Review

Step 1

🤓 Your homework: Move through each of the tabs below and answer as many questions as you would like to - feel free to skip, if needed. When you are ready, you can move on to the planning phase.

  • ✍️ Pen & paper - maybe a few Post-It notes if you're so inclined
  • ⏱ 3-5 uninterrupted hours (perhaps more if the spirit moves you)
  • 📒 Journals, notes, calendar, diaries etc from the last year
  • 😤 Some god-damn peace and quiet

☝️ Introductory questions

It's time to rekindle your memory of the past year and get any 'obvious' stuff committed to paper. Try not to start the planning and optimizing process yet. If, however any action points pop up, note them down elsewhere for later in the process.

How would you rate the past year taken as a whole?

✅ What went well?

  • Where did you try hard?
  • What were the highlights of the year?
  • What made you feel proud, joyful, and loved?

If you need help getting started, considering reviewing the highlights per month during the year. Keep it at a high level and save the specifics for later.

❌ What went poorly?

  • Where could you have tried harder?
  • What were the low parts of the year?
  • What made you feel hurt, angry, or sad?

Don't start off this exercise by bashing your head in over all the mistakes you made, imagined and otherwise. Be honest with yourself and note any shortcomings, but don't expend too much energy dwelling on past mistakes.

Take a moment to brainstorm all the (major) events that took place this year

  • Key projects
  • Milestones
  • Important events

What are the biggest lessons you’ve learned this year?

🙏 Values & Purpose

If you do not have a code of conduct, one will be provided for you.

'Hotel Concierge' in The Tower

This topic may seem a bit woo-woo to many. The point of this section is not to hammer out a rigid list of ethical standards and buddhist philosophies for you to obsess about, but to think about your current operating system and whether it's in need of an, eh, security update.

This section is structured around 2 topics:
  • 🅥 Values
  • 🅟 Purpose

How would you rate this Life Area on a scale from 1 to 7?

🅥 Values / What are your fundamental values and principles, if any?

  • Do you have a philosophy of life?

If this section is a tough ask, consider taking the Values Test from Clearer Thinking.

🅟 Purpose / Do you have a sense of purpose and direction in your life?

📖 Resources

To dive deeper into this topic, see the associated topic page: 🙏 Values & Purpose

🎗 Contribution & Impact

One gives freely, yet grows all the richer

Proverbs 11:24

How have you have made a difference to your community, to charity, and so on? Don't be dogmatic and think of it strictly in terms of how much of your hard-earned cash you forked over to various charities, but also be honest if your penny-pinching behaviour would make Ebenezer Scrooge look like Mother Theresa.

How would you rate this Life Area on a scale from 1 to 7?

How are you giving value?

  • To your community? The world?
  • How much have you given to charity? (Money, time)

Are you making a difference for anyone but yourself?

📖 Resources

To dive deeper into this topic, see the associated topic page: 🎗 Contribution & Impact

🏠 Location & Tangibles

The best way to find out what we really need is to get rid of what we don't

Marie Kondo in The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

This section is about what you own and why. You should think carefully about whether you're overencumbered with 'stuff' or if you're a lightweight and mobile.

This section is structured around 3 topics:
  • 🏡 Home
  • 🧳 Mobility
  • 🛒 Stuff

How would you rate this Life Area on a scale from 1 to 7?

🏡 Home / What is your living situation at the moment?

  • Where do you live?
  • Do you buy or rent?
  • Are you happy with your home?

🧳 Mobility / Are you tied to one location?

  • Are you readily mobile?
  • How long would it take for you to move to a different place? A different country?
  • Is mobility something you value?

🛒 Stuff / Do you have what you need?

  • How much stuff do you own?
  • Is your life too cluttered?
  • Can you find any one thing that you own in 30 seconds or less?

Some people tabulate all their inventory to ensure they have fewer than 50/100/150/x items, but this is not the intention of this exercise. We like 'stuff' because it generates some sort of utility or 'sparks joy', but we should also be mindful of hoarding more than we need to the point where it becomes a mental burden. So don't open the spreadsheet, but do take a look around your house

📖 Resources

To dive deeper into this topic, see the associated topic page: 🏠 Location & Tangibles

💰 Finances & Money

Money may not lead to happiness, but having your house in order - knowing you can pay your bills and pay off your debt - certainly leads to ease of mind.

This section is structured around your:
  • 🔽 Expenditure
  • 🧨 Total debt
  • 🌱 Total assets & savings
    • Your sources of income will be dealt with in the section on Career & Work.
Prerequisites

How would you rate this Life Area on a scale from 1 to 7?

🔽 Expenditure / Do you know where your money goes?

  • How did you spend your money last year?
  • How does this square with how you wanted your spending to be?
  • Do you budget?
  • Are your finances organized?

🧨 Debt / Do you have any (unwanted) debt?

  • Do you have a plan to get rid of it?

🌱 Assets & savings / Do you have any assets & savings?

