Have you ever heard the term Past Year Review and how you can use it?
Tim Ferriss's podcast reminded me of this today
Here are the transcripts explaining Past Year Review and how you can use this past year to make next year one that excites you.
I’m often asked about how I approach New Year’s resolutions. The truth is that I no longer approach them at all, even though I did for decades. Why the change? I have found “past year reviews” (PYR) more informed, valuable, and actionable than half-blindly looking forward with broad resolutions. I did my first PYR after a mentor’s young daughter died of cancer on December 31st, roughly eight years ago, and I’ve done it every year since. It takes 30-60 minutes and looks like this:
- Grab a notepad and create two columns: POSITIVE and NEGATIVE.
- Go through your calendar from the last year, looking at every week.
- For each week, jot down on the pad any people or activities or commitments that triggered peak positive or negative emotions for that month. Put them in their respective columns.
- Once you’ve gone through the past year, look at your notepad list and ask, “What 20% of each column produced the most reliable or powerful peaks?”
- Based on the answers, take your “positive” leaders and schedule more of them in the new year. Get them on the calendar now! Book things with friends and prepay for activities/events/commitments that you know work. It’s not real until it’s in the calendar. That’s step one. Step two is to take your “negative” leaders, put “NOT-TO-DO LIST” at the top, and put them somewhere you can see them each morning for the first few weeks of 2022. These are the people and things you *know* make you miserable, so don’t put them on your calendar out of obligation, guilt, FOMO, or other nonsense.
I don't have a calendar per say - but I do have photos.
Maybe this year I will write on a calendar events or things I did and committed to - in order to do this better next year.
I love the idea of a NOT-TO-DO-LIST which may be more important to hone in on.
The things we repeatedly do that bring us down or make us feel anxious, negative etc.
Often we feel that life is serving us up things that suck the life out of us, and we fail to recognize our voices saying Yes - when we should have said No.
As I head into my retirement, I need to be aware of what I volunteer for, and how it aligns with what I love to do. I want to make the most of my upcoming years and my healthy years.
I don't want to squander days away repeating my NOT-TO-DO-LIST from this year.
Perhaps I can make notes on the calendar of the things not to repeat as I go along.
When my husband and I are out to dinner, we often judge our meals by whether we would order them again. That perhaps is how we should live our lives.
If you would do it again - then make plans and add them to our calendar often!
If not, chalk it up to experience and put it on the NOT-TO-DO-LIST.
Each season of the year offers up to us opportunities to say yes; and no.
Each day offers the same.
And, even each hour.
How we spend our hours is how we spend the year.
This bike!
This bike makes me feel like 14 year old girl - and now I will have endless time to ride!
This will be on the calendar many many days.
And, these skis bring me such joy. They give me confidence in their sturdy width. These too will be added as much as possible.
And then these two! Seriously I am living a very abundant life! AND, with all of these toys come badass women who love to play with these toys!
Here are some who I call Friend!
Last but not least are my family.
Oh the joys and memories we have made this year!
I will so plan on seeing more of these little ones! Talk about getting positive energy - these little ones fill me up with so much joy!
My year is overflowing with wonderful people and adventures. My photo calendar of this past year is crazy full of Positive!
