Plan With Me: End of the Year Review

As the year draws to a close, it’s time to reflect on the highs and lows of the year while preparing for the future. At my college, we take one class over January that meets every day of the week. This means I’ll have lots of free time, and I sat down to maximize it. Join me for this end of the year review in my bullet journal.

If you’re looking to evaluate your past year and outline exactly what you want in the future, keep reading to see the spreads I use for reflection!

Level Ten Life

I’m a long-time user of the Level Ten Life method! If you’d like to read more on the different ways I’ve used it in the past, check out this post.

In this spread, I choose ten important areas of my life and evaluate how well I did this year depending on my capabilites and circumstances.

For example, I am an introvert and I never had a core group of friends in high school; however, this semester, I made three strong friends who I adore and trust. Because I stretched myself and made such leaps and bounds, I rated this category much higher than normal. Even if I’m not an elite social butterfly, this is where I grew the most and that was reflected in this Level Ten Life spread.

Adapting the Level Ten Life Spread

This method is something that changes drastically depending on your life. Customize it to reflect the areas that are the most important to you. The original includes the following ten areas and examples:

1. Family and Friends – Parents, soscial outings, making calls
2. Personal Development – Reading books, attending seminars and classes, pursuing hobbies, journaling
3. Spirituality – Meditating, practicing gratitude, reflecting
4. Finances – Saving, opening an IRA or 401K, paying off debt
5. Career – New certifications, attending conferences, new projects
6. Romance – Relationship with significant other or dating progress
7. Fun and Recreation – Joining clubs, attending concerts, travel
8. Giving or Contribution – Paying it forward, volunteering, donating
9. Physical Environment – Organize, redecorate, and clean
10. Health and Fitness – Try a class, exercise, meal planning and nutrition

Even though I do have a job, my education is more important, which is why I made the switch. Consider adapting the original ten areas to fit your current situation.

Long-Form Reflection

After evaluating each category with quantified numbers, I took to long-form reflection.

I described the current state of each category in words rather than numbers. This page was more for reflection than defining goals for the upcoming year.

Take a moment to consider the different areas, what went well, and what didn’t. This helps prepare for setting goals for the new year.

Mind Mapping

Mind mapping is a method I tried for the first time this year. My head is often swimming with everything I want to accomplish in the new year.

Here are the steps for this method:

1. Write down a general, undefined goal, like “read more”
2. Create a new box with actions and ideas that correspond with this, like the PopSugar Reading Challenge or setting a Goodreads goal
3. Define actionable steps to acheive the goal, like “read before bed each night, complete a reading challenge”
4. Outline how to incorporate this goal in your planner, such as putting the task to “read” on your daily layout and the books you complete on your monthly

Design Your Ideal Day

Time blocking your ideal day with your typical commitments can give you a good idea of the practicality of your goals.

If there are not enough hours in the day, it may be worth trimming down your ideals to something more manageable.

One key for me is making sure that I build in free time. As much as I like to think I’ll devote every single hour to productivity, it’s simply unrealistic and will lead me to abandon my other goals.

The Purpose of Reflection

It’s impossible to craft your ideal new year without first reflecting on the old one. Take a moment to step back, reassess, and plan which goals are achievable for the new year.

I’d love to hear from you! Comment below with what you’ve done to reflect this year.

Supplies Used in this Post:

Leuchtturm Hardcover Medium A5 Dotted Notebook [Anthracite]

Muji Gel Ink Ball Point Pen, 0.38-mm, Black, 10 Pcs

Zebra Mildliner highlighter pen set, 20 Pastel Color set

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