

Create a formula property Week End:

if(
  empty(prop("Week Start")),
  empty(),
  dateAdd(prop("Week Start"), 6, "days")
)

Formula: Year of Life

This groups weeks into "years since birth" (Year 1, Year 2, etc.). It stays reliable at year boundaries.

Create a formula property Year of Life:

if(
  empty(prop("Week Index")),
  empty(),
  floor((prop("Week Index") - 1) / 52) + 1
)

Formula: Status (Past / This Week / Future)

This is what makes the This Week view work.

Create a formula property Status:

if(
  empty(prop("Week Start")) or empty(prop("Week End")),
  "",
  if(
    now() < prop("Week Start"),
    "Future",
    if(now() > dateAdd(prop("Week End"), 1, "days"), "Past", "This Week")
  )
)

Optional: Week label

If you want a clean Week title like W0123 or Year 12, Week 3, create a formula property Week Label:

"W" + format(prop("Week Index"))

Then copy it into the title if you care. Notion can't auto-set the title from a formula.

Step 4: Generate your week rows (the only annoying part)

Notion cannot auto-create 4,680 rows by formula. You have two practical options.

Option A: Start small (recommended)

Start with the weeks you actually need:

Create 104 rows (2 years) to get moving.
Later, generate more when you want.

This is aligned with FocusNinja: the goal is not a perfect grid. The goal is to ship this week.

Option B: Create the full lifespan now

If you want the full tracker upfront:

Decide N = Lifespan (years) × 52. 90 years ≈ 4,680 weeks.
Bulk-create rows by pasting a column of numbers into Week Index. In a spreadsheet, make a column 1..4680. Copy and paste into Notion.
Select all rows and set Settings relation to My Life Settings.

Performance note: 4,000+ cards in one Gallery view can feel slow. Use filtered views like "This Year" and "Hide Future."

Step 5: Create the views people actually want

This is what makes it feel like a life-in-weeks tracker, not a spreadsheet.

Life Grid (Gallery grouped by Year)

Add a new view to Weeks: Gallery.
Name: Life Grid.
Card size: Small.
Card preview: None.
Properties shown on card: Status, Weekly Outcome (optional).
Group: Group by Year of Life.

This creates a scrollable "block" per year.

This Week (the one you open daily)

Add a new view: Table.
Name: This Week.
Filter: Status is This Week.
Sort: Week Start ascending.
Show these columns: Week Start, Week End, Weekly Outcome, Wins

This is your execution dashboard.

This Year (keeps it fast)

Add a new view: Gallery or Table.
Name: This Year.
Filter: Year of Life is X (your current year-of-life).

Hide Future (guardrail against spiral)

The point is action, not doom-scrolling.

Add a new view: Gallery.
Name: Hide Future.
Filter: Status is not Future

Add the FocusNinja layer (so the tracker drives output)

A life-in-weeks tracker is a mirror. FocusNinja is the execution loop that turns the mirror into shipped work.

The simplest integration is to use two things inside each Week row:

Weekly Outcome: one measurable outcome
Weekly Review: a short checklist that forces a verdict

Busy isn't progress. Shipped is progress.

Add a "Weekly Outcome" property (one line, one outcome)

Create a text property named Weekly Outcome.

Rules we use in FocusNinja:

Only one outcome.
It must be verifiable.
It should move the business.

Good examples:

Ship onboarding v1 to production
Book 12 qualified sales calls
Publish 2 founder-led posts and send 1 newsletter

Bad examples:

Work on marketing
Make progress

Add a recurring Weekly Review checklist (template)

In the Weeks database, create a database template (New button dropdown) called Weekly Review.

Inside the page body, paste this checklist:

Morning Anchor (Mon): confirm this week's outcome. Midweek Pulse (Wed): are we drifting. What needs to change. Weekly Review (Sun): verdict.

Wins (evidence)

Win 1:
Win 2:
Win 3:

Verdict

Shipped / Wasted / Enjoyed

What moved the business forward

What dragged

Next week's outcome

This matches the FocusNinja cadence. Start aligned in the morning. Correct drift midweek. Review on Sunday.

How to use it weekly (2 minutes, no productivity theater)

Here is the operating system we recommend.

Monday (Morning Anchor)

Open This Week view.

Write one Weekly Outcome.
Add the first calendar block that makes it real.

Wednesday (Midweek Pulse)

Open the same week.

Write 1 sentence: "Are we on track."
If not, change the plan. Don't wait for Sunday.

Sunday (Weekly Review)

In the week page template checklist:

Log 3 wins.
Give the verdict: Shipped / Wasted / Enjoyed.
Decide next week's outcome.

This is what FocusNinja automates and enforces as an accountability coach app. Log wins. The coach uses wins as evidence.

Troubleshooting and accuracy notes (so you don't get stuck)

Leap years

This approach adds 7-day blocks from a start date, so leap years are naturally handled. Your weeks are real date ranges. You are not guessing "week of year."

Week start day (Monday vs Sunday)

This guide uses Monday. If you want Sunday, change nothing in the math. Your Week Start is anchored to your Birthdate.

Performance on mobile

A 4,000-card Gallery is heavy. Use This Week as your default mobile view. Use Hide Future and This Year for scrolling.

"My This Week filter shows nothing"

Check:

Settings relation is set on the row.
Birthdate rollup is not empty.
Week Index is filled.
Your Week Start and Week End formulas are producing dates.

FAQ

Can I get a copyable Notion template for life in weeks?

Yes. The most reliable "template" is the build sheet in this article because it survives Notion changes. Create the two databases (Settings + Weeks), paste formulas, then bulk-paste Week Index values.

How do I make it show a week grid instead of a boring table?

Use a Gallery view with small cards, no preview, and group by Year of Life. That creates the grid feel.

How do I calculate the current week automatically?

Use the Status formula that checks whether now() falls between Week Start and Week End. Then filter a view where Status = This Week.

Can I start from today instead of my birthdate?

Yes. Put today as the Settings Birthdate (or rename it Start date). Then set Lifespan to the horizon you want, like 5 or 10 years.

How many weeks should I include until 80, 90, or 100?

Use years × 52 as the default. Common setups:

80 years: 4,160 weeks
90 years: 4,680 weeks
100 years: 5,200 weeks

Can I add milestones like graduation, exits, kids, or health events?

Yes. Add a Highlight checkbox and a Milestone Note text field. Use a Milestones view filtered to highlighted weeks.

How do I avoid this becoming overwhelming or depressing?

Use Hide Future. Then use the FocusNinja layer. One Weekly Outcome, a few wins, and a weekly verdict. Action cures the spiral.

The point of the tracker (and the FocusNinja tie-in)

A life-in-weeks tracker is useful because it makes time visible. But visibility alone doesn't ship.

FocusNinja exists for the missing piece: weekly accountability grounded in wins.

Pick one thing. Track wins. Get a weekly verdict.

If you build the Notion tracker above, the best next step is simple. Use This Week as your daily home. Write one Weekly Outcome. Log wins as evidence. Then review the week.

A week is a unit of execution. Drift kills weeks.