A warm welcome to the Yearly Reflection by Mental Garden! This template will help you learn from the last year and intentionally plan the next one.

For the past few years, I've used the time between Christmas and New Year for reflection, and it had a profound positive impact on my life. As a result, I moved to France and learned French, started playing trumpet in a big band, and quit my job to pursue my own projects.

Doing this is one of the parts of my productivity system. Without it, I don't think I would have made any of these changes. It has been a valuable tool for personal growth and making meaningful changes in my life.

With this template, I hope to inspire you to do the same. To help you reflect on what is important to you, and decide on the things you want to pursue in the upcoming year.

Why Do This?

Doing the yearly reflection helps you live a better life:

• Get a clear understanding of your own values and align your actions align with them
• Learn from your achievements, challenges, and setbacks, so you can enter the new year stronger than before
• Assess the direction your life is currently taking and make changes if needed
• Connect with yourself and express gratitude to the people close to you
• Start the new year with a clear idea of how you want to spend your time
• Know what to improve and where to relax.

Overall, doing this will help you grow personally and build a deeper level of self-awareness.

How To Get Started

I recommend scheduling 2-3 sessions to work on it for a few hours. If that seems like a lot, just start! Doing the yearly reflection will take time, but it's a valuable investment in yourself.

Reflecting is something you normally do on your own. But to make it easier, get together with a few friends and do this together. Maybe do a few sessions on your own, and then one with friends? You can discuss your insights during breaks ☕️

Even without a group, I encourage you to discuss your thoughts and insights with someone close to you. They might have a different perspective and can help you with accountability.

Resolve to schedule some time right now, and then use the next hour to complete the first section.

(You done? 🧙)

I have a few more ideas on how you can make this reflection deeper and more enjoyable: