Annual recalibration: 2023 edition

looking back to propel forward

Muir Woods — November 2023

With Thanksgiving behind us and gratitudes alive in us, I'm excited to share one of my favorite rituals that I don't typically kick off until mid-December: my annual recalibration. I'm starting earlier this year to give myself (and perhaps you) more time to reflect on how the year has unfolded. In the past, two weeks didn’t quite feel enough as my review ran into the holidays and conflicted with my desire to unplug. This year, the intention is to start earlier and make more space to connect disparate strands of ideas and feelings in ways that we couldn’t have connected day to day.

The purpose of this process has evolved quite a bit over the years. In my early 20s, it began as a cursory review of the highlights at the end of each year, focused more on planning for the year ahead than retrospecting. I then bucketed life into various categories — career, health, relationship, friendships, side projects, travel, finances — and created goals within each category.

This early iteration of my annual recalibration made the “big” years more rewarding to reflect on — the years where I checked off bucket list items like traveling to a new country, running my first marathon, getting promoted, moving to a new city, etc. The more novel, the better. In contrast, the years that were centered around laying the groundwork for a new phase of life felt anticlimactic. No external progress to celebrate or checked boxes to show for.

For so long, my measure of a year well lived was anchored to career success and jet setting across the world. Deep down, I didn’t know what I desired or valued so it was easy to slide into chasing thrill and glory in pursuit of curating an impressive highlight reel.

In 2020, this all changed. 2019 was epic by all measures: a cross-country move, a new job, three international trips, and my first international marathon. It was hard to “top” especially when the following year brought a global lockdown.

As a result of a gloomy and unpredictable outer world, I turned towards my inner world, restarting a daily meditation practice and picking up morning journaling. I sought joy in the tiniest moments — ones that didn’t make it onto bucket lists, but kept me grounded throughout 2020. This approach set the foundation of the current iteration of my annual review, shifting my focus from external validation to inner fulfillment. The more I've turned inward, the clearer it is just how meaningful life becomes when we're driven by our inner world over material things.

Sure, the goals and bucket lists still matter. But more important than setting goals is defining who we aspire to become. If we don’t have a clear sense of the person we want to grow into, how can we know what we want over the long term? Goal setting keeps us skating at the surface of what we think we want. The true change happens at the identity level. When I traded goal setting for identity aligning, I began to see massive shifts in my life — some of which brought me here: writing this newsletter.

This year, after lots of introspection, experimentation, and integration, it feels particularly special to enter December and zoom out to see how all the pieces have come together. I've shaken up my life in big ways, overcome deeply ingrained limiting beliefs, and met myself in new ways. Join me as I slow down to reflect on how life has played out over the last 365 days and revisit moments that have escaped me.

I’m sharing the six-step template I use to guide my December review process.

• Step 1: excavate ⛏️

• Step 2: reflect 🪞

• Step 3: gratitudes 🫶

• Step 4: identity alignment 🎭

• Step 5: goal mapping 🗺️

• Step 6: dear 2024 me 💌

If you’re looking for more ideas, check out the collection of annual reviews linked below that have inspired me along the way.

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step 1: excavate ⛏️

Collect all your memories, experiences, ideas, and feelings throughout 2023. Put the puzzle pieces together to build a complete view of your year.

1. Review artifacts from the past year (journal entries, reviews, calendar, health logs, photos, social posts)

2. Take notes on notable moments and experiences

3. Take freeform notes on recurring themes, ideas, and feelings

4. Consolidate and bucket notes into categories

step 2: reflect 🪞

Reflection is the heart of an annual recalibration. Take time to retrace your steps and extract insights on the person you’ve become over the last 365 days.

🔭 A Bird’s Eye View

Use your lists of moments and recurring themes to zoom out and reflect on the year holistically:

1. What 3-5 words defined 2023?

2. What key moments defined 2023?

3. What moments brought me the most joy?

4. What am I most grateful for?

🔋 Energy

1. What moments lit me up and energized me?

2. What moments did I find flow in and feel most aligned?

3. What moments drained me?

🌱 Growth

1. How am I different?

2. What identities did I step into and out of?

3. What moments expanded me the most?

4. What am I most proud of achieving personally?

5. What am I most proud of achieving professionally?

6. What did I learn about myself this year?

7. What mindsets and beliefs evolved?

🥊 Challenges

1. What were my biggest challenges this year?

2. What goals didn’t I accomplish? What got in the way?

3. What do I wish I did differently this year?

4. What habits or beliefs held me back?

🫂 Community

1. Who had the greatest impact on my life?

2. Which relationships have been most fulfilling?

3. Which relationships have been most draining?

4. Who walked into my life this year? What was their impact on me?

5. When did I feel most connected?

6. Who do I admire and want to spend more time with next year?

7. What communities do I belong to?

🫀 Health & Wellness

1. How is my overall physical and mental health?

2. What are the trends in my sleep, fitness, and health data (glucose, labs, etc.)?

3. What physical feats did I take on?

🎯 Lessons & Themes

1. What were my top lessons learned?

2. What advice do I have for me in the new year?

step 3: gratitudes 🫶

Gratitudes are a reminder that we can’t do it alone. Revisit your responses to the Community section above.

• Who are the people you shared the most meaningful moments with?

• Who did you deepen relationships with?

• Who made the greatest impact on you?

Send a note, text, email, or DM of gratitude to everyone who has made a meaningful impact on you this year.

step 4: identity alignment 🎭

Rather than first focusing on what you want to achieve in 2024, define who you aspire to become. Trade goal setting for identity aligning. Time to ask yourself some hard questions.

🪖 The Hard Questions

• What am I scared to do? What have I postponed doing?

• Where do I feel out of alignment in life?

• What judgments and beliefs do I hold about what I want that no longer serve me?

• Where do I need permission to get started?

👋 Farewell

During this section, take a few moments to thank the old you for doing its best to protect the younger version of you. There