
Year-end reviews and new year’s resolutions are cliches, but I still think it can do wonders. This task often feels overwhelming, and it’s easy to get discouraged along the way—so I’d love to make it as easy for you as it can be.
The end of every year is the best time for doing annual reviews and rounding up what happened to us in the last 12 months. You can feel the reflective mood in the air, and you’re more willing to think about your life and set goals for the coming months.
Of course, you can do this review any time, not only at year’s end.
In one of my previous posts, I told you the main reasons you may feel stuck in your life. If you haven’t read it yet, you’ll find it here.
In this post, I’ll show you all the areas in life that should be regularly reviewed. As you may guess, I won’t be writing only about career and money, because they’re merely a small fraction of a happy, satisfying life.
In the following posts, I will look at every area I mention here in detail.
First: How Not To Do It
First, let’s have a quick overview of the most common mistakes most people make when they do life reviews.
- You focus on one area of your life
In pursuit of happiness, we often forget to look at our lives from a broad perspective. While getting richer definitely feels great, it’s not worth it if you sacrifice your health or relationships (but we usually see it only in hindsight). Balance is the key—take care of many areas of your life with the same commitment, and happiness will follow.
- You measure success in the wrong way
Don’t focus only on goals; also focus on the process of becoming who you want to be. Even when you fail, the lessons you’ll learn may be priceless. If your company goes bankrupt, you’re still an entrepreneur—you just encountered some obstacles on your way. Measure your success as a way of becoming a better person. Focus on who you are, not what you do.
- You compare yourself to others
The only person you should compare yourself to is you. Being inspired by others won’t hurt, but the only measure of progress is comparing yourself to a person you were a week ago, a month ago, a year ago, or a decade ago. Don’t envy people for their individual successes, and don’t look down on them because of their failures. You never know what someone is dealing with behind closed doors.
Now that you know the basic mistakes, let’s establish all the areas in your life you should sum up, step by step.
Career
It’s not that career is more important than other things in life, but most people focus on it while doing their reviews. So, let’s start with it, as well.
Your job is probably one of the most significant parts of your life, so having a career that suits you and makes you happy is crucial for overall well-being. Reviewing your career regularly should become a habit because too many people get frustrated and depressed with dead-end jobs. You don’t want to be one of them.
Take some time to reflect on the job you have now. Do you like it? Do you feel energetic on your way to work, or do you feel drained after every week? Does the job satisfy you financially? Does it give you time to rest properly?
If you still haven’t found your perfect career and have no idea where to start, this article about making the most of your skills and passion will surely help!
Read more: Your Annual Life Review—Part 1: Career
Personal Finances
The amount of money you have is—wrongly—considered by many people as the primary measure of success. Although we probably all know that being rich doesn’t guarantee happiness, living becomes much easier when you have a satisfying amount of money.
You know who doesn’t think about money? People who already have it.
As a girl working in finance for years, I believe that money plays a massive role in our lives—but not because of all the fancy drinks and expensive yachts you can buy with it, but because of the stability and calmness it brings.
You feel more relaxed when you know that you don’t have to look at every price tag in a grocery store. You can choose whatever you want from a restaurant menu. You can travel without getting into debt. On top of that, the quality of your life is better when you know that unscheduled expenses (for example, health expenses) won’t drain your pockets.
In general, I believe in balance: I like saving and investing my money, but I also like splurging on beautiful and totally unnecessary pairs of shoes from time to time. (Have you read this post? 😉 )
If money is still a source of worry rather than joy in your life, stay with me because I’ll be writing about personal finances more in the following posts.
Read more: Your Annual Life Review—Part 2: Personal Finances
Physical Health
There’s a saying that “when you don’t have health, you don’t have anything.” And there’s something to it.
The condition of your body affects virtually every other area of life. That’s why taking care of your body is one of the most important investments you need to make. Don’t realize it when it’s too late.
Your body is a complicated machine supposed to work for decades, so you need to treat it with proper care. It’s not that different from taking care of your apartment or your car; if you neglect them, they will look worse and their general condition will deteriorate.
Eating healthy, getting enough sleep, physical exercise—these things should be prioritized in our lives but are often neglected. Making a review of your (un)healthy lifestyle helps you keep good habits.
