{"id":3735,"date":"2022-12-26T09:00:56","date_gmt":"2022-12-26T09:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/isabelalbeldaros.com\/?p=3735"},"modified":"2023-03-02T13:16:09","modified_gmt":"2023-03-02T13:16:09","slug":"end-of-year-reflection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/isabelalbeldaros.com\/es\/end-of-year-reflection\/","title":{"rendered":"How to look back over your year (without getting lost in it)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This article is part of my Systems for Success trilogy:<\/p>\n

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  1. How to look back over your year (without getting lost in it)<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. How to Set Goals for the New Year (and take your resolutions past January)<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. The magic system I use to follow through on my goals: How to accomplish all your goals (and 10x your productivity this year)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    For best results, use all three combined!<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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    This time of year, my feed fills with people reflecting on their accomplishments, challenges and most important moments of the last twelve months (with a heavy emphasis on the positive, since it’s for social media sharing). It can feel a little hollow – just a snapshot of the best of times.<\/p>\n

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    I like to take some time on the 31st, to sit alone with my thoughts and some music and reflect on the year. To process what has happened, how it’s affected me, the ways I’ve shown up (or not) for myself and others, and to think about which pieces I want to bring into the new year and which ones I’d rather leave behind. I started as a teenager and never really dropped the practice. There’s something almost magical about that still moment at the edge of the year, before the celebrations sweep it away in a wave of champagne and celebratory hugs.<\/p>\n

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    Something I introduced when I became an adult is a more formal, thorough review – borrowing questions from self-awareness practice, Agile methodology and a number of other sources to truly interrogate the year, the highs, the lows, the lessons learned. It’s been a powerful tool in not only acknowledging and celebrating my progress, but also in setting myself up for success in the following year<\/strong>. Not just a walk down memory lane, but rather a conscious reflection to help process, acknowledge, analyse and draw lessons learned from the year past.<\/p>\n

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    If you’d like to join me, this is what it looks like.<\/p>\n

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    Printable Download<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\tYou can download my printable workbook to help you complete your year-end reflection.\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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    Set aside time and space<\/span><\/p>\n

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    You can do this pretty much anywhere where you’ll have quiet, uninterrupted time and a way to write notes<\/b>. I like to use my laptop (so I can refer back to them on Trello throughout the year) but pen and paper are also a fantastic choice.<\/p>\n

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    Refresh your memory<\/h4>\n

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    My memory can’t quite hold all twelve months at once, so taking a short trip down memory lane helps me reflect on what the year has brought. I do a quick evaluation each month (if you’re interested in learning more about that, check out My Management System), so that’s an easy place to start. You can also reach for your calendar, photos, journal, or notes – whichever place holds some traces of what you’ve been up to. Work to remember the key pieces of your year – how did they make you feel? What led to them?<\/p>\n

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    Be open to the positive, the negative, and everything in between.<\/strong> It’s all been part of you this year, and without it all it wouldn’t be a complete picture. There will be things you had no control over, things you are proud of, and things you will wish you had done differently. Be kind to yourself. Be clear-eyed, but remember you’re not here to beat yourself up, but to take stock.<\/p>\n

    Once you’re happy you’ve reviewed the last 12 months, move on to the evaluation stage.<\/p>\n

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    Wheel of Life Review<\/h4>\n

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    This is an exercise I’ve incorporated into my quarterly and yearly reviews and that has really helped me take stock of all areas of my life.<\/p>\n

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    It’s simply a wheel divided into eight areas that are key to your life; you then evaluate how satisfied on a scale of one to ten you are with that particular area (ten being you’re extremely satisfied, and one meaning things couldn\u2019t be worse). Don\u2019t just assign a number \u2013 note down the reasons for that evaluation. Next to it, also mark the things that have positively influenced the score this year (for example, a promotion may have raised your satisfaction in the Professional\/Business area, or, having developed your assertiveness at work, your overall satisfaction has improved) and those that negatively influenced it (for example, unexpected debt or expenses could have decreased your satisfaction in the Financial\/Money area, or a habit or mindset held you back in that regard).<\/p>\n

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    You can see the main categories below (and feel free to grab the printable here) but you can also edit them and remove any irrelevant ones, or add any that make more sense for your life, such as creativity, mental state, productivity, social life, spiritual growth, attitude, etc.<\/p>\n

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    Evaluate your past goals<\/h4>\n

    If you set goals for\u00a0yourself this year, it\u2019s time to evaluate them.<\/p>\n