Time for Fresh Perspective: On You. Conducting an Annual Review
The next few articles will be related. While they were not designed specifically to be a series, they are complimentary to each other in preparing for the year ahead. Used in conjunction with each other, you can get a jump start on your 2022 personal and professional goals, as well as your strategic business planning.
Time for Fresh Perspective: On You. Conducting an Annual Review
Set Yourself Up For Success: Planning Your Goals for the Upcoming Year
Building a Winning Year: Completing an Annual Review and Planning Session With Your Team
The hardest thing any of us can do sometimes is to take a step back and really review where we are at, what we have accomplished, and what else needs to happen. It doesn’t sound difficult, but because we are a part of our own work each day, it can be a challenge to see the subtle changes over time. I still find completing a weekly review a challenge to note accomplishments because often I take so many of the basic things I do for granted, as ‘just have to get done’. Those account for a lot of our time, and in many instances are value added activities that do make a difference.
Keep that in mind as you tackle trying to do this type of review for the year. A lot has happened over the course of the last eleven months. If you have daily planners, notes, or a journal, this is a good opportunity to pull those out and review the work you put in. Then use the five questions below to guide you in your annual review process and gain a fresh perspective on the year that is nearly over, and begin to think about the possibilities for the year ahead.
What did you accomplish this year?
It is probably a lot more than you remember or even thought about. Ensure you allow yourself plenty of time to work through each month to recall what was completed. As I begin to think back, I am surprised that events that seem to be more than a year ago really happened within the past six months. This exercise can be as much about self-recognition as anything else. Take time to be proud of what you achieved this year.
How did you get there?
So how did you do all that? As part of recognizing what was accomplished, think about how you did that. The big project you created in February, what steps did you take to complete that? How did you plan for it? What was your mindset? I know any of these can be hard to recall, especially if it happened very early in the year. The time invested here will pay off when thinking about how you can do it again in the future.
What helped you be successful? What barriers did you encounter?
What did make it successful? Were there specific steps that worked well for you? Perhaps you wrote what you needed to do each day. Did you identify your top three activities and that lead to being more productive?
What got in your way? What hurdles did you have to jump over to make it to the finish line? Which of those can be avoided in the future? Which of your actions or distractions made this or any of your activities harder than it needed to be over the course of the past year?
What do you need to do different for next year?
As you capture those success steps and any missteps, what will you do differently? Write this down. This can become a part of your roadmap for accomplishing more and taking yourself further in the approaching year. This is the time to be brutally honest with yourself. If you need to call out that you need less time watching Netflix in order to get more done, say it. If you need more sleep to ensure you have enough energy for each day, write it down. Don’t feel obligated to write down what you think should be there, you know yourself and your needs better than anyone. Be kind, but be honest.
What are the things that will make you most successful in the next twelve months?
Finally, begin to narrow down what the biggest elements of success will be for you ahead. Some may come from the list you created in the last step. Some may be bolder. Perhaps the thing that will make you most successful would be to make a career change. Maybe it is to replace a key player on your team that you know is holding you or others back. Again, this is the place to be open and honest with yourself.
The review process can feel tedious, unnecessary, and even a bit scary. It is a necessary step to ensure you have a good look at where you’re at and what you already know you need to do differently. For the bravest, share your finding with a trusted partner to review. This can be a good way to establish some accountability for yourself as well. Either way, this is just a step on your journey to preparing for an even better year ahead.
I have created a simple template you can download and use it to capture your thoughts on the questions above. You can pull this up in your favorite digital application, or print it out and complete it the old-fashioned way.
How can this exercise ensure you have a fresh perspective on what you achieved this year and what you want to accomplish in the year ahead?
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Photo by Pepe Reyes on Unsplash