How and Why to Review the Year – Psychologist Explains

Summing up the outgoing year is not just a trendy social media trend, not a reason for boasting or self-condemnation, but important inner work—an opportunity to pause and reflect on the path traveled and the direction of your life. A conscious approach not only allows us to evaluate what we've achieved and analyze our mistakes but also helps us understand ourselves better—to figure out what supports us, what still needs work, which areas, emotions, and relationships are important to us, and how our desires, priorities, and goals have changed.

So how can you make year-end reflection productive and useful?

– Focus on self-reflection and self-analysis. Ideally, you should reflect on the results of your actions regularly, much more often than once a year. The more frequently you assess your path, the easier it will be to encourage yourself with successes and adjust plans if things aren't progressing. But an annual review is also a useful and convenient ritual that helps track the dynamics of changes. So amid the pre-New Year's bustle, try to set aside at least half an hour for this beneficial practice. Choose a quiet place where you won't be disturbed, so you can thoroughly explore your memories, sort through your thoughts and feelings.

– Recall or formulate your big goals and see if you've moved closer to them, if you accomplished what you planned over the year. If yes—that's a sign you're heading in the right direction and a great reason for pride. If not—don't rush to label yourself a "loser" or "slacker"; that could completely demoralize you. After all, your goal is not to blame and punish yourself but to motivate yourself to do better next time.

Of course, taking responsibility for your decisions, even misguided ones, is very important. This is necessary not to judge yourself but to realize that achieving your goals and adjusting your plans is in your hands. So if you didn't manage to "lose weight by summer" this year, acknowledge the failure and change your approach. Couldn't stick to a diet? In the coming year, consult a nutritionist, sign up for a gym, or find a buddy to go jogging together, encouraging each other. Remember, failures and difficulties are invaluable lessons that help us grow, develop, and improve our lives. That means this experience must be factored into your next plans.

– Try to recall the good things you did in the outgoing year, all your accomplishments and successes. Many apps and programs can help with this today. Check your calendar and planner, scroll through your photo album and social media posts, review workout and nutrition tracking apps, income or major purchases in your online bank. If you can remember at least one good, useful, or pleasant thing per week, that's already over fifty reasons to be proud of yourself this year! Usually, we do something praiseworthy every day. So when reflecting on what you're grateful to the outgoing year for, be sure to remember what you're grateful to yourself for too.

– Value your accomplishments, even the small ones. Modern life urges us to always strive for more. That's not bad in itself, as long as we don't embark on an endless chase for what we haven't yet achieved, dismissing everything already attained as insignificant. This "cult of striving for success" is largely fueled by social media, where people seem always more successful and happier than us. Remember, first, social media often embellishes reality; second, everyone has their own life with its successes and challenges. Every "big success" has a price, and you might not want to pay it. So don't undervalue your vacation at a tourist base just because a friend went to Bali. If you rested and gained new impressions—that's what's important, your undeniable success. Perfectionism has no place here. Compare yourself only to your past self from a year ago.

– Logically challenge the feeling "I didn't do anything important or useful this year." Think rationally. For example, if you worked and earned steadily, you brought value to your employer, yourself, and ideally the world. You likely took care of your health—perhaps seeing a therapist, psychologist, or other specialists and following their advice. Undoubtedly, you walked, maybe even exercised and maintained a nutrition regimen. And you surely treated yourself to something—read a good book, watched an engaging series, spent time with loved ones, or did enjoyable activities. All of this contributes to a full, harmonious life.

– Separately recall the obstacles you overcame this year, and assess which qualities and internal/external resources helped. You surely invested knowledge, skills, energy, and effort into your achievements. Like-minded friends may have helped, and finding them is your merit too. This realization boosts self-esteem. Understanding what you lacked will help set directions for the future.

– Review the year in writing to make it more tangible. For example, create three lists: successes, mistakes, and lessons—optionally chronological from January to December. Or log results in a table with columns like: "me," "family," "home," "work," "hobbies," "friends," "rest," "travel," etc., listing key emotionally charged events. Make it festive and colorful, highlighting achievements that helped you grow and advance toward goals. You could also visualize the year with a collage of memorable photos.

The "Wheel of Balance" diagram is also vivid. Draw a circle divided into sectors like: "personal life," "health," "career," "finances," "family," "self-development," "rest," etc. Mark a 10-point scale in each, rate your satisfaction with yearly results, and shade the shapes. This shows your strengths and areas needing more attention.

Another option: create a questionnaire and answer in writing, for example:

• what three achievements and three failures come to mind first—what are you most proud of and what saddens you most;
• what new things did you learn about yourself this year, what skills did you gain, what fears did you overcome;
• which personal qualities and habits hindered you, and which helped;
• what mainly consumed your attention, energy, and resources—what did you worry about;
• which decisions and tasks did you avoid, and which problems did you overcome;
• which relationships supported you, and which were toxic;
• are you satisfied with your work results and earnings for the year;
• which people, things, events, gifts were most significant;
• what did you do for your health, comfort, and joy this year;
• which events impacted you most;
• what new desires and goals emerged;
• what advice would you give "last year's self" if you could?

Questions can vary—you know best what matters to you. Answers will help sum up the year, set new goals, and boost productivity for the next.

When reflecting on the outgoing year, be honest, objective, and kind to yourself. Treat yours