It's December, and the end of the year is coming up fast!

Many of us would benefit from reflecting on the year we just had, but it can be daunting to carve out the time and space to do it.

If you’re thinking, “I don’t have time to reflect…” you are likely imagining that you need a long period of time for a meaningful reflection. After all, a year is a long time, so wouldn’t you need a long time to reflect on it? 

While an in-depth approach to reflection is still useful, small moments of reflection are still incredibly valuable — we practice this all the time at the beginning of Wake-Up Calls and Community Sessions! 🙂 

In terms of when to reflect, that’s really up to you. Maybe you’d like to give yourself time to get grounded before the holidays ramp up. Maybe you find that you prefer to reflect in January after the holiday season winds down.

There is no right or wrong here, just find what works for you. When you are ready to reflect, we hope the tools from this week will support you!

To kick things off, here are 3 reflections that can be done in under 10 minutes:

⚡️ List 3 achievements or positive changes you've noticed in yourself this year.

⚡️ Identify 1-3 new things that came into your life this year that you are grateful for.

⚡️ What are 5 adjectives that describe your year?

Fun and Accessible Ways to Reflect

Let's talk about fun and creative ways to reflect on your year.

Journaling is a really popular way to reflect on your year. You can write whatever comes to mind (stream of consciousness) or try guided journaling with prompts. You can write by hand, type on the computer, journal with your phone, or even talk out loud (also known as audio journaling).

During a mindfulness activity, such as yoga, meditation, or walking can be a great time to reflect. Again you could do this on your own or find guided activities online!

You can also make reflection into a creative project using visuals, music, and more! One example is to make a 2024 highlight reel from some of your favorite photos on your phone.

You can also reflect with other people. Try reflecting on the year with a loved one, for example. Take turns asking each other questions to invite a new perspective — and learn more about each other’s years along the way.

3 Creative Reflection Ideas

📷 Make a 2024 highlight reel from your photos

🎶 Make a playlist of songs that describe 2024

🖼️ Draw a picture that represents an important moment 

First Successes, Then Challenges

Here at Focused Space, we often talk about celebrating our successes first.

Here are some science-backed reasons for why celebrating our successes first is important:

Our brains are wired to focus on what did not go well (a phenomenon called negativity bias), so when we are thinking about our year, we may find ourselves reflecting on what felt disappointing and challenging. 

Being intentional about celebrating our successes allows us to paint a more realistic picture of how our year actually went. 

The more detailed we can be about our successes, the more we can combat negativity bias! This is because the more attention we give to a stimulus or experience, the higher the likelihood that we’ll commit it to memory.

Taking the time to savor all the wonderful details of our wins can also support us in looking at our challenges with a growth mindset, kindness, and self-compassion.

Process Over Outcomes

You may have wanted to reach certain outcomes this year, like finishing a project or hitting a financial milestone. 

While it can be helpful to strive for a specific outcome, reflecting on the process creates an opportunity to expand beyond the typical binary of “Yes, I accomplished the goal” or “No, I did not accomplish the goal.” In this larger view, you can appreciate what steps you HAVE taken that are aligned with those outcomes. 

It is also an opportunity to reflect on HOW you were able to take those steps. You can ask questions like, “What strengths did I have to make this happen?” or “Who or what supported me in this process?”

This can also be a great opportunity to bring awareness to the barriers that impacted your journey. You can ask questions like, “What got in the way of making progress?”

Identifying the specific obstacles, habits, or challenges that prevented you from fully achieving your goals will help you plan more effectively going forward, as you can brainstorm practical solutions for the future.

Announcing… Kickstart the New Year 2025! 🪩

This week's theme has been all about lightweight, simple, and fun ways to reflect on the year we just had.

We’re going to wrap up this week by announcing our member-favorite workshop coming this January: “Kickstart the New Year 2025” hosted by Suliel! 

We’ll be offering this special workshop two times next month, and it will come with an exclusive guided reflection booklet.

You’ll reflect on the year you just had in a bit more depth, set some goals for the year ahead, and make a plan for what kind of support you’ll need — from us and from others in your life — to get there

Stay tuned for sign-up details during the first week in January!

If you are a member of Focused Space, I hope to see you around some of our sessions this week, and if not, come join us at one of our free Weekly Planning Sessions!

— Kaila, focused space host