Year In Review And Planning For The Future

The New Year is here and with that comes the urge to set New Years Resolutions. Feeling that urge a few years ago I sat down to write some resolutions, and ended up with something a little different.

It was just after I had left my job and I was feeling kind of low. A whole year had gone by and there was nothing quantifiable in my life it seemed to reassure me I was doing good. For 10 years my life had been centered around work, and without a paycheck or the potential for a year-end bonus, it felt empty. I knew I had accomplished a lot in that first year away from work, but they weren’t the type of accomplishments I had become used to, so I was having trouble seeing it.

I had raced in my second Ironman. Traveled for 3 months on 3 different continents. I drove across the country for the first time, and found a new home in Los Angeles. I had also read more books than ever before, and started a writing practice (albeit a small and inconsistent one). But alas, none of these things were a measurable form of progress the way watching my bank account grow was, or purchasing a home can be. Things I had become used to seeking.

But still, it was all the things I promised myself I would do when I resigned, and that meant something to me. I decided to sit down and document it all and make it measurable by quantifying it. And that’s when my Year In Review was born.

Now in it’s fifth year, my Year In Review is a simple word document where, for a couple of hours, I get to relish in all the things I’ve done over the previous 12 months. By jogging my memory, and going through notes and photos, I compile a detailed, unstructured, and lengthy document that chronicles the year, leaving nothing off as “too small.”

I include trips that friends and loved ones took to visit me (or me to them). Titles and authors of books I’ve read. Countries I’ve visited for the first second, or third time. New activities I tried, and progress in old ones. Like in 2020 I included a graph of all the miles I swam, biked and ran compared to the year before. I even include great restaurants I was fortunate to dine at.

I also include ideas for new businesses. Websites I launched and subsequently closed. A section for my finances, summarizing my portfolio’s performance, and what I spent the most money on. 

That’s all to say, nothing is off limits.

Every year as I go through this exercise a sense of accomplishment steadily comes over me. Seeing everything written down takes it from the abstract and makes it real. The amount of things that we all accomplish in a given year is insane. And by the end I begin to realize that I didn’t waste a year, but rather I kept good on most of the promises I made to myself.

But inevitably, there’s always more to do, and in that first year as I was finishing my list, I naturally started thinking about all the things I wanted to do that had eluded me. 

Initially I started writing all of the things I’d failed to accomplish, but then I thought better of it, and instead turned my “failures” into next year’s goals. And that’s when Goals and Plans was born.

Similar to Year In Review, Goals and Plans is about taking the time to think about, visualize and put to paper everything you want to accomplish. I then take it a step further and build out a short, vague plan with quarterly targets. And similar to Year In Review, nothing is considered too small.

My goals have included things as mundane and simple as “read 12 book this year” by “reading 3 books per quarter.” And as audacious as “Outperform the market by 25%”(note: I did not achieve this goal), by “developing a quarterly review and reconciliation process of my investments.”

Not everything comes true. But I’m amazed every time one does. Like this one, “To learn about the food system by working on a farm.” Or my goal to find a life partner in 2021 (this was an actual goal).

When I looked back on my Goals and Plans document, and saw some of my plans realized, I became a believer. While many of my goals were not achieved (like writing my first book in 2021, yikes, that was a long shot), this was proof enough that the system could work. And I’ve continued this practice ever since.

The years fly by and our lives are so busy. It’s easy to think just another year has come and gone,  what have I done? It’s easy to think you didn’t get to do all the things you wanted to. Or that you failed because you didn’t stick to your New Year’s Resolutions. Life has a way of throwing us curveballs, and I’d challenge this thinking and say you’ve accomplished a lot more than you think. Maybe not everything you accomplished was on your “to-do” list, but I’d bet that you did way more than you think, if you take the time to reflect on it.

So I challenge you to sit down and in painful detail try and recall all the things you did do.

Brought another child into the world.

Moved towns, cities, homes, jobs.

Attended 6 yoga classes.

Helped take care of a loved one.

Cooked Christmas dinner for the first time.

Took a trip to visit family I hadn’t seen in years.

Invested the maximum into my 401K.

Whatever it is, keep the list running. Even things that we are “supposed to be doing,” get included. And at the end of that list, think about what you still want to accomplish. It doesn’t matter how big and audacious, or how small and trivial, put it all down. Then chart out 1 quarterly target for each goal that you think will help you achieve it.

If you never look back at these document until you sit down to do it again next year, that’s fine. It doesn’t matter. The work is in sitting down and giving yourself all the credit you deserve for the year you had, and giving yourself the time to manifest everything you want.

This is a method that works for me and continues to evolve. I’ve still got plenty of goals to accomplish, but it never gets old to see all that I’ve done, including the unplanned (moved to Colorado), and to get excited for the future. I hope it works for you and helps you better appreciate everything you do, while setting your sights on taking control of your future.

Happy New Year. I know it’s going to be a good one.