It’s the end of the year, so you know what that means – it’s reflection time!
I love the Christmas shutdown period because, for me, it’s the only time in the year where I get time off and no pressure. Nobody else is working, so I know there’s not going to be new fires when I’m back at my desk!
Even if you don’t have a Christmas shutdown, or you’re working through the holidays, I think the end of the year is still the perfect time for a bit of a slow down to reflect on the year that was. Today, I’m going to share 5 prompts for you to think about – write them in your journal, in Notion, your Notes app, or wherever you like! – and take some time to really settle into the end of the year. We’ll come back to them in January when we’re ready to start gearing up for 2026.
☁️ 5 end-of-year reflection prompts
🔥 When did you feel the most accomplished this year?
What were your big wins this year? Did you ship a massive project, save a key customer from churning, or present in front of the whole company?
What about those wins make you feel most proud? What were the factors that made it possible? (eg. your teammates’ support, autonomy you were given, opportunities that were available)
💪 When did your work feel the most natural or energising?
This is about your flow state – what in your everyday gets you “in the zone”? (eg. long uninterrupted coding time, whiteboarding sessions with your team, sketching) What’s similar about the kind of work that gets you into a flow state?
🎯 What stretched you the most?
What were your biggest challenges this year? What did you have to overcome, learn, or be brave for in order to grow and address them? What made these challenges good and worth it instead of just stressful?
🤸 What did you try for the first time?
What was different this year? Did you take on new responsibilities, try new tools, experiment with new ways of working, or something else? What did you learn about yourself? What did you end up enjoying and what didn’t work for you?
🏆 What kept showing up as rewarding?
What are the things that keep you feeling satisfied in your job? (eg. pairing with someone and watching them “get it,” presenting work to stakeholders that gets them excited, getting a thank you note from a customer) Why do those things make you feel satisfied?
Take care of yourself this holiday season!
I recommend setting aside a comfortable 30 minutes to think about these prompts. It’s easy to get caught up in the most recent problems at work, but when you reflect on the whole year, you can really see how much you grew and what you found rewarding.
Have a great break, whether you’re just taking the public holidays or a few weeks! 🎄 I’ll see you in the new year.
PS. Thanks for understanding our surprise 2-week pause! Just needed a bit of time off.
PPS. We’re moving our post days to Fridays.
