Let me guess. You meant to do a proper year-end review. Maybe even had a few tabs open for weeks—a half-written journal entry, some color-coded plans, a quote from Seneca, perhaps.

And now it’s January. For some of us, the only reflection so far has been noticing how quickly the first week disappeared.

Over the years, I’ve built and rebuilt all kinds of systems for reviewing the year. At one point, I created a questionnaire with 126 questions. I cleared my calendar, brewed good coffee, and sat down like it was a quarterly board meeting for a startup going through an existential crisis.

Still, I’d end up overwhelmed by the sprawl of it all—the travel patterns, the intimacy hiccups, the spreadsheet rabbit holes. What started as reflection quietly turned into a full-scale audit.

So this year, I tried something else.

I didn’t aim for comprehensiveness. I aimed for contact. Just sitting with the year as it was, without forcing it into categories, lessons, or tidy conclusions.

This is what remained once I trimmed the process down to its spine. Fifty-two questions. Just the ones that kept earning their place.

Identity & Life Direction (8)

Looking back
1. What belief about myself no longer serves me?
2. What did I say yes to out of fear?
3. What part of me grew stronger this year?
4. Which moments challenged how I see myself and what did they reveal?

Looking ahead
5. If I knew I had three years left, what would I make time for this year?
6. What mindset shift would bring me closer to that version of myself?
7. What kinds of actions would create that mindset?
8. Which habits would someone living that way naturally adopt?

Emotions & Inner Life (8)

Looking back
9. What emotion or mood visited most often last year?
10. When did I feel most alive?
11. When did I feel most anxious, and why?
12. What helped me feel emotionally grounded when everything else was spinning?

Looking ahead
13. What feeling do I want to experience more often?
14. What moments tend to invite that feeling in?
15. What emotion do I want to respond to differently next time it appears?
16. What practice reliably brings me back to calm or clarity?

Decisions & Lessons (6)

Looking back
17. What were the best decisions I made this year—and why?
18. Which decision felt brave, even if it didn’t work out?
19. What misstep taught me the most?

Looking ahead
20. What am I still trying to manage or control that isn’t mine to fix?
21. What mindset shift would help me decide more cleanly?
22. What values do I want my choices rooted in next year?

Health & Habits (6)

Looking back
23. What actually supported my physical health?
24. What genuinely helped my mental health?

Looking ahead
25. What routine would bring more peace if I stuck with it?
26. What habit would I regret not changing ten years from now?
27. What do I need to let go of that’s pretending to be useful?
28. What would better sleep, movement, or nourishment look like in my current life?

Relationships & Intimacy (8)

Looking back
29. Who brought out my best this year?
30. Where did I overextend or abandon myself in relationships?
31. How was my relationship with my family?
32. Who was my favorite new friend?

Looking ahead
33. What would help intimacy feel more fulfilling next year?
34. How could I nurture my closest friendships more deliberately?
35. What kinds of relationships do I want more of?
36. How do I want my family dynamics to evolve—and what’s actually within my control?

Money & Lifestyle (4)

Looking back
37. When did I feel most financially clear and steady?
38. What spending felt good in the moment but didn’t hold up over time?

Looking ahead
39. How could money reduce stress instead of creating it?
40. How could money support a more meaningful life?

Work (5)

Looking back
41. How did my relationship with work shift this year?
42. When did work energize me—and when did it drain me?
43. What part of my work felt closest to who I really am?

Looking ahead
44. What kind of work do I want to do more of next year?
45. What project keeps tapping me on the shoulder?

Environment & Place (3)

46. Where did I feel most at peace?
47. Where was I most stressed, and what contributed to it?
48. Which place would I return to—not for novelty, but for nourishment?

Creativity & Expression (3)

49. When was I most inspired this year?
50. How did I express myself creatively?
51. What creative act do I want to make space for next year?

Focus & Simplification (1)

52. What would I still choose to do, even if no one ever saw it or praised it?

These questions helped me get a clearer sense of what actually happened last year, and what I’d like to build, grow, shrink, avoid, repeat, and absolutely not repeat this year.

Hopefully, they help you pause long enough to feel the ground under your feet, and notice what you’re carrying forward.

Let me know how it goes.