I've used this annual planning/reflection doc every year and have found it a refreshing way to put my life into perspective and reset for a new year. Hoping you find this useful too.
Writing things down is very helpful, but the real benefit is introspecting at the end of the year. You have a record of what you hoped to do, and know what you did, and can think about what worked and what didn't.
In my case, the contrast between what I thought I could do and what I actually could couldn't have been starker.
I would challenge the author of this document to try and get this down to 10 pages or preferably less. I’ve had a skim through and I’m not convinced this needs to be a 22 page document. The longer and more involved these planning systems are, the more I think they verge into procrastination territory.
Or even a different presentation method. A quick checklist of the actual process that is two pages long at most at the start of the document, and then a reasoning and details section if people want the deep dive.
I agree. I also think the list can be pared down from what I see so far, such as in "Values and purpose" it lists: "What are my fundamental values?" and "What do I truly value?"
These are pretty much the same question. I think three per section would be a good max, 12 is already a lot of categories.
Overall this seems pretty cool though, I'm going to skim through it.
I disagree. If you actually go through the document, everything of value is well laid out and lets you skim. It would have been much harder to skim and many procrastinators would just skip even reading the 2 pages.
On the other hand, a 2 page thing in addition would be a good summary which anyone can make rather than challenging the author.
Mine is: for most things if status quo is fine, then let things play out. Figure out one or two areas where you need to course correct and invest energy in that.
Find as much time as possible for leisure, and don’t feel guilty about it.
My main advice is feel free to skip questions or entire sections, it's okay to let some things be "status quo".
Also I don't like YOLO questions ("what if you had a year to live") they're usually orthogonal to your actual plans and values.
It is important to note how much time you think you have left with your loved ones, your career, your schooling, etc. and take that into account when deciding how to spend your precious tie.
EDIT: I will add, just typing out that I will be 98 in 2080 is a cheap thrill all by itself.
Sometimes, it's hard to see all the ways we can improve on our own. That's why it can be helpful to ask someone we trust, like a friend, a teacher, a partner or a mentor for their opinion. They might see things that we don't.
Knowing what we should work on isn't enough. We have to actually try to get better. This can mean making new habits, asking for help from others, and trying new things that are challenging but rewarding.
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[ 2.6 ms ] story [ 84.6 ms ] threadAlternate download link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2PaeRjVqAN7MngxTXFPQkpLVj...
Spreadsheet for filling in: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1f5y9YjbOB5ixeQHFyUEp...
Plain Text: https://pastebin.com/raw/V7FaFS0Q
Past Submission: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249796
Writing things down is very helpful, but the real benefit is introspecting at the end of the year. You have a record of what you hoped to do, and know what you did, and can think about what worked and what didn't.
In my case, the contrast between what I thought I could do and what I actually could couldn't have been starker.
It's actually NoMoNoMoVember.
(December 1 is also correspondingly a myth, of course, and is in fact NoMoVember.)
Or even a different presentation method. A quick checklist of the actual process that is two pages long at most at the start of the document, and then a reasoning and details section if people want the deep dive.
These are pretty much the same question. I think three per section would be a good max, 12 is already a lot of categories.
Overall this seems pretty cool though, I'm going to skim through it.
On the other hand, a 2 page thing in addition would be a good summary which anyone can make rather than challenging the author.
Do most people even truly reflect on themselves, or do they lead lives of quiet desperation, the stereotyped unconscious despair?
Any thing that encourages introspection is good in my book.
On the side note, I've noticed that the best and most actionable productivity articles made their way here in January every year.
Makes me that much more excited about January.
Find as much time as possible for leisure, and don’t feel guilty about it.
We're talking a year.
For completeness:
1 year
12 months
52.18 weeks
365.24 days
8,765.81 hours
525,948.77 minutes
3,1556,926 seconds
250 working days
2,000 working hours
Also I don't like YOLO questions ("what if you had a year to live") they're usually orthogonal to your actual plans and values.
It is important to note how much time you think you have left with your loved ones, your career, your schooling, etc. and take that into account when deciding how to spend your precious tie.
EDIT: I will add, just typing out that I will be 98 in 2080 is a cheap thrill all by itself.
Knowing what we should work on isn't enough. We have to actually try to get better. This can mean making new habits, asking for help from others, and trying new things that are challenging but rewarding.