Don't make these 15 mistakes when summarising your year in review
How do you recognise them and fix them?
I love Oprah Winfrey's phrase:
Taking stock is a moment to thank the past and welcome the future
- Oprah Winfrey.
It would seem like nothing complicated. But then why do so many people not even want to do it?
❓ ‘I don't need to take stock!’
❓ ‘I don't see the point!’
❓ ‘What's in it for me?’
The answer is simple: either you've never done it right, or you've done it in such a way that the results bring no joy.
No wonder summarising seems like a waste of time.
I love Oprah Winfrey's phrase:
Taking stock is a moment to thank the past and welcome the future
- Oprah Winfrey.
It would seem like nothing complicated. But then why do so many people not even want to do it?
❓ ‘I don't need to take stock!’
❓ ‘I don't see the point!’
❓ ‘What's in it for me?’
The answer is simple: either you've never done it right, or you've done it in such a way that the results bring no joy.
No wonder summarising seems like a waste of time.
But if you summarise properly, it will become a favourite habit! You will feel a burst of energy, clarity, confidence, and most importantly - the desire to move on.
Let's look at the mistakes we make most often so we know how to avoid them.
There are two typical approaches to summarising:
- Not summarising.
- I do, but it does not give results, does not bring joy and satisfaction.
First approach: I don't summarise the results of the year.
Let's look at the mistakes we make most often so we know how to avoid them.
There are two typical approaches to summarising:
- Not summarising.
- I do, but it does not give results, does not bring joy and satisfaction.
First approach: I don't summarise the results of the year.
Mistake 1.
Ostrich strategy: head in the sand
Reason: We are afraid of disappointment. What if the year didn't go the way we wanted it to? Why rake up the past when you can just forget it?
Harmful consequences: Instead of realising successes, you just keep running on autopilot.
Solution: Taking stock isn't about mistakes, it's about gratitude. Even in a difficult year, there were important accomplishments. Give yourself a chance to see them.
Ostrich strategy: head in the sand
Reason: We are afraid of disappointment. What if the year didn't go the way we wanted it to? Why rake up the past when you can just forget it?
Harmful consequences: Instead of realising successes, you just keep running on autopilot.
Solution: Taking stock isn't about mistakes, it's about gratitude. Even in a difficult year, there were important accomplishments. Give yourself a chance to see them.
Mistake 2. ‘It's useless!’
Reason: It seems like taking stock is a waste of time. "Why waste time? Well, there was a year and that's fine. Better to think about the future!"
Harmful consequences: Without analysing the past, you take the same chaos and unresolved tasks into the new year.
Solution: Outcomes are your compass. They show you where you've been so you know where you want to go.
Mistake 3. ‘I don't have time.’
Reason: December is a marathon of to-do's, gifts, and meetings. There seems to be no time left for yourself. This is how the ‘fussy runner’ type, who always has no time, usually behaves, I wrote about him in this article: https://vc.ru/1703875.
Harmful consequences: The year ends with hustle and bustle rather than mindfulness.
Solution: Find at least 15 minutes a day. Even a short analysis will give you more than endless running around.
Mistake 4. ‘Knowing but not doing.’
Reason: Knowledge is one thing, but action is another. Even if you understand how to do it, you just ‘don't have time’ or are ‘lazy’.
Harmful Consequences: Knowledge remains theory and you keep moving without focus.
Solution: Debriefing in a group or with a mentor helps keep you on track and bring the process to completion.
Mistake 5. Taking stock only in work
Reason: In business, debriefing is standard practice. In personal life, however, it seems unnecessary.
Harmful consequences: You lose the balance between professional and personal.
Solution: Personal outcomes are not about numbers, but about feelings. Being aware of your emotions gives you strength and energy.
Mistake 6. Summarising only for yourself
Reason: You take stock alone without discussing it with your loved ones.
Harmful Consequences: You miss important points that others see.
Solution: Discuss your summarising with your family. This creates support and helps you see your year from a different angle.
Second approach: Taking stock, but it doesn't bring joy or satisfaction.
