(Edit this as a note in Amplenote) |
linkWelcome to your annual review!
Use this template at any point throughout the year to review the previous 12 months and plan the next 12. For the best experience, edit this note in Amplenote's web app.
👉 This is a Rich Footnote 👈 Click on it to view what's inside.
Set aside 2 hours of calm and honest reflection.
We're working with 3 core guiding principles.
The prompt | Your answer |
What was the "theme" of the past 12 months if you had to pick one? | 2025 was the year of setbacks as growth and I'm at peace with that 😌 |
What were the biggest sources of stress? | |
What brought you the most joy? | |
What did you spend too much time on? | |
What did you spend too little time on? | |
What did you learn from the past 12 months? | |
Who were the most impactful people from the past 12 months? |
What is the task list for the next 12 months? To create a task use the button in the toolbar.
New daily affirmation to read in 2026: "sometimes you need to fail upwards"
Thing | Quantity |
Books read | 14 |
What is the task list for the next 12 months?
I should read 15 books next year
I got a new job 🎉 | I am now working on something closer to my heart, and every day feels less exhausting because of it. |
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For every answer in the table, think what was the good system, tool or routine responsible for it?
I set a reminder to apply to jobs once a week for 90 minutes. Daunting, but it paid off and it didn't burn me out.
Didn't finish writing the sixth book in my series even though it's been long overdue | It was disappointing because I failed despite my best hopes to finish it. However, I really believe next year I can show up for this. |
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For every answer in the table, think what was the bad or missing system, tool or routine responsible for it?
I didn't respect my writing time and always got interrupted by shallow tasks. Next year I have to be more strict about deep focus work sessions, setting 30-minute timers and turning all notifications off.
The thing | Why is it important? |
Quit smoking | It will improve my physical fitness and allow me to enjoy my favorite sport more. |
What is the task list for the next 12 months?
Don't smoke, every day.
If you break the streak, that's fine, just resume it the next day as if nothing happened.
The thing | Why is it exciting? |
I can't wait to buy a new mountain bike and start cycling again | It's always been the most fun way to do cardio and I couldn't do it this year. |
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What is the task list for the next 12 months?
Research mountain bikes
The thing | Why is it urgent? |
Finish writing the sixth volume of my book | I have been procrastinating for years now, and the more I postpone it, the bigger the imaginary standard I will feel I have to live up to. |
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What is the task list for the next 12 months?
✍️ Write 3 times per week, 2 hours focused work block
At the bare minimum, on a bad week please write 20min/week.
Now let's put everything together. All of the tasks you created in this note we will now organize into the 3 main types of commitments:
TASKS = standalone actionable things
Inasmuch as it is possible, we want most of our wishes and goals for next year to be translated into one of these 3 things. This makes sure that we don't just set "goals", we also implement "systems" to achieve those goals. If something doesn't fit in these 3 categories, we put it in a note called "VALUES":
VALUES = anything else to keep in mind for the next 12 months that is not a task, a project or a habit; examples
Ctrl-ClickorCmd-Clickon each of the links below to create a note for every type of commitment:
Great job so far! With "reflection" and "perspective" taken care of, you might already feel more calm and more control. More at peace with closing the past year, more enthusiastic about the next.
Now you can stop here, or you can take a break and then continue with the final phase: planning. Spoiler: we will get a bit more rigorous this time around and make sure we are setting up systems, not just new year's resolutions.
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