This is our last planned email until 2024. Read below for details, and for a powerful annual review exercise to do over the holidays…
Cooked.
That’s how my mind feels at the moment, after the wild creative push of the past month.
But now The Art of Self Design is officially closed, and all that’s left to do is the fun part — the part that re-energizes me:
Teaching.
It feels like a perfect way to transition into the new year, and I can’t wait to get down to work with the group inside.
In the meantime, this is our last planned email of 2024.
I might write to you if inspiration strikes, but I won’t pressure myself if I don’t feel like it.
Instead, I’m going to take the next few weeks to do three things:
1. Rest (sweet, glorious rest…)
2. Work with our group inside The Art of Self Design
3. My annual review.
That third one has been incredibly useful for me:
A powerful exercise for mining the gold of the past year and uncovering key insights that I want to carry into the future.
So today, I’d like to share my annual review template in case you want to use it for yourself during the holidays.
I’ll do it over the course of four days (probably spending 1-2 hours at a coffee shop each day)…
But it can work in as little as 30 minutes per day, or in a single 2-3 hour stretch if you prefer.
Here’s how it works:
Step 1: Gather
I’ll browse through my notes, photos, videos, key journal entries, and work projects to saturate my mind in the events of past year.
Along the way, I’ll make note of anything that strikes an emotional chord and carry those notes into step 2.
Step 2: Look Back
Then I’ll spend some time writing answers to the following questions:
– What am I most proud of accomplishing this year?
– What skills did I sharpen and develop this year?
– How did my internal practice progress this year?
– What were the most important things I did for others this year?
– Which relationships grew stronger this year?
– Which relationships suffered this year?
– Where did I struggle most this year?
– What did I not give enough attention and focus to this year?
Then I filter through my answers and collect the few that resonate most, so my mind can focus on them.
This is how we mine the gold of the past year; by using probing questions to find key insights that we’ll put to use in day 3.
I also like to name the year, with a single word that represents its theme and feeling.
(2023 feels something like “cultivation” — we’ll see how that holds up to closer review)
Step 3: Look Forwards
Now my questions will turn towards the upcoming year:
– What would need to happen to make 2024 feel like a success?
– What projects do I feel most excited to work on in 2024?
– What experiences [am I / would I be] excited to have this year?
– What relationships do I want to focus on cultivating in 2024?
– What internal skills do I want to focus on building in 2024?
– What could hold me back in my work, this year?
– What could hold me back in my internal practice, this year?
– What roadblocks do I see up ahead?
Then, just like in day 2:
I collect the notes that resonate most so that my mind can focus on them…
…And, I give the upcoming year a name (a single word that represents its theme and feeling).
Step 4: The Letter
Now for the nearly-magic exercise that brings it all together:
I write a letter to my current self, from my present self, one year from now:
The future self that has accomplished everything I set out to do, and created a wildly successful 2024.
The letter includes…
– What happened this year
– Our major accomplishments and experiences
– Our biggest leaps forwards in development
– What to focus on
– What to watch out for
…And, whatever else future me feels like telling present me, while I’m writing.
(the more detail, clarity and emotional texture you add, the more potent the exercise will be)
If this sounds like a strange and trippy exercise, it kind of is — but it’s also incredibly powerful.
When I’m finished, I’ll spend some time compiling all of my major notes / insights / findings — the key points I want to focus my mind on for the upcoming year.
Then I’ll order another oat milk cappuccino, kick back, and enjoy the feeling of fresh clarity and inspiration mixing with fresh caffeine.
Ahhhhh…
What a way to end the year 🙂
I hope this exercise proves to be as useful for you as it has been for me.
Have a beautiful holiday, and I’ll see you back here in the new year.
(or sooner, if inspiration strikes…)
– T
P.S. If we don’t chat again until the new year, here are a few quick holiday recommendations…
Watch Lessons in Chemistry (Apple+)
A rare show that combines world-class writing, filmmaking and acting with genuine deeper meaning.
I’m sad to have finished it.
Listen to Andrew Huberman & Robert Green
Two intellectual heavyweights discuss the process of finding your life purpose.
I haven’t finished it yet, but it’s been fantastic so far.
Decode Jay-Z’s Hidden Message
Did you catch what he said at 1:04?
(side note; that might be the best Jay-Z verse I’ve ever heard…)
Happy holidays 🙂