Reason: It seems like taking stock is a waste of time. "Why waste time? Well, there was a year and that's fine. Better to think about the future!"
Harmful consequences: Without analysing the past, you take the same chaos and unresolved tasks into the new year.
Solution: Outcomes are your compass. They show you where you've been so you know where you want to go.
Mistake 3. ‘I don't have time.’
Reason: December is a marathon of to-do's, gifts, and meetings. There seems to be no time left for yourself. This is how the ‘fussy runner’ type, who always has no time, usually behaves, I wrote about him in this article: https://vc.ru/1703875.
Harmful consequences: The year ends with hustle and bustle rather than mindfulness.
Solution: Find at least 15 minutes a day. Even a short analysis will give you more than endless running around.
Mistake 4. ‘Knowing but not doing.’
Reason: Knowledge is one thing, but action is another. Even if you understand how to do it, you just ‘don't have time’ or are ‘lazy’.
Harmful Consequences: Knowledge remains theory and you keep moving without focus.
Solution: Debriefing in a group or with a mentor helps keep you on track and bring the process to completion.
Mistake 5. Taking stock only in work
Reason: In business, debriefing is standard practice. In personal life, however, it seems unnecessary.
Harmful consequences: You lose the balance between professional and personal.
Solution: Personal outcomes are not about numbers, but about feelings. Being aware of your emotions gives you strength and energy.
Mistake 6. Summarising only for yourself
Reason: You take stock alone without discussing it with your loved ones.
Harmful Consequences: You miss important points that others see.
Solution: Discuss your summarising with your family. This creates support and helps you see your year from a different angle.
Second approach: Taking stock, but it doesn't bring joy or satisfaction.
Mistake 7. Business approach
Cause: The habit of counting successes with numbers and metrics.
Harmful consequences: This approach doesn't work in personal life, because emotions and meanings can't be digitised.
Solution: Include soft parameters: joy, satisfaction, calmness. They are more important than KPIs.
Mistake 8. Totals from your head
Reason: You don't write down the outcomes, you just think about them in your head.
Harmful consequences: Thoughts run in circles, conclusions are not drawn, and a plan does not emerge.
Solution: Write down the outcomes. Even short notes will help you structure your thoughts.
Cause: The habit of counting successes with numbers and metrics.
Harmful consequences: This approach doesn't work in personal life, because emotions and meanings can't be digitised.
Solution: Include soft parameters: joy, satisfaction, calmness. They are more important than KPIs.
Mistake 8. Totals from your head
Reason: You don't write down the outcomes, you just think about them in your head.
Harmful consequences: Thoughts run in circles, conclusions are not drawn, and a plan does not emerge.
Solution: Write down the outcomes. Even short notes will help you structure your thoughts.
Mistake 9. Chaotic
Cause: A little thought about work, a little about family, but the full picture never emerged.
Harmful Consequences: The outcomes are disjointed, and they don't provide a clear understanding.
Solution: Use structure. For example, divide the year into areas: work, health, relationships, leisure.
Mistake 10. No life strategy
Reason: The key mistake most people make is that he has no life strategy, no document by which he can analyse the year and every month of his life.
He has nothing to look at, he has no life strategy, so summarising his life is pointless, he can't remember what he planned.
If a person has not written down his plans, then summarising is meaningless. You don't know what to compare it to.
Harmful consequences: The new year starts with the same mistakes.
Solution: Form a life strategy. It's like a map to help you stay on track.
We at our Life Strategy programme take stock of life carefully, we have a yearly plan and a plan for each month.
We go back to it monthly and see some recurring mistakes, what again we haven't done, we suddenly realise the barriers that are preventing us from moving forward. We strip away the unnecessary so we can focus on what's important.
Working with a life strategy allows us to be honest with ourselves. Having to really face the truth, no matter how disgusting it may be. And that leads to breakthroughs.
Create your life strategy
https://lumeanaries.com/lifestrategy
Mistake 11. Totals in January
Harmful consequences: No. You don't sit down. You're back to cutting salads, or allowing yourself to relax or having interesting adventures with friends. And the year-end results and plans are put on hold, indefinitely.Solution: I strongly recommend summarising in December to have time to finish things and remove unnecessary things from your life: fuss, unpleasant duties and everything that is annoying and annoying.
And then you will have time and energy for plans to start the New Year with ease. If there's an ‘unfinished hanger-on’ type among your acquaintances who has a hard time wrapping things up, they'll be grateful for a marathon!
Mistake 12. Criticism instead of gratitude
Reason: You only see your mistakes and devalue your successes. Does our ‘Critical Perfectionist’ type recognise themselves yet?
Harmful Consequences: Feelings of guilt and dissatisfaction.
Solution: Find at least three accomplishments you're proud of and praise yourself for them. In a group at a marathon, you have the opportunity to compare your results with other participants and find a reason to be proud of yourself.
The reason is simple: when you analyse your achievements alone, it is tempting to compare yourself to the best at everything. But you can't be the best at everything! And in a group, there is always room for admiring each other and sharing your experiences.
Mistake 13. Not re-evaluating values
Reason: You only evaluate the results and not how they have affected your life. We only evaluate the external parameter, and we don't look into the values we have gathered during this year. Harmful Consequences: The outcomes feel empty, you don't realise their significance.
Solution: Ask yourself: "What has this year given me as a person? What values have I gained?’. On my marathon we focus on analysing meaningful, deep results. Therefore, I strongly recommend you to come and summarise your results in the right way with the analysis of values.
Mistake 14. No ritual
Cause: Outcomes are put off because there is no habit or ritual for summarising them.
Harmful consequences: The whole process feels complicated and unnecessary.
Solution: Create your own ritual. For example, a cup of coffee, a candle, warm music and a notebook.
Mistake 15. Autopilot
Cause: Asking yourself the same standard questions: ‘What did I do?’, ‘What did I miss?’. It's like driving in a vicious circle: same routes, same thoughts, same results.
Harmful consequences: Outcomes become mechanical, without emotion or meaning. This causes inertia and prevents you from seeing the main thing.
Inertia is the main enemy of change. It makes us look back with resentment and forward with doubt. Year-end results become a drudgery instead of an inspiration.
Solution: To remove the inertia of thinking, switch on your imagination. My author's methodology is based on working with images. I suggest stopping and asking yourself:
- What inside you gives you energy and light? - How do you shine your light to the world, and why is that important?
The image of the light is what helps to remove inertia.
Learn more about the uniqueness of the concept of light in the video⬇
Cause: A little thought about work, a little about family, but the full picture never emerged.
Harmful Consequences: The outcomes are disjointed, and they don't provide a clear understanding.
Solution: Use structure. For example, divide the year into areas: work, health, relationships, leisure.
Mistake 10. No life strategy
Reason: The key mistake most people make is that he has no life strategy, no document by which he can analyse the year and every month of his life.
He has nothing to look at, he has no life strategy, so summarising his life is pointless, he can't remember what he planned.
If a person has not written down his plans, then summarising is meaningless. You don't know what to compare it to.
Harmful consequences: The new year starts with the same mistakes.
Solution: Form a life strategy. It's like a map to help you stay on track.
We at our Life Strategy programme take stock of life carefully, we have a yearly plan and a plan for each month.
We go back to it monthly and see some recurring mistakes, what again we haven't done, we suddenly realise the barriers that are preventing us from moving forward. We strip away the unnecessary so we can focus on what's important.
Working with a life strategy allows us to be honest with ourselves. Having to really face the truth, no matter how disgusting it may be. And that leads to breakthroughs.
Create your life strategy
https://lumeanaries.com/lifestrategy
Mistake 11. Totals in January
Harmful consequences: No. You don't sit down. You're back to cutting salads, or allowing yourself to relax or having interesting adventures with friends. And the year-end results and plans are put on hold, indefinitely.Solution: I strongly recommend summarising in December to have time to finish things and remove unnecessary things from your life: fuss, unpleasant duties and everything that is annoying and annoying.
