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A Template for a Simple, 5-Minute Annual Review
Learning from the past works even if you don’t take hours to do it
The only way to waste a year is to not learn anything from it.
Fortunately, you can do the learning even long after the year has passed — but the best time to do it is when the year is over, yet the memories are still fresh. This way, you can extract valuable lessons from a complete period of time but apply them immediately to the next one.
The first problem with an annual review is we don’t want to take time to do it, and the more time it’ll take, the stronger our aversion. The second is there are a million frameworks you could use and picking one is daunting.
This is a classic example of the self-help industry using artificial complexity to sell you bloated solutions to simple problems. It’s great if you have time for the ultimate annual review, the 14-page YearCompass, or a 15-minute tutorial for a multi-hour process. They all work. But if you don’t, fear not.
You can do an annual review in 5–10 minutes, and all it takes is three questions. You can think about them on the toilet. You ponder them as you fall asleep. You can write down the end result if you want, but once you’ve thought deliberately about the changes you want to make, you’ll already…