  • Do you have an emergency fund?
  • Have you started saving up for retirement?

📖 Resources

To dive deeper into this topic, see the associated topic page: 💰 Finances & Money

💼 Career & Work

This section is both for yout to evaluate your career as a source of income as well the value you derive from it or the emotional toll it has on you

This section is structured around x topics:
  • ⚙️ Work
  • 👔 Career
  • 🌼 Meaningfulness
  • ⚖️ Balance
Prerequisites

How would you rate this Life Area on a scale from 1 to 7?

⚙️ Work / What do you do for a living?

  • What are your sources of income? (If more than 1)
  • Were you unemployed or between jobs during the last year?

👔 Career / How is your career progressing?

  • Are you 'so good they can't ignore you'?

The above questions come from Cal Newport's book, "So Good They Can't Ignore You", and lean on the idea that you should work right rather than obsess about the right work

🌼 Meaningfulness / Malcolm Gladwell says there are 3 three things we need for work to be satisfying: 1) autonomy, 2) complexity, and 3) a connection between effort & reward. He adds, “Hard work is a prison sentence only if it does not have meaning.”

  • How do you feel your work today?
  • Do you find meaning in what you do for a living?

⚖️ Balance / Are you able to strike a balance between work and everything else in life?

  • Is your work stressful?
  • Or fun?

📖 Resources

To dive deeper into this topic, see the associated topic page: 🛠 Career & Work

💪 Health & Fitness

Your health is the foundation of doing well in all other areas of life. So this is the time to get honest with yourself: Did you do 100 burpees every and live off Icelandic yoghurt or was it more of a YouTube-well-into-the-night kind of vibe?

This Life Area is structured around the following sub-topics:
  • 🥑 Nutrition
  • 🏃‍♂️ Exercise
  • 💤 Sleep
  • 🤒 Sickness
Prerequisites

How would you rate this Life Area on a scale from 1 to 7?

🥑 Nutrition / What does your diet look like?

  • What would your typical breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack look like?
  • Do you follow a specific diet?
  • Do you often eat fast-food?

🏃‍♂️ Exercise / What is your exercise regime like?

  • How often do you exercise and what type?
  • Do you follow a program?
  • Have you had any positive results?

💤 Sleep / Are you getting enough quality sleep?

  • How much do you sleep on average?
  • Are you generally tired or alert?

🤒 Sickness / How often were you sick this year?

  • Is this more or less than you average number of sick days?
  • How much do you weigh?
  • What is your resting heart rate?
  • How have these numbers been trending?

📖 Resources

To dive deeper into this topic, see the associated topic page: 💪 Health & Fitness

📚 Education and Skill Development

Have you spent the past year re-watching Gossip Girl on Netflix or did you also find some time to pursue further education or skill development?

This section is structured around 3 topics:
  • 🎓 Education
  • 🔬 Skills
  • 📕 Reading

How would you rate this Life Area on a scale from 1 to 7?

🎓 Education / What is your education status?

  • What did you learn last year?
  • Did you spend time learning & developing your mind?
  • Did you complete any courses or certifications?

🔬 Skills / What are your talents and skills?

  • What talents and skills have you recently developed, or plan to develop?
  • Do you have a "skill stack"?

A skill - or talent - stack is a concept coinde by Scott Adams. In short, the idea is that the intersection of two skills can be highly valuable, even if you're not a world-class expert in either of the skills. Adams uses his own life as an example, where he has benefited from combining drawing, humor, and business acumen. What is your skill stack?

📕 Reading / What have you read in the past year?

  • Books?
  • Articles?
  • Essays?

📖 Resources

To dive deeper into this topic, see the associated topic page: 📚 Education & Skill Development

👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Social Life & Relationships

This is your opportunity to review your relationships of all types: Friends, family, and beyond.

This section is structured around 4 topics:
  • 👨‍👩‍👦 Family
  • ♥️ Partner
  • 👯 Friends
  • ☕️ Community

How would you rate this Life Area on a scale from 1 to 7?

💡 Pro-tip: Try out Wolfram Alpha's personal analytics tool for Facebook

👨‍👩‍👦 Family / How is your relationship with your family?

♥️ Partner / Are you and your partner aware of each other’s needs and desires?

  • Happy couples have a ratio of 5 positive interactions to every negative interaction. What is your ratio?

👯 Friends / Are you a good friend?

  • How many core friends do you have?
  • How large are your social circles?
  • Are you valued by your friends?

☕️ Community / Are you an active member of your community?

📖 Resources

To dive deeper into this topic, see the associated topic page:

🎭 Emotions & Mindfulness

Only that day dawns to which we are awake

Henry David Thoreau in Walden

Now it's time to reflect on your general feelings about life, the universe, and everything in it.

This section is structured around 3 topics:
  • 🤗 Emotions
  • 🌻 Gratitude
  • 🧘‍♀️ Mindfulness

How would you rate this Life Area on a scale from 1 to 7?

🤗 Emotions / How do you feel about your life?

