First, let’s have a quick overview of the most common mistakes most people make when they do life reviews.

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

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.

Read more: Your Annual Life Review—Part 3: Physical Health

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

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.

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.

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.