And then you will have time and energy for plans to start the New Year with ease. If there's an ‘unfinished hanger-on’ type among your acquaintances who has a hard time wrapping things up, they'll be grateful for a marathon!
Mistake 12. Criticism instead of gratitude
Reason: You only see your mistakes and devalue your successes. Does our ‘Critical Perfectionist’ type recognise themselves yet?
Harmful Consequences: Feelings of guilt and dissatisfaction.
Solution: Find at least three accomplishments you're proud of and praise yourself for them. In a group at a marathon, you have the opportunity to compare your results with other participants and find a reason to be proud of yourself.
The reason is simple: when you analyse your achievements alone, it is tempting to compare yourself to the best at everything. But you can't be the best at everything! And in a group, there is always room for admiring each other and sharing your experiences.
Mistake 13. Not re-evaluating values
Reason: You only evaluate the results and not how they have affected your life. We only evaluate the external parameter, and we don't look into the values we have gathered during this year. Harmful Consequences: The outcomes feel empty, you don't realise their significance.
Solution: Ask yourself: "What has this year given me as a person? What values have I gained?’. On my marathon we focus on analysing meaningful, deep results. Therefore, I strongly recommend you to come and summarise your results in the right way with the analysis of values.
Mistake 14. No ritual
Cause: Outcomes are put off because there is no habit or ritual for summarising them.
Harmful consequences: The whole process feels complicated and unnecessary.
Solution: Create your own ritual. For example, a cup of coffee, a candle, warm music and a notebook.
Mistake 15. Autopilot
Cause: Asking yourself the same standard questions: ‘What did I do?’, ‘What did I miss?’. It's like driving in a vicious circle: same routes, same thoughts, same results.
Harmful consequences: Outcomes become mechanical, without emotion or meaning. This causes inertia and prevents you from seeing the main thing.
Inertia is the main enemy of change. It makes us look back with resentment and forward with doubt. Year-end results become a drudgery instead of an inspiration.
Solution: To remove the inertia of thinking, switch on your imagination. My author's methodology is based on working with images. I suggest stopping and asking yourself:
- What inside you gives you energy and light? - How do you shine your light to the world, and why is that important?
The image of the light is what helps to remove inertia.
Learn more about the uniqueness of the concept of light in the video⬇
Imagine: your lamp lights up inside you, fuelled by your energy, your meanings, your achievements. The brighter it burns, the more you illuminate not only your path, but also the lives of others.
To take stock in the right way and get joy and fulfilment, come to my Harvest marathon and take stock will fill you with gratitude and strength to move forward.
Register for the marathon here
https://lumeanaries.com/marathonn
To take stock in the right way and get joy and fulfilment, come to my Harvest marathon and take stock will fill you with gratitude and strength to move forward.
Register for the marathon here
https://lumeanaries.com/marathonn
I create a system of services that help people discover and realise their potential through the meaning of life, higher values and mission. For 11 years now, in December I have been summarising the year, harvesting the harvest. I hold marathons, because it's more fun together. Like-minded people help to keep focus and find more facets, because we see ourselves in each other like in a mirror.
Join us!
Harvest Year End Marathon: https://lumeanaries.com/marathonn.
Create yourLife Strategy for the year: https://lumeanaries.com/lifestrategy.
Subscribe on social media:
Telegram: @on_meanings: https://t.me/on_meanings
Instagram: @natalii.eremina: https://www.instagram.com/natalii.eremina
YouTube: @LuMEANaries: https://youtube.com/@LuMEANaries
Harvest Year End Marathon: https://lumeanaries.com/marathonn.
Create yourLife Strategy for the year: https://lumeanaries.com/lifestrategy.
Subscribe on social media:
Telegram: @on_meanings: https://t.me/on_meanings
Instagram: @natalii.eremina: https://www.instagram.com/natalii.eremina
YouTube: @LuMEANaries: https://youtube.com/@LuMEANaries
Natya Yeremina