Yearly Reflection Template
At the end of every year, I sit down to reflect on the past year and to plan for the next.
It's one of the best things I've ever started doing. As part of my personal productivity system, it helps me live my life exactly the way I want to.
Among other things, it helped me make the following decisions:
- Moved to France and learning French
- Start learning the trumpet to play in a big band
- Quit my job to pursue my own projects.
I don't think I would have done any of this without the yearly reflection. It has been extremely valuable in helping me make meaningful changes in my life.
After reflecting at the end of each year on my own, I created a yearly reflection template (sometimes also called annual or end of year reflection) to inspire others to do the same – taking the time to think about what is important, and getting a clear idea about how to spend the next year.
In short, it's split into four parts:
- Reviewing the Last Year – reflect on, learn from, and celebrate the year you’re leaving behind
- Reviewing the Present – look at your habits and behaviors, as well as the things you procrastinate
- Planning the Next Year – dream, plan, and prepare to get the most out of next year
- Writing a Letter to your Future Self – send a letter to yourself in one year
I've published the template on Mental Garden, my introspection and reflection newsletter. With this template, I hope to inspire similarly meaningful changes in your life, and over 1000 people have already signed up. It's available as a Notion template, for Google Docs, and for printing. Just sign up on Mental Garden to receive it per mail:
PS: You don't have to wait until the end of the year to do this. If you've never done this before, give it a try and see what clarity or value it can bring today.
PPS: If you have any questions or feedback, message me at hello + @ + <this domain>.