  • What really excites you?
  • Are you an optimistic or pessimistic person?
  • Are you mostly positive or negative?
  • What in your life that you have the power to change is most limiting your long-term happiness?

🌻 Gratitude / What have you been grateful for in the past year?

  • Try to list as many items as possible
  • Big and small, anything goes

If you press pause for a moment, ask yourself if there is anything you take for granted: Appreciate the small things in life. Feels good, man.

🧘‍♀️ Mindfulness / Are you able to notice how your emotions influence your thoughts?

  • Do you have a regular mindfulness practice?

This doesn't have to be a strict hour-long meditation/Zen Archery routine. It could also be your gardening get-away or long walks on the beach - whatever you do that gives your head some space, even for just 10 minutes

Bonus question(s)

🦸‍♂️ Alter ego / Some entertainers adopt an alter ego when they have to perform as a psychological tool that helps people reason & see the situation from a slight distance. When have you used an alter ego to reduce anxiety & gain confidence?

📖 Resources

To dive deeper into this topic, see the associated topic page: 🎭 Emotions & Mindfulness

🤔 Character & Identity

Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.

Marcus Aurelius in his Meditations

There are a range of sliders below, each of which describe a specific trait of a person's character, but they're not intended to be exhaustive, nor even mutually exclusive. Use them as a starting off point for the free-text questions below.

The section is structured around the 3 topics:
  • 👍 Strengths
  • 👎 Weaknesses
  • 🆔 Identity

Rate each of the following aspects of your character on a scale from 1 to 7

👍 Strengths / What are your key strengths?

👎 Weaknesses / What are your weaknesses?

🆔 Identity / How would you describe your identity?

  • Is your identity "small"?

This is a term coined by Paul Graham in his essay "Keep Your Identity Small". In short, it's a question of how much you absorb into your identity. Saying "I’m not the kind of person who does things like that” is not an explanation, it’s a trap. It prevents nerds from working out and men from dancing

📖 Resources

To dive deeper into this topic, see the associated topic page: 🤔 Character & Identity

⏱ Productivity & Organization

The system is the solution

AT&T Bell Systems slogan

This area relates to the tools & methods you use to reach your goals in the other Life Areas. This is not because you must be a productivity pr0n zealot, but because it's healthy every now and then to take stock of your productivity toolbox.

This section is structured around 4 topics:
  • ☑️ Productivity
  • 📝 Organization
  • 🔂 Routines
Prerequisites

How would you rate this Life Area on a scale from 1 to 7?

☑️ Productivity / What productivity systems and tools do you use?

  • Are you busy due to a lack of priorities?
  • Are you doing any deep work?

In terms of tools, this could be digital note-taking tools (Evernote, OneNote, Bear), to-do lists (Todoist, Things), calendar apps project management systems (Asana, Trello), digital 'whips' (Pomodoro timers), self-discipline tools (Freedom, StayFocusd), tracking tools (RescueTime), and so on.

In terms of systems, you can think of this quite broadly, e.g. From Getting Things Done (GTD) and Kanban to Eisenhower matrices and Pomodoro techniques - or your own home-brewed set of flow charts

Deep work is a term coined by Cal Newport, which refers to work done during long, unbroken periods of concentration and is contrasted with shallow work, like responding to emails

📝Organization / Are you organized? What are my systems?

  • Is there too much complexity in your life?
  • Do you need to simplify?
  • Do you have a good workspace environment and setup?

🔂 Routines / What are your routines and rituals?

  • Do you have a morning routine? Evening routine?
  • How do you power down after a day of work?

What typical steps do you take in the morning to start your day? In the evening? How do you "power down" after work? Maybe you don't have any rituals carved in stone and maybe your behaviour varies wildly from day-to-day.

📖 Resources

To dive deeper into this topic, see the associated topic page: ⏱ Productivity & Organization

🎨 Adventure & Creativity

What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do

Tim Ferriss in The 4-Hour Workweek

This topic is for the adventures and creative outlets in your life - you shouldn't be trapped in a eat-sleep-work-repeat cycle, if you have the privilege of breaking free.

This section is structured around 3 topics:
  • 🏔 Adventure
  • 👩‍🎨 Creativity
  • 🎈 Fun
Prerequisites

How would you rate this Life Area on a scale from 1 to 7?

🏔 Adventure / Am you experiencing what you want to experience in life?

  • What adventure did you go on last year?

👩‍🎨 Creativity / What are your creative outlets?

🎈 Fun / What do you do for fun?

  • What are your hobbies?
  • What fun things have you recently done?

Bonus question

None of us are ever really bored anymore. Anytime you have a small window where your heart rate isn't spiking, you open your phone for a dopamine hit. Boredom can actually enable creativity by allowing the mind to wander & daydream. When is the last time you felt bored?

📖 Resources

To dive deeper into this topic, see the associated topic page: 🎨 Adventure & Creativity

⬅ Back to introduction (Step 0) Proceed to Planning phase (Step 2) ➡