I’m about to do my annual review to look back on how the last year has been, reflect on what matters most to me and what I want for the year to come. Being a coach, I will be setting myself some goals (SMART of course!) but my plans for next year will be as much about how I want to show up in the world, connect more with other people and with nature . . . and I still need to improve my Greek (I totally failed to achieve that goal last year☹).
If you’d like to do your own annual review, I’ve set out a step-by-step process below.[i]
What you need
- Three or more hours of uninterrupted time.
- Large paper, coloured pens, post-its. You’re probably better off without the distractions of your computer or phone (although you might need these to look things up).
- A writing surface, wall or whiteboard.
- Journals, calendars and other personal data to help remind you of all the things you’ve done in the year.
You might like to do this exercise with other people, or to share it with them as you progress.
Step 1 – Reflecting back
Start by looking back at the year, going through photos, journals and calendars to remind yourself of everything you’ve done and experienced. You could also look at text messages with close friends and family to jog your memory. You might want to set a timer for an hour or so to do this.
Now that you’ve remembered what happened in the last year, set a timer for three minutes a time and jot down as many events and memories you can for each of these questions:
- What were the highlights of the year? What made you feel proud, fulfilled, joyful, loved . . . or whatever matters most to you?
- What were the low parts of the year? What made you feel hurt, sad, angry, disappointed . . .or whatever feelings you least want to experience?
- What did you learn this year? What do you now know about yourself, other people, and the world at large?
The last question might take a bit longer than 3 minutes. Once you’ve gone through each question and generated your list of thoughts, memories and lessons, spend some time reflecting on your lists either on your own or with a partner or close friend. Consider: What surprised you? What stood out? How have these events changed you? What are you likely to remember most in five years’ time?
If you set yourself goals for the previous year, reflect on the extent to which you did what you set out to do. What helped or hindered you? What have you learned about yourself and how you respond to goals?
Once you’ve finished your reflections, take a moment to record a summary of your top five:
- Highlights – Things to cherish and celebrate.
- Low parts – Things to be grateful they are over, put behind you, and acknowledge how hard they were.
- Lessons – What experience has taught you.
- Name the year – This can help you to remember the year and encapsulate the biggest takeaways. Or draw a picture that represents the year.
Step 2 – Reflecting on your life now
Take some time to consider the different aspects of your life currently. Rate each of the following areas from 1 to 5 in terms of how fulfilled you feel in each (1 = totally unfulfilled and 5 = completely fulfilled).
- Health and wellbeing – physical and emotional
- Friends and community – your friends, social life and community connections
- Family and relationships – family, partner and romantic/sexual relationships
- Life purpose – your mission in life
- Leisure – creativity, fun, adventure, your free time
- Work and education – working life, career and learning
- Money and finances – income and expenditure
- Physical environment – your home and the other spaces you occupy
If you have identified your key values, you might also like to consider how fully your life aligns with your values in each area. Once you’ve rated an area, spend some time reflecting on why you gave it the answer you did. For example, if you gave a 2 to health and wellbeing, consider what’s is keeping that area down? What could you do to address it, if anything? If an area is a 4 or 5, what’s going right with it? How can you keep this going well?
It can be good to plot your numbers on a radar chart or bar chart as you reflect. This can help you to think about which areas you might want to focus on changing or sustaining over the next year.
Step 3 – Looking forward
What are your hopes and dreams for the year ahead? What steps do you need to take to realise them? If next year you live in a way that is true to your values and what’s matters most to you, what will you be doing and what will be different next year?
Set a timer for three minutes and write down your answers to each of the following questions (three minutes each).
- The Big List. What are the things you want to accomplish, contribute or experience in the next year and how do you want to be? Don’t hold back . . . write down anything that comes to mind.
- The Short List. Look through the big list and pick 3-5 things that, if you experienced them, would make next year an especially good one for you. What really matters to you?
Once you’ve completed your short list, use the following discussion questions to refine these things and start turning them into plans for next year.
Is it clearly defined? Be specific about what you want to do or to achieve. Is it clear enough that you could say at the end of the year “Yes, I did this.” If you think it would help you to have a clear target, consider adding a concrete element, e.g. a deadline, number or definitive action.
What’s your motivation? For each activity, explore why you want to do this thing and name one or two underlying needs or desires that are driving you to want it. Check in with yourself. Is this what I want, or is it what someone else wants me to do?
Do you need goals and targets? If you are prone to overwork and stress, is it helpful to set yourself stretching targets, or would it be better to open up space to relax, to think, or to go with the flow? Consider what suits you best.
Step 4 – Making a plan
Start your three-minute timer again and work on the following questions:
- Milestones – What would be a good 3-month milestone to let you know you’re on track?
- New practices – What are the habits, behaviours and attitudes you’ll need to adopt in the next year to have more of what you want? What will help you to make these changes?
- Connections to make – Who will you connect with and build relationships with? Who can inspire, teach and support you in how you want to live and what you want to do next year?
- Things to give up – In order to have the life you want in the new year, what are the habits, behaviours and attitudes you’ll need to drop? What will you need to say no to? What will help you to make these changes?
Use your answers to develop a plan and plot it on a piece of paper so that you can revisit it through the year. Set a calendar reminder for yourself to check back in 3, 6 and 9 months.
[i] This is my modification of a blueprint published by Jason Shen in Better Humans Dec 19, 2017