Planning: Reviewing Your Year
Did you make big plans this year? New Year’s Resolutions to go to the gym every day and always snack on carrot sticks? Even if you didn’t, reviewing your year is an amazing way not only to see what you could improve, but also to celebrate what you did well.
Reviewing is fairly easy, all you need is a pen and paper, or if you want you can get fancy and download Chris Guillebeau’s annual review spreadsheet from his article. Now, Chris has his own method of reviewing, but I find it’s easier to start from a chronological review instead of a goal oriented review. If you’re not the type that writes things down, my method might be easier for you.
Now, what you need to do is think back to January – or maybe just look back at your dayplanner, google calendar, or wherever you note things down – look at what you did in January and think about those things to jog your memory of what dreams you might have had for this year.
Now grab your pencil and note down a month at the top of each page. Under the title, list off everything you accomplished in that month. Now at the bottom answer these 2 questions:
1) What, if any, impact are those experiences having on my life?
2) If I could go back in time, would I choose to experience those accomplishments again?
Now go through all the items you have listed and place a star next to the ones that you would not change.
Continue through all the months until you get to the current date. Now go back and make a master list of all the items that you have starred. See if there is a common focus in these items – were you really working on starting your new side project? On connecting with your family? Usually there is something underlying all the important choices that we make – a foundation of common ideas and goals that hold up the structure of our lives and help define our values.
Now, if there is no theme that you can see – maybe you were not focused enough on things that were important to you. This can be a starting point for your goals in the coming year. Sit down and define your core values (ie: what is most important to you at this time?).
How much of last year did you spend on items on that you didn’t star? If it’s more than 50% of your list, you need to reevaluate your priorities. We all have to do things in our lives, like taxes, that are not really that thrilling. But I would suggest that in order to maintain a healthy life, the amazing activities have to outweigh the necessary. And if they don’t, your “life house” will seem rickety, because it will not be built on a solid foundation of values. In construction they do a test of how hard the concrete is – it’s called a ‘slump test’. If it’s too mushy, it won’t set correctly and the foundation will not have the proper amount of air: concrete ratio.
Make sure that you use your review to do a ‘slump’ test. Did your year have an optimal ratio of awesome: necessary? Let me know in the comments, and hit me up on facebook, or G+, and be sure to come back in January when we sit down and have a heart-to-heart about real New Years resolutions.
