Before you move forward with new goals, it’s important to evaluate the last year. You can gain valuable insights that can help you achieve your goals when you pause to reflect. But you have to approach this evaluation of the past 365 days with a special attitude.
This isn’t about making harsh judgments or fixating on failed projects. Don’t use this time to mentally beat yourself up. You won’t gain anything valuable from shaming yourself for past mistakes.
Instead, focus on looking for patterns and trends that impacted your goals. It’s best to handle your evaluation as if you were reviewing a friend’s year. With the level of detachment, this brings, you’ll be more open to learning from the process.
Choose the Right Environment
Make sure you begin your evaluation in a quiet, calm environment. If you’re trying to evaluate your year in between cooking dinner and helping the kids with homework, your picture of the last year may not be that clear and you may miss important realizations.
When it comes to your evaluation, you’ll want to do it in a quiet space. It can be helpful to play soft instrumental music or to turn on a white noise machine. This allows you to get into a relaxed frame of mind.
Limit Interruptions
You may also want to silence your phone and log off of social media. The constant dings from your cell and social sites can distract. You may find it difficult to get back on track after an interruption.
It’s also important to pick the best time of day to do your review. If you’re a morning person, then you may be too exhausted at the end of your day to give your full attention to the year’s evaluation. You should try to schedule your review during a time when you feel alert and energized.
Take Your Time
Keep in mind that you can break your review up into smaller chunks of time. You don’t have to dedicate five hours out of your day to this project. You can choose to break your sessions up instead. Many people find that one-hour sessions are best. It gives you plenty of time to reflect on your year without causing you to feel overwhelmed.
If you find doing your year’s evaluation difficult or complicated, it might be best to get help from a good coach. Your coach can help you approach your year in review with a positive attitude. With a coach’s guidance, you’ll be able to identify the lessons that you’ve learned in the past 365 days
