Make 2025 the best year yet!

Before we put 2024 to bed and jump into 2025, it’s always a good idea to review the previous year to get an idea of what to keep and what things we want to change up.

I’ve been looking around at different ways to do end of year reviews (apologies to all of you still caught up in the corporate madness that make the phrase - end of year review - so painful!), and I’ve settled on a simple set of questions to guide your thinking.? The review process I outline below is a bit of mash-up between processes by Marie Forleo and Tim Ferriss with my own spin on it.

Carve out some time before the end of the year to grab a cup of tea, a notebook, your calendar and your photos from 2024 to answer the following questions.? This will put you in great place for creating any New Year’s resolutions and goals come January!

Ready?? Let’s go!

In order to answer the first two questions, look through both your calendar and your photos for the past year and see what jumps out at you.

Question 1: What people, events, activities and commitments over the past year most energized you? ?

This can be anything that filled your cup!? Hint: looking through your photos is a good place to find these!? These can be work-related, personal, or family.? It can include accomplishments, travel, events you organized, events you attended.? Write down whatever gave you energy and made you feel good.

Question 2: What people, events, activities and commitments over the past year most drained you??

As above, this can be anything that sapped your energy.? Think about individuals who drain you, events/meetings you attended that you didn’t want to, tasks or projects not aligned to your purpose, anywhere you wasted time on things that don’t matter.? Things that made you feel tired or depressed gets written down for number 2.

Now, take a minute to look at each item one at a time.? Seeing any patterns?? Are there any types of events or experiences that logically group together?? Are there one or two items on either list that rise to the top as the most impactful?? Now you’re ready for the final question.

Question 3:? What goals, plans, intentions can you create for 2025 that increase the number of energy-supporting events and decrease the number of energy-depleting events??

Are there people who always make you feel great?? Can you spend more time with them this year?? Does camping make your heart sing?? Can you make sure you do more of it?? Is there one project at work that feels like it’s slowly killing you?? Any way you can bow out of it this coming year?

Now pull out your 2025 calendar.? With the notes above think about what you can add or subtract to better support your energy next year.? Maybe you want to plan a trip?? Create a regular date night with your spouse? Cancel or decrease the frequency of a painful meeting? Delegate a project you no longer care about?

Here’s what this process looked like for me!

It was a valuable reminder that my biggest energizers are:

·????? time with family and friends

·????? experiencing new places

·????? being outside in the sunshine

·????? getting exercise

·????? reading & relaxing

Reflecting on things I want less of just confirmed my decision to quit my job as that decision unloaded the vast majority of my energy drainers in one swoop.? But, going through this process, I have a heightened awareness that I need to be careful about saying yes to things I’m not actually excited about.

So, come January, I’m planning on reaching out to friends to schedule some trips, creating more adventurous weekend plans, and adding other energizing activities to my quarterly goals.? I’m also going to keep an eye on getting over extended and will try to correct quickly if needed.

How about you?? Do you have a personal end of year process that works for you?? Did you give this one a try?? I’d love to hear your thoughts and what you’re planning on doing more of and less of next year!