My 2020 annual review

This past weekend, I did my first-ever annual review. I’d like to share two things with you from my experience.

1. It’s 100% worth doing.

Honest. I had a lot of fun with this.

My 2020 annual review reminded me of many fun memories that I had forgotten about. Such as the walleye fishing trip with my Uncle Mark, or the night my entire family dressed up like the characters in Knives Out for a murder mystery game night. I relished going through the events of the past year and reliving some of my favorite moments.

I also learned a lot about myself through the process. The journaling prompts helped me see where I had placed my focus over the past twelve months. Did I accomplish anything meaningful? Or was I too distracted by the pandemic and politics? There were some tough questions, and I didn’t have good answers for all of them.

2. Don’t overthink it.

I spent five weeks procrastinating on my annual review. My problem was that I had created a big to-do in my head about what a “good” annual review was supposed to look like. I imagined that it had to be a very serious, all-day writing affair.

I finally got over the mental hurdle this past weekend when I made a deal with myself. There would be a time constraint. My annual review could take no longer than two hours. I was not going to let perfect be the enemy of good.

So I drafted this framework which I estimated would take a little over 90 minutes to complete. Then I grabbed a timer and got to work.

Was it perfect? Far from it.

Did I answer every question with something deep and insightful? Certainly not.

But was it a useful exercise in the end? Absolutely.

To conclude, I hope this post encourages you to try your own annual review. Don’t worry that we’re halfway through the month of February. It’s never too late to learn from your past.