The Annual Review is a Rearchitecture

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I previously described how the weekly review is an operating system, funneling each bit of information you captured during the week to its proper place. I also described the monthly review as a systems check, periodically making sure your systems are in good working order.

Now we’re ready to dive into the annual review, which I think of as a “life rearchitecture.” Like all high-level strategic planning, you’re not actually doing anything. You are taking the 50,000 foot view, and making conscious adjustments to the narrative by which you live your life.

Click here to view an Evernote template with the checklist below, which you can copy to your own account

☐ 1. WRITE GRATITUDE LIST

This is my longest standing yearly ritual, which I’ve done every year since 2008. It’s also the simplest: I sit down and I make a list of every single thing I’m grateful for from the past year, which tend to fall into 7 categories:

  1. Experiences
  2. People
  3. Accomplishments
  4. Learnings
  5. Events
  6. Circumstances
  7. Things

I don’t follow any order, procedure, or template for how to think of them. I may glance over my calendar from the past year, the archived projects in my task manager, or my journal. But in general it is a freeform brainstorm. I just let the gratitude flow.

Every year, no matter how much I got done, I always find there is a hidden narrative lurking in the back of my mind that “I didn’t accomplish enough this year.”

Making this list, which usually reaches 60–90 items, obliterates that story every time. I simply can’t face a list of 78 things I’m thankful for (this year’s count) and feel anything but an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

You can read more about this exercise in What I Learned in 7 Years of Tracking Gratitude. Here’s a sample of this year’s list for you to get a sense of how straightforward it is:

☐ 2. ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT LAST YEAR

I like the questionnaire format, because it removes the expectation that what I write must be profound or noble. I ask myself the following questions about the past year, and then answer them as honestly as possible.

  1. List your 3 top wins for the year
  2. What are the 3 biggest lessons you’ve learned this year?
  3. What were the risks you took?
  4. What was your most loving service?
  5. What is your unfinished business from this year?
  6. What are you most happy about completing?
  7. Who were the three people that had the greatest impact on your life this year?
  8. What was your biggest surprise?
  9. What compliment would you liked to have received? Given?
  10. What else do you need to do or say to be complete with this year?
  11. What one word or phrase best sums up and describes your experience this year?
  12. What stories from last year are you letting go of?

☐ 3. ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT NEXT YEAR

  1. What would make 2018 your best year ever?
  2. What new habits can you cultivate that will help you to achieve your goals from the previous question?
  3. What bad habits can you remove that will help you to achieve your goals?
  4. What are your immediate next steps to achieve these goals?
  5. What would you like to be your biggest win?
  6. What advice would you like to give yourself?
  7. What are you planning to do to improve your financial results?
  8. What are you looking forward to learning?
  9. What do you think your biggest risk will be?
  10. Who or what, other than yourself, are you most committed to loving and serving?
  11. What about your work, are you most committed to changing and improving?
  12. What is one as yet undeveloped talent you are willing to explore?
  13. What brings you the most joy and how are you going to do or have more of that?
  14. What one word or phrase would you like to have as your theme?
  15. Set Your Intention:

☐ 4. ADD NEW LIFE GOALS AND PROJECTS

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