Five Ways to Close Out, Reflect, & Walk Into 2023

By Marly DiFruscio

Brian Tracy, an International speaker, author, and productivity expert, states, "Every minute spent in planning saves as many as ten minutes in execution."

The need to close out chapters in your life

Sometimes we need to set aside time to reflect on the past. Yet it's important to do so consistently, and what better way than to give yourself an annual internal review? This way, you know when to do it, and you're going to keep yourself honest and make sure to take the time to be mindful and reflect in the process.

You want to reflect on the year and see where you had your victories and where there were some areas for improvement. It's not necessary to be separating your work life from your personal life but to find the necessary balance between the two options.

When you're able to give yourself an honest review followed by critical feedback, you can then begin to take the time to plan out the new year. It's not about making New Year's resolutions to 'be healthy' but tackling the core issues that may be a source of stress or anxiety. Are you where you want to be career-wise, salary-wise, or even relationship-wise? Take those thoughts and plan out your 2023 priorities.

Five Key Ways You Can Learn to Reflect and Begin Planning

Photo prompts from cloud storage and social media memories

Social media can become our visual record keeper. It may have already been sending you regular updates of historical milestones or key times in your life. Look back at these moments and memories.

Were you happy during these moments? If not, what was the underlying issue? What would you want to change about those less-than-positive moments, as well as what do you want to keep going into the next year? These memories should trigger a list of these types of questions that are meant as a way to ask yourself if you're headed down the right path or if there are areas to work on.

Schedule time on a regular basis

Now that you're ready to work on building healthy habits and have decided to do this annual review, you also want to have shorter intermittent check-ins to continue resuming the right path. Whether you choose to do this on a weekly or monthly basis, make sure that this is your time. Don't plan anything else around it, and avoid distractions that kill your focus. These scheduled times are for you to give yourself that alignment check.

What do you need to eliminate from your life? Is your work fulfilling, or are you taking on the roles and responsibilities of leadership? This internal reflection works so well because you're in a judgment-free zone and only have to answer to yourself. Then, you can adjust how you're proceeding and work on what you want to get into. For example, you may want to get leadership training or train yourself with a new job-critical skill set. By checking in, you'll get the motivation to build yourself up.

Morning or evening reflections for daily routines

Regardless, it would help if you had a daily reflection. It's not a major review or a check-in, but it's more about what needs to be accomplished for the day if you do it in the morning or if you have accomplished what you need to if done in the evening. So keep to the same time every day, and always ask yourself how you can do better. This always gives you the strength to not repeat a day with any shortcomings.

Go on a retreat (a day, multiple days, a week, etc.)

Our day-to-day can be quite distracting, and even if we find ourselves scheduling certain moments to ourselves, we may still find ourselves missing appointments and building up excuses about getting to it eventually. That's why it's key to get away periodically from time to time. Dedicate your next holiday time to a retreat away from the grumblings of the day-to-day and the distractions that can come from the workplace. This disconnect will help you focus on your values and goals and what is needed to achieve them with a clear mind.

Accountability partner, group, or coach for reflection

Don't go it alone. After all, when you're looking to grow your leadership, it's going to have to start somewhere. You should find like-minded individuals and work together to ensure accountability and motivation. You'll quickly notice that positive energy is compounding and keep the mix between partners, friends, or coworkers. Also, take the time to hire an executive coach to take your reflection to the next level.

In the end

If you make the effort to work on yourself, it will be much easier to have the necessary skills to instill confidence in those you lead. They will feel your energy and know whether you're a chaotic mess going with the flow or someone who takes the time to properly reflect and close out topics while always planning for the future.