Oh, and one more thing: looking good isn’t the same as being healthy.
Mental Health & Emotions
A healthy mind is just as important as a healthy body.
Of course, there are mental issues that can be solved only with a specialist, and if you need such a person, don’t hesitate to reach them. But there are some minor psychological issues we can work on ourselves.
Think about how you feel every day. Do you feel angry, depressed, discouraged? What triggers those feelings? Run a journal for a few days and write down your emotions and circumstances that led to them. Observe your reactions. And if you feel nothing in certain situations, is this how you want to feel?
If you’ve never taken proper care of your mental health and emotions, the process of regaining control over this area of your life may take a while. Start with just admitting that you are an emotional person (we all are), and you have feelings, even if you don’t show them.
My life drastically improved when I started to observe and accept my emotions, so I know this works.
Read more: Your Annual Life Review—Part 4: Mental Health & Emotions
Relationships
There isn’t a good life without good relationships. People are social creatures—we need connections with others. Nevertheless, what makes us happy is not the number of these connections but their quality. Although we have more relationships and virtual “friends” than ever, we also feel lonelier than ever before.
Establishing and maintaining a profound relationship takes time and effort on both sides. While you cannot choose the family you’re raised in, you can choose a life partner and your friends. While you cannot control what the other person feels and does, you definitely can reflect on your attitude.
How often do you see your family and friends? When you talk, what do you talk about?
Do you spend too much time on relationships that are going nowhere, on people who don’t deserve your attention?
Do you actively search for new relationships? Are you open to a friendly chat with a person you meet for the first time? Do you listen, or are you the one who does all the talking?
Relationships are a complex issue. Nevertheless, all of them are basically about finding and keeping in your life those people who love and support you, and making sure they feel loved and supported by you.
Energy & Productivity
I already wrote a few posts about productivity (you’ll find them here, here, and here). In my opinion, gaining control over your time and energy is essential for a happy life.
When you make a year-end review of this area of your life, take a closer look at your average day. How do you spend your mornings and evenings? Starting a day on the right foot often improves your mood for the rest of the day, while taking a proper rest in the evening helps you sleep well and regain energy.
But this is very individual. I’m a typical morning person, but some of my friends are the most effective late in the night. Find out when you have the most energy, and organize your days accordingly. I know that some jobs won’t allow you to do so, but you’ll be surprised how many bosses are willing to give you flexibility if you ask for it.
Time and energy management are all about the little details that constitute your days and, as a result, your years and your whole life. Reviewing your days on a micro-scale enables you to look at the bigger processes that happen in your life.
Hobbies, Interests & Self-Improvement
What are your hobbies, your interests, and your personal goals? Would you like to learn Japanese or Portuguese? Do you love playing the guitar? Would you like to take a barista course?
Or simply, do you love traveling? (Of course, you do; you’re on a website about career and traveling! 😉 )
Some of these things may look trivial, so they’re always being put on the back burner. You still believe that someday you’ll learn Portuguese and dust off the guitar from your basement; or that you’ll read the book that has been lying on the shelf for the last decade. You believe that you’ll go on a round-the-world trip. (BTW, have you read Marta’s post about her RTW trip?)
Putting our hobbies and interests aside is easy as many urgent things happen every day. But some of your personal goals constitute who you are more than the job you have.
Maybe a round-the-world trip or learning Portuguese isn’t that important to you—if so, then admit it and stop lying to yourself; make room for other dreams and goals. But if you won’t feel fulfilled in your life without achieving these goals, then commit to them.
One thing is for sure: if you don’t plan these things, you probably won’t do them. Not now, not ever.
Conclusion
Our life is composed of a few areas that need to be reviewed regularly. The importance of every area may change throughout life, but in general, most people seek balance.
There’s a good chance you’ve been reviewing your life from a limited perspective, and you’ve been unsuccessful in setting goals that truly match your needs. Let’s make this year different!
I’ll be covering the topic of life review in the next few posts so that you have all the tools you need to prepare well for the year 2021.
Even if you’re not a fan of life reviews, give it a try this time. I promise you: if you do it properly, you’ll feel more confident, calm, and in control of your life.
PS. If you want to be informed about every post (and get two great freebies), don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter.
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