Yearly Review

How to complete Yearly Review

A yearly review is a deliberate look backward, not a list of new goals. Done honestly, it surfaces patterns you'd otherwise forget, so the lessons of the last twelve months actually carry into the next ones instead of evaporating.

1. Block two to three uninterrupted hours and gather memory triggers: your calendar, photos, journal, messages, and bank statements.
2. Walk month by month and list what actually happened, not what you wish had.
3. Separately name your biggest wins and your real failures or regrets, and write why each happened.
4. For each failure, extract one concrete lesson rather than just judging yourself.
5. Close by naming two or three words or themes you want to define the coming year.

Tips

• A structured template like YearCompass keeps you from staring at a blank page.
• Be specific about failures; vague self-criticism teaches nothing.
• Keep this separate from resolutions, review first, then set goals on another day with a clear head.

What counts as done

A finished written document that honestly covers your wins, failures, and lessons from the past twelve months.