In Uptick all 1:1s are set up with a recurring schedule, with the option to schedule them weekly, biweekly, and monthly.

We strongly encourage most managers to schedule weekly or biweekly 1:1s, even if that's not something you're used to, because we believe the consistency and frequency of communication is what makes the difference. There is a lot of work that happens each week!

We encourage scheduling 1:1s early in the week (e.g. Monday or Tuesday).

Meeting early on not only helps with clarifying work for the week(s) ahead, but our user stats have shown us that there is a much higher probability of 1:1s being completed when the meetings take place earlier in the week!
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Ideally, a team member will fill out and submit their 1:1 with at least enough time for the manager to glance through the responses before they meet together. How much time before depends on the expectation set (ideally by the manager!).

We have talked with managers who ask their team members to submit their 1:1 a full day before their meeting, other managers that are okay with team members submitting their 1:1 an hour or less before the meeting, and everywhere in between.

Managers: Receiving your team member's 1:1 ahead of time helps you get an overall read on how your team member is doing, what topic(s) you might need to spend more time discussing in your meeting, and it gives you time to write your own comments in response to what they've written.
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Comments are always optional for both managers and team members. If a team member doesn't write a comment in response to one of the questions, it's a good opportunity for the manager to press into why the team member didn't respond. 

Managers: You have the opportunity to write comments back to your team member's responses. Whether that's "these look great!" about their weekly action items, or a lengthier reply when they shared about their productivity for the week. Comments from you can be encouraging and validating – acknowledging that you read what your team member wrote – and can also be helpful context for you to come back and reference.
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We encourage manager and team member to have their 1:1 meetings in real time, in person or via video call. Actually being able to look at the other person is so helpful for relational connection and for observing body language. If you can't meet in person in some form, a phone call would be the next best option.
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Managers don't have to be the one to conduct the meeting. That may feel natural since the team member is the one "submitting" information, but either person can lead the meeting! This really comes down to a personal preference, and setting that expectation.

Managers: We encourage you to talk with your team member about how they would like the 1:1 meetings to go, what they want to get out of the meetings, etc. to get on the same page. Each time you meet you can talk through all the 1:1 questions in order, or skip around, or only focus on what needs a lengthier discussion... whatever meeting flow works best for you and your team member. And, that might not be the same across your whole team – each of your team members is a unique person that has different needs and perspectives!