My favorite week of the year is the week between Christmas and New Year. Life slows down. Family is prioritized. And reflection, contemplation, and planning for the year ahead have space to breathe. While I always set aside this week to spend time with family, I’ve also found it a great week to take one day to reflect on the prior year, review my rule of life, and recalibrate my calendar around what I’ve learned.
I’ve found the best way to do this for me is to post up in the corner of a quiet coffee shop with my rule of life, a laptop or notebook, my calendar, and a good playlist (currently mine has lots of Drew Holcomb, Wild Rivers, Judah & the Lion, Penny and Sparrow, and Wilder Woods on repeat). I’ll then review my rule of life, make a few notes about what worked and didn’t work about my application of it over the past year, set a fresh intention around each area I want to recalibrate. Then I’ll reflect on the following questions before wrapping up by applying my work to my calendar for the next year. In all, it takes me about 3 to 4 hours and 2 to 3 cups of coffee.
What was my favorite single day/event of the past year? What were my top memories from the past year?
What three memories do I want to create in the year ahead?
What was the best thing I built, created, or innovated this year?
What areas of my life worked best this past year?
What areas of my life do I want to improve on in the next year?
What new hobby or interest did I develop this year? What hobby or interest do I want to prioritize this year?
What was the most important decision I made for myself and our family’s future this year?
What lifelong goals did I achieve this year?
What was the hardest lesson I learned this year?
What was my most humbling experience this year, and what did I learn from it?
What am I most grateful for from this past year, and to whom do I need to express gratitude for their help?
What do I need to start doing in the new year?
What do I need to stop doing in the new year?
What are my intentions for the next year? Family intentions? Spiritual intentions? Health intentions? Intentions for Personal Growth? Financial intentions? Vocational intentions?
What fears are holding me back from living fully into who God has created and called me to be?
If I could make one change in my life right now, what would it be?
Probably no practice has been more helpful to me than this one in staying committed to personal growth and spiritual wholeness over the past decade. It’s been a small investment that has paid big dividends over the long term.