Future Work Blog: Forget New Year Resolutions – Past Year Reviews are the Future

Many people will make the decision to start writing a fresh batch of resolutions to set goals for this new year. However, did you know you can learn a lot more from your successes and failures by conducting past year reviews? Using an introspective approach to what happened over in the past year can help you to improve your odds of success and raise your happiness quotient during this New Year. Consider how reviewing the former year in great detail and making strategic career and lifestyle plans can illuminate your future work life.

Reflect on Your Past Experiences, Unmet Goals, and Lessons Learned

In order to better understand and categorize the events of the past year, it is important to reflect closely on the myriad of experiences and the lessons you learned. What experiences stood out to your the most, and why? If an event went sour or you failed to reach a particular goal, it is vital to identify why. The reasons that you come up with that prevented you from achieving your dreams last year are clear lessons on what not to do this year.

Once you start to do this exercise, you will notice that a stream of thoughts from the past year will begin to flood your mind. When you begin to think about the out outcomes from the past year, you are in a prime position to improve this year. To do so, grab a writing utensil and some paper, and get ready to prepare your list.

Make a List of The Positives and Negatives

Crafting fresh New Year Resolutions may not only be a distraction, but it can keep you from focusing on accomplishing goals that were important to you last year, and may still be significant for your career and life. By reviewing the past year, you gain valuable insight so you avoid making the same mistakes that lead to a lack of achievement and fulfillment the last time. Through careful reflection, you can prepare to make improvements to avoid repeating the same negative outcomes.

To do this, you need to construct a list of all of the positives and negatives that stood out to you in the past year. Divide a blank sheet of paper or poster board in half, and label one side ‘Positive’ and the other ‘Negative’. Start categorizing all of the major activities, interviews, events, and experiences of the past year, and place them in the proper column. Although some things may escape your memory, it is important to engage in an in-depth brainstorming session to increase the impact that this review session has on your future work life, career and happiness.

Determine the Top 20% in Each Category

If you want to maximize the positive experiences and successes this year, you should zero in on the top fifth of the activities and goals that made you feel great, or the actions you took that brought the most personal fulfillment and satisfaction. Grab a separate piece of paper. The top 20% of positive activities will be transferred to a ‘To Do’ list, and they are must-haves for your new schedule. You need to engage in these ways to give yourself a fabulous start for the year.

On the other hand, determining the top 20% of activities that made you feel the worst last year is also necessary. These activities you should put on a ‘Not to Do List’, and avoid them. This step is necessary so that you can multiply your positive emotional triggers and minimize negative ones during the New Year.

Ponder More Ways to Surround Yourself With Uplifting Activities and People

After deciding on the top 20% of activities that you need to include or avoid for the New Year, come up with more ways to enhance the positive. What skills or activities do you want to engage in but never found the time? Adding some of those activities and skillsets to your ‘To Do’ list can give you even more excitement to look forward to.

It is also essential an honest assessment of the people that you spend the most time with last year. Did they inspire you to do better, or did they make you feel worse about yourself? Making an honest evaluation of the people you associated with in and out of the workplace is crucial for performing insightful past year reviews to make your new schedule far more effective. People who inspired you or made you feel great should be on your schedule, but those that made you feel terrible should be avoided for a few weeks at least to start you New Year on a positive track.

FW New Years Resolution

Infuse your Calendar with More of the Positive

With your lists in hand, get ready to create a more positive schedule. Last year, you may have engaged in all kinds of activities that made you feel better, or worse. This year, it is important to fill your calendar with more positive things and experiences that leave you feeling excited and happy.

Take your ‘To Do’ List and start to build your schedule. This step is increasingly important because it can make all of the difference whether you make significant changes that are a upgrade from the past year, or if you are simply going to repeat the same destructive activities and patterns that left you feeling trapped and unmotivated to persevere with your New Year Resolutions for long.

If you do not have a mentor, it is wise to find one, and plan on scheduling time with him or her this year on your calendar. The best mentor for you is someone who has achieved success and excellence in an area that you are involved in, or strongly interested in. With the advice and guidance of an esteemed mentor, you can avoid many pitfalls and shortcomings that often come with the trials and errors of learning the hard way. By spending more time with your mentor, you can learn quicker, boost your perspective, and become more like someone you admire.

Use Your New Schedule to Develop Yourself On Purpose

After you have designed your personal schedule to be filled with more positive activities and planned dates with inspiring people, you can utilize your new schedule to form better habits by engaging in meaningful tasks and fulfilling careers. With Past Year Reviews, many people discover that certain bad habits sabotaged their success. Consider some of the habits you can develop this year that have the capacity to change your life, improve your career, or make life more enjoyable.

Ask yourself these 5 questions:

What bad habits that held you back last year do you need to drop to move forward this year?
What personal habits can you cultivate to be a more effective person?
What skills do you need to develop in your career to be more valuable to any employer?
What type of values do you want to have this year?
What activities can you engage in to influence you?

Change your approach to obtain greater success during this brand New Year. Reviewing the past year is key to moving forward into the future. You have 24 hours a day to commit to your schedule, and you can upgrade your life. Remember that your life is not set in stone, and you can start making ideal changes today that open up doors of success and opportunity to completely transform the state of your life.

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