Reflecting on the past year is crucial because it allows individuals to learn from their experiences. According to John Dewey, we learn from reflecting on experience, not just from the experience itself. This reflection helps identify what worked, what didn’t, and how to apply those lessons to improve the upcoming year.
The first question in Sahil Bloom's annual review framework is, 'What did I change my mind on this year?' This question encourages individuals to identify shifts in their thinking, as adapting and updating one's mindset is essential for growth.
In 2022, Chris Hutchins changed his mind about outsourcing tasks, realizing the value of hiring help to increase productivity. He also shifted his perspective on spending money, becoming more comfortable with small expenses that enhance happiness. Additionally, he tried mouth taping after initially dismissing it, which improved his sleep quality.
The second question is, 'What created energy for you during the course of the year?' This question helps individuals identify activities, projects, or people that brought them joy and motivation, allowing them to focus more on these energy-creating elements in the future.
In 2022, Chris Hutchins found that trying to fit his children into his pre-kid lifestyle, such as taking them on trips designed for adults, drained his energy. Additionally, the pressure to manage social media content and post frequently was a significant energy drain.
Boat anchors refer to people or things that create drag in one's life, holding them back from achieving their goals. These could be individuals who undermine ambitions or activities that hinder progress. Identifying and minimizing the impact of these anchors is key to personal growth.
The fifth question is, 'What did I not do because of fear?' This question encourages individuals to identify opportunities they avoided due to fear and to deconstruct those fears to understand if they were justified or if they missed out on potential growth.
The sixth question is, 'What were your greatest hits and worst misses from the year?' This question helps individuals balance their natural biases by explicitly listing their successes and failures, providing a more accurate reflection of their year.
The final question is, 'What did I learn this year?' This question serves as a summary of the entire review process, helping individuals consolidate their key takeaways and insights from the year.
Sahil Bloom's 1-1-1 journaling method involves writing down one win from the day, one point of tension or stress, and one point of gratitude. This simple, two-minute process helps individuals reflect on their day and maintain a balanced perspective on their experiences.
#208: Learn the 7-step framework for a personal annual review that will help you reflect on last year and plan to make this year your best one yet. Together with Sahil Bloom, we discuss insights for setting meaningful goals across personal growth, relationships, and career, along with tactics to track progress and improve next year’s review.
Sahil Bloom is the author of 5 Types of Wealth) and the creator of The Curiosity Chronicle), a widely-read weekly newsletter that offers actionable insights for cultivating a high-performing, healthy, and wealthy life. He is also an investor and runs a venture fund called SRB Ventures).
Link to Full Show Notes: https://chrishutchins.com/personal-annual-review-2024-sahil-bloom)
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Full Show Notes (coming soon)
(00:00) Introduction
(:) New Year's Resolutions: Planning vs. Reflecting
(:) How to Structure Your Personal Annual Review
(:) Q1: What Did You Change Your Mind About This Year?
(:) Documenting Monthly Experiences
(:) Biggest Changes in Chris and Sahil's Life
(:) 2024 Recap: Things Chris Changed His Mind About
(:) Q2: What Created Energy for You This Year?
(:) 2024 Recap: Things That Created Energy for Chris
(:) Q3: What Drained Your Energy This Year?
(:) 2024 Recap: Things That Drained Chris' Energy
(:) Q4: What (or Who) Were the Boat Anchors in Your Life?
(:) 2024 Recap: The Biggest Boat Anchor in Chris' Life
(:) Q5: What Did You Not Do Because of Fear?
(:) 2024 Recap: Things That Chris Didn't Do Out of Fear
(:) Q6: What Were Your Greatest Hits and Worst Misses?
(:) 2024 Recap: Chris’ Biggest Hits and Misses
(:) Q7: What Did You Learn This Year?
(:) 2024 Recap: The Most Important Lesson That Chris Learned This Year
(:) Practices to Make the Annual Review Process Easier
(:) Sahil’s 1-1-1 Journaling Method
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