THE RIGHT WAY TO CONDUCT A REVIEW OF THE PAST YEAR
AS THE HOLIDAY SEASON ENDS AND A NEW YEAR ARRIVES, FOR MANY IT IS A TIME OF QUIET CONTEMPLATION. THE HUSTLE AND BUSTLE OF THE YEAR-END CRUSH IS OVER, AND IT IS OFTEN A SLOWER TIME AT WORK. AS YOU EMBARK ON A NEW YEAR, IT IS IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER THE PAST TWELVE MONTHS. GOOD THINGS AND BAD THINGS OCCURRED THIS YEAR, SOME YOUR OWN DOING AND SOME OUT OF YOUR CONTROL. EACH YEAR IS LIKE A FRESH, NEW BEGINNING. IN ORDER TO GET BETTER IN BOTH YOUR PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL LIFE, YOU NEED TO LEARN FROM THE WINS AND LOSSES YOU EXPERIENCED. HOW SHOULD YOU APPROACH THE CHALLENGE OF ANALYZING YOUR YEAR?
This simple 4-step method is a great way to start. Your results will be best when you reserve sufficient quality time for the endeavor. Intentionally schedule your thinking session on a day without much else going on. Take notes on your thoughts, and return to them several times over the course of a few days in order to refine your analysis and conclusions. Here is the step-by-step breakdown to review your past year and prepare for the new one.
1. Take Stock
The first step in assessing your year is to take a thorough account of what happened. You will need to ask yourself a series of tough questions. What were the major work and life events from this past year? Of those, which were you expecting, and which were out of the blue? In your life and your job, what did you do well, and what didn’t work? Is there a clear reason for the success or failure of each project? What can you learn from those experiences? What would you do differently if you could do them over again?
If you wrote them down, return to the goals you set for yourself at this time last year. How did you do on them? Did the year turn out similar to how you thought it would, or was the year one long surprise? As you examine last year’s goals and resolutions, identify the categories of the achievements you desired. Were they related mostly
to your personal life, your career, your wellbeing, or some other area? Was there some balance among the categories, or did you plan to obsess over one area at a heavy cost to another? What will you change about this year’s goals? Don’t determine your goals yet -that comes in Step 3.
2. Grieve, But Don’t Stew
For any variety of reasons, many people do not or cannot accomplish all they intended to during the calendar year. It can be very disappointing, and can even make you feel like a failure. Do not be too hard on yourself. The good news is that you are still here, still kicking, still ready to tackle another year. Past performance does not have to be an indicator of future disappointment, and you have the power to change your future and to make it different from the past.
Learn what you can from your mistakes. As you need to do with any loss, give yourself a real opportunity to grieve it. If you are ever going to move on, you need to acknowledge and accept it. But once you process it, move on! You cannot afford to let anger simmer. Being burdened with the past will only get in the way of future success. You need to move forward with a clear mind and without heavy baggage. Instead of allowing them to hold you back, make your experiences part of what makes you strong and resilient.
3. Prepare for Success
Once you process the past year, it is time to plan for the next one. Putting yourself in a position to succeed in the next year starts right now. Earlier, you evaluated your progress towards the goals you set for yourself in the prior year. What goals will you set for yourself for this coming year? Which ones are repeat goals from last year, or extensions of a prior achievement? If there is a goal you failed to reach last year, why didn’t you achieve it? Was the failure impactful, or was the goal not that important to begin with? If you still want to pursue it, what are reasonable steps you can take to reach it this year?
Make sure every goal you set is achievable -but also don’t forget about having at least one big hairy audacious goal!
Once you’ve determined your goals, make an action plan for each one. How will your day-to-day change? If there are habits you need to change, start that process now! It can be difficult to change behavior at any time of the year, so start immediately and without delay. Even if you don’t fully succeed right away, try to get the hang of the changes you will implement. Evaluate your progress at the end of the month. If your plan has not worked yet, examine why, and figure out how to fix it. Also remember that the sun rises anew each morning, so do not allow a single bad day to become a bad week.
4. Expand Your Horizons
As you evaluate the past year and plan the next one, consider your place in the world and how you interact with it. How do you spend most of your time? Do you feel inspired every day, or do you get stuck in ruts? Are you able to pull out of them quickly, or do they linger? Many people struggle with the routine they find themselves in, and become discouraged by the feeling of stagnancy. You can prevent this from happening by working new energy and activities into your annual plan.
If you spend most of your time indoors, plan to be outside for at least 5 minutes every day, increasing the time as the year goes on. If you have trouble falling asleep, make a plan to improve your nighttime routine that better primes your body and mind for rest. Do you have a bad habit of not using all your vacation days? Pick the dates now that you will go on vacation, and reserve them at work. Treat yourself to a trip to a location you’ve never been before. There is so much to learn and do in this world. Your personal and professional life will improve from the experience.
5. Celebrate
This is the last step, and perhaps the most important. You need to celebrate all the things that went well for you this past year! Just as you need to have the opportunity to grieve losses, you need to take time to acknowledge and appreciate the successes. Give yourself a pat on the back for setting a goal, making a plan to attack it, executing well, and crossing the finish line. Also, do not forget to express your gratitude to and celebrate with those who helped you along the way towards achieving your goal. Most goals take some form of teamwork, so make sure you express your appreciation. After all, you might need them again this year. Just remember to make sure your celebration does not conflict with any of your new goals!