How do you review your year? What are the best end of year reflection questions?
‘Tis the season of contemplation and reflection. Can you feel it?
There’s no better time of year than the end of the year, to take time to sit and reflect. Especially with a year like 2024!
To figure out and remember the highs and lows, and everything in between. Not just for the sake of reviewing, but for the sake of successfully moving forward.
I’m not talking about giving it a quick ranking out of ten or the time you’ve been spending wishing that this year was just over already.
So many of us commit to writing off the previous year as a failure, to focus on the new year, but without actually learning anything. This is a major mistake.
What went right, what went wrong, and what just went? Was it epic? Or more or less like any other year? Did you achieve everything you’d hoped? Or did things go not so great?
You need to know! And it’s okay either way – the good, the bad, and the ugly provide learning opportunities.
You don’t have to wait until for the calendar to roll over for you to take stock of your year and chart a new course. You decide when you’re starting over or moving onto a new chapter in your life. Let today (no matter what date it is) be your New Year!
We should review and readjust constantly and NOT wait for things to fall apart or to be at the end of our rope to look down and realize we need to go in a new direction.
Plus, get your FREE Review Your Year Workbook with the ten essential questions you need to ask yourself about your last year BEFORE you start planning for your next. Yup, you have permission to look back just this once, and then move on to greater things.
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Ugh, Why Bother Reviewing Your Year?
It’s too easy just to dismiss the year and cheer for its end.
Like serious, “wake me up when it’s over. Never mind, I’ll just set an alarm.” Have you seen the memes yet?
Trust me, I’ve been that person countless times. The middle of the year approaches or even it could be as early as February and I’ve already written off the year.
Or even worse, just focus on what you didn’t achieve, where you fell short, why you didn’t achieve your goals and all the disappointments along the way.
What is it about “the bad” that sticks in our minds more than “the good”?
👉🏽 RELATED POST: Inspirational End of Year Quotes
Either way, all things are relative. It’s how we react in these moments and remember the memories that matter. And that’s up to you.
You have the power to write your own story about last year. You have a choice to make:
- To look back at your year with kindness and treasure your victories no matter how small or fragile they may be.
- Or you can choose to just “start over” without learning from the past year.
What inventor would just throw away precious data or prototypes from previous trials and errors? That’s just bonkers.
If Thomas Edison can say this, you can too: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
Don’t just try and erase your memories from your last year, look at the beautiful mess. Appreciate it, accept it, embrace it!
The Time to Audit Your Year is Now
Now, like TODAY, is the time to decide where you’ll be one year from now, or even where you’ll be tomorrow or next month. Will you be building on the momentum you’ve created or be frustrated to find yourself in the same spot (yet again)?
Are you tired of feeling like you’re not making progress? a year review can help you uncover what’s working and what’s not.
Do you want to live the life of your dreams and achieve your dreams? Then start making a habit of reviewing your year, month, or week.
If you’re frustrated and maybe even a little pissed off about this year, use that energy to assess the different areas in your life and make a change.
👉🏽 RELATED POST: 40 Inspirational New Year’s Resolution Quotes
Don’t let that emotion, that passion for change go unused. If you feel disappointed, angry, or even ashamed, it’s okay, as long as you use these feelings to take action.
Turn these emotions into your jet fuel for your commitment and motivation to make it happen next year.
And don’t wait for the calendar to flip over for you to start, just start now.
“Never give up. Today is hard, tomorrow will be worse, but the day after tomorrow will be sunshine.” – Jack Ma
7 Reasons To Review Your Year:
You need to review your year before you plan the next for many reasons. And yes, even better you think of New Year’s Resolution ideas or set goals for the New Year.
At the top of that list is that it feels good and it’s a positive step for your personal growth and meaningful personal development.
👉🏽 RELATED POST: 100 End of Year Reflection Questions
It’s a healthy exercise that we generally do not spend enough time doing. There’s this negative conception of “dwelling on the past” being a bad thing, but doing it in healthy measures is necessary.
Without reflection, there is no self-awareness and no evolution.
How can we do better, be a better person, if we haven’t learned anything about ourselves?
Here are 7 reasons to do a personal annual review at the year-end.
#1. To Help You Look Back With Kindness
You really are your worst critic, so please don’t be negative or judge yourself. Let’s push the negative self-talk aside.
Try your best to be positive no matter what happened last year. To choose to look on the bright side and see that rainbow after a storm.
You have to look back with kindness. Don’t focus on your “mistakes” or the stupid things you did, instead be kind, and love yourself.
Everything is a learning opportunity, and a chance to do things differently next time, or the time after that, or even yes, the time after that.
👉🏽 RELATED POST: 26 Inspiring Self-Love Quotes
#2. To Remember the Lessons You’ve Learned
Every experience can be a teaching moment if you let it. If you go deeper than the surface emotions, or maybe frustration, embarrassment, or even anger, to look for the lesson.
I’m no stranger to making stupid mistakes, but I’ve learned to learn and laugh at them. Being able to laugh in the face of a blunder steals back the power these moments have over you.
Did you have an “ah-ha moment”?
Did you have an epiphany or revelation about something about yourself, your life, your circumstances, your future, your dreams, and so on?
A moment where everything is so clear when something finally clicks and you just get it.
It’s usually a lesson that you’re brought back to or proven true through multiple incidents or even linked to some good advice someone gave you.
You need to hear something multiple times for it to sink it. What sank in this year?
#3. To Celebrate Your Achievements
(No Matter How Small)
Unless you’ve kept track of everything that happened this year, you’ve likely forgotten just how much has happened.
Our minds have this tendency to remember the bad, yet lose track of the good.
What have you accomplished? What success have you had?
Remember, you get to define your success in your own words.
Your accomplishments and successes are your own. No one (but you) can diminish them or take them away from you.
You decide what’s a victory. So, what are you proud of?
Did you have an amazing achievement? Something that excited you?
Anything that made you feel so proud and accomplished? Did you achieve your goals?
Even the smallest of victories can be built on. It can be whatever you want. Fix this in your mind.
#4. To Choose the Right Resolution and Goals
No matter how big or small, every resolution, goal, or even dream seeks to resolve something about your life you’d like to change.
What’s keeping you up late at night? Do you complain about one thing a lot?
What drives you nuts? What area of your life is just falling apart?
And even, what are you afraid of?
On the flip side, what inspires and drives you?
What gets you out of bed in the morning and keeps you working late at night?
You need to know.
Find your pain (or pleasure), that’s where a good resolution or goal can be found.
👉🏽 RELATED POST: How to Choose the Right New Year's Resolution
#5. To Create the Best Plan for Next Year
You need a strategic plan for achieving your goals for the coming year.
A major part of creating the best goals plan is understanding your strengths and your weaknesses. Knowing the areas where you need help and support in.
The best way to figure that out is to identify your existing challenges.
Why did you or didn’t you achieve your last goals and resolution?
👉🏽 RELATED POST: How to Prepare for the New Year
Maybe you didn’t even make one, or a serious one.
It’s not serious until you’ve planned to do it, established accountability, and actually take action.
Getting it done relies on a balance of having a larger vision or resolution, specific goals, and a very immediate tactical plan.
Basically, where you want to be in a year, the benchmark goals you need to fit to get there, and the tasks you need to complete daily or weekly.
So, what’s your plan for the new year?
#6. To Figure Out What Worked and What Didn’t
Toward the end of the year we can get this mentality of “ugh, nothing is working.” As if we’re beating our heads against the wall, frantic that nothing we’ve done has helped us achieve our goals.
That’s just not true! It’s impossible actually.
Even failures, goal setting mistakes, and problems can teach you how to do better.
If you’ve been having a rotten go at it, and things have been challenging, it’s okay! You can always learn something valuable from that.
According to the original 80-20 rule, only about 20% of what we do makes a difference.
👉🏽 RELATED POST: 47 Experts Share How to Achieve Your Goals This Year
I repeat, no matter who you are, 20% of your actions lead to 80% of your success.
You need to figure out what your 20% is, so you can stop wasting your time.
Bottom line, one of the main reasons to review your year is to figure out what worked and what didn’t work. So you can optimize your approach in the New Year.
Just imagine how much time you’ll save, how much more productive you’ll be if you only did what worked.
#7. To Build Momentum in the New Year
Quick question, do you feel like you’re making progress? Or does the process of achieving your goals just feel slow?
Like you’ve gotten started, and you’re working hard but nothing is happening?
Have you lost motivation and do you feel like giving up? Please, be honest with yourself.
If this sounds like you, the problem isn’t that you’re not making progress, the problem is you can’t see your success. And it’s there, you just have to know how to look.
When we’re focused on BIG, like changing events, we often miss the small changes that make a big difference.
It’s the smallest actions that can lead to big results. Don’t be discouraged, instead, change your focus.
Stop looking at the outcome of your goals, and instead look at the actions, habits, and small steps you are making you improve yourself and your relationships. They are your building blocks for success.
Even if that action seems insignificant, I promise you it isn’t. Keep doing those actions and tiny habits, they teach you how to be successful.
One small habit can build amazing momentum in the New Year. If you’re patient and if you let it snowball.
Answer Year-End Review Questions
How do you feel about last year?
What was your biggest disappointment?
What were your greatest hits?
These questions aren’t exactly easy for you to answer and require some reflection, but they are essential to making next year, your year.
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Warning, they may also be a bit uncomfortable to answer as well, but push through.
Be brave, look yourself in the eyes, and have an honest conversation with yourself – one that prepares you to set meaningful goals for the year ahead. It’s an exercise that is probably one of the most important actions you can get accustomed to doing.
Sometimes it’s scary asking these questions when it’s so much easier to just ignore the truth and shrug off the emotions. Just change the channel and think about something else.
“Whatever,” right? Not so much.
Do it anyway. It’s time to say goodbye to 2024, and welcome 2025 with open arms.
It’s just you with you, no one’s judging or reading your responses.
Have you reviewed your year as yet? You really should before you start planning next year. Get your FREE 10-question Review Your Year Workbook here.
How will you review your year?
Last Updated on November 15, 2024
Tracy Lynn | Simplelivingcountrygal.com says
Excellent advice! Review your year to better help choose your resolutions. I just love this, so simple yet so effective. 🙂
Nadalie Bardo says
It sure is! Before we close the chapter on a year we should summarize and read the end notes. Might find some good nuggets of wisdom and a trail for the way forward. =)
Heather LeGuilloux says
I really like the idea of looking back and reviewing all the hard work put into a blog or project (or life for that matter!). It can be so easy to beat ourselves up for not achieving particular goals without congratulating ourselves on the hard work or wins. Thanks for the reminder!
Nadalie says
Hey Heather,
RIGHT!
I totally have like goldfish memory with achievements. Like “ugh, why am I not here or there.” Completely forgetting where I was last year, last week or even yesterday.
Talk soon,
Nadalie
Amy White says
I love the concept of a mid-year review. It’s way to easy to get into the New Years resolution trap. Every day is a great time to reassess and start over. Thanks!
Nadalie says
Hi Amy,
I am convinced it’s always the best time for a review. =)
Happy reviewing,
Nadalie
Moipone Islam says
Girl I hear you but this year has been bad for ne from thw start I just want it to be over already.
You have great tips and reasons why the time is noe. I enjoyed reading.
Nadalie says
Hi Moipone,
So sorry lovely, I hope it gets better. I firmly believe that it’s all how you look at it and you can start over or begin again right now.
You got this,
Nadalie
nida says
this is something i never thought about !! Reviewing an year of my progress will definitely bring a positive change in me !! thanks for these tips
Nadalie says
Hi Nida,
Yay for new ideas!
Have a great time reviewing your year,
Nadalie
SHALINI BAISIWALA says
I am someone who would not be going back to review the year now! I did what I needed to in Jan this year and now am not going to dwell on any of it at all!!
Nadalie says
Well then Shalini, that’s great that you’re on track! Congrats.
Elena says
I think that this is one of the worst years and I just keep hoping that something good will happen. I will try to follow some of your advice and see if I can put a light on some of the good things.
Nadalie says
Hello Elena,
Oh lovely, I am so sorry that you are having a bad year. Yes, shine a light on the dark, you only need a little bit of light the chase away the darkness.
*hugs*
Nadalie
Courtney CJ says
Totally agree with you. I write my goals monthly so I can evaluate where I did well and where I need to improve. I then chunk it into weekly goals so my overall vision doesn’t seem as intimidating.
Nadalie says
Hi Courtney,
That’s a fantastic routine for your goals. Keep on top of it as you go. Why wait for the half-way point or even the end fo the year to look back.
Love it,
Nadalie
CourtneyLynne says
I always review and audit my year! It’s the only way you can see growth and what needs to be improved.
Nadalie says
Hey Courtney Lynne,
That’s fantastic! I completely agree if you’re not paying attention or tracking your progress it’s so easy to think you haven’t had any.
Later boo,
Nadalie
Marilyn - Social Butterfly says
Yes, I too don’t believe in waiting for a specific time to start or do a re-eval of things. Even if it is done quarterly, it is still best to do them.
Nadalie says
Hello Marilyn,
Completely agree, it’s always the right time to review.
– Nadalie
Kaylene Wappel says
Great post, I feel it is important for people to take inventory for the year. It helps make each year memorable.
Nadalie Bardo says
Hey Kaylene,
Great way to put it! We’ve all gotta take stock of our lives, why not now.
Sarah says
I like to reflect on things often, so I can make adjustments going forward that make my present time even better! I’m glad you mentioned it not having to be January 1st for someone to look back on their past year…so many people wait for that one day! If you want to live your life to the fullest, absolutely review your year, regularly!
Nadalie Bardo says
Hi Sarah,
I completely agree, we really can’t just wait until day one. The problem with that is if things go wrong we quit and almost sit around waiting for “day one.” I love that we can always make any day, day one.
Happy reviewing!
Heather says
Considering we just up and moved to Colorado two weeks ago, there’s a lot of brand new right now. If we hadn’t been through what we just went through, I’d say it’s totally necessary. But with that comes so much that is brand new that I’ll have to make sure I’m heading in the right direction.
Nadalie Bardo says
Hi Heather!
Congrats on the move! Exciting and busy times for sure. It’ll be nice to catch up and chart your way forward once you’ve settled.
Enjoy your new home,
Nadalie
Carol Cassara says
I love doing this! It makes me feel good knowing that I’ve done so much before the year ends and how much more I need to do. It’s good ti evaluate your year!
Nadalie Bardo says
Hey Carol,
TOTALLY! It’s absolutely a great exercise and if we pay attention it’s sooo wonderful to know how much we’ve done.
Adriana Lopez says
Great reflexion I think we all need to evaluate where we are so that we can plan ahead and learn from mistakes and experiences. So yes I am overdue for a year evaluation.
Nadalie Bardo says
Hi Adriana,
Absolutely! Looking back for a second so we can go forward!
Julie Syl says
Thank you for posting this! The 5 reasons to review my year is really nice topic!
Nadalie Bardo says
You are quite welcome, Julie!
Thanks for commenting,
Nadalie
Kelly Reci says
i haven’t reviewed the past years..yeah i think that is a great idea.thanks for the tip. i can now see if i progressed or not
Nadalie Bardo says
Hey Kelly,
No time like the present to catch up!
Happy reviewing,
Nadalie
Czjai says
This year has been so far, so good. Financially, we could do better. Hopefully we can achieve our financial goal this year… we still have six more months to make it happen. 🙂
Nadalie Bardo says
Best of luck Czjai! I hope you exceed your financial goals this year!
Rocky says
Great ideas you have here. I really enjoy reading your post and I think I need to start doing it…. Thanks for sharing.
Nadalie Bardo says
Awesome, Rocky! You won’t regret it, and will probably be surprised about how far you’ve come.
GiGi Eats says
I always check in with myself – every week, to talk (with myself) about how my year is going and what I can do to improve it! We always have to stay AWARE about everything!
Nadalie Bardo says
Hey Gigi,
That’s a great thing to do, we all need to have little chats with ourselves. See how we’re doing, and where we’re headed!
Elizabeth O says
It’s always a good idea to take stock of our time and effort so, a review is not a bad idea at all. Just how we choose to do it is up to us
Nadalie Bardo says
Hey Elizabeth,
That’s for sure! Doesn’t have to be fancy either, just a check in every now and then is always a great idea.
GiGi Eats says
I always take notes of what happened through out the year so I can appreciate the gifts! I try to ignore the negativity of the year though too – so I…. SMASH that out of my mind! LOL!
Nadalie Bardo says
Hey Gigi,
That’s such a great idea! I really need to be better at tracking all the good things that happen so I’m not trying to remember what they are in December lol.
Natasha says
You hit it with this one. Reviewing your year, your failures, successes, achievements, etc is the only way you are going to learn what works for you and what don’t. What you need to improve on and what you got to take a second look at, regroup, and refocus.
Even your free products are amazing, I hope my first digital product can resonate with my readers as yours do.
Thanks for all you do. Happy Holidays Nadalie.
Marta says
Such a great idea to highlight the positive things that happened. Thanks for sharing.
Amber Myers says
Great idea. I do need to do this. 2022 has been a bit of a crazy year!
It's All You Boo says
No better time than the end of the year indeed, Amber! Thanks for being here!
Whitney Stewart says
This is some really good advise! Sometimes we get stuck on all of the bad stuff that happened to ourselves throughout the year; but that only gets us in more of a funk and not motivated going into the next. These tips can really help in getting us there. I could use some encouragement right about now!
It's All You Boo says
Happy to give you the encouragement that you need, Whitney! To successfully moving forward!
Jen @ JENRON DESIGNS says
It is always good to look back to see how much you have truly achieved. Life has a way of derailing you so you can not really see what you have accomplished.
It's All You Boo says
You are right, Jen. It’s good to remember the highs and lows and everything in between.
Renee says
I think this is a must if you want to learn and grow. I know that it can be hard. I am my own worst critic.
It's All You Boo says
We should learn from the past so we grow better in the future, Renee. Thanks for being here!
Melissa Cushing says
This year as very slow… more so now than the beginning of the year and this is a great thing to do! Thanks you for the reminder!
It's All You Boo says
Happy to remind you why you need to review your year, Melissa!
Tisha says
I like to sit down and look back at my year, what I can learn from it for the next year? Things I want to do differently, it’s always good to reflect
It's All You Boo says
That’s right, Tisha! Reviewing your year and learning from it is the best thing to do and will definitely help you become a better person!
MrsEneroDiaries says
This is the reason why I always write up my year-ender blog to look back at my year. Thanks for reminding me, gotta start writing my year review.
It's All You Boo says
Happy to remind you, MrsEnero! This is that time of the year!
Julie says
This is so important! I know it can be hard to reflect on your own self, but you can make great strides by doing it. Great tips to get it done
It's All You Boo says
Thanks Julie! Happy to share all the tips on how to review your year!
Rose Ann Sales says
This is a really great and nice idea to do before this year ends. Thanks for sharing this with us!
It's All You Boo says
Happy to share, Rose Ann! Enjoy and goodluck on reviewing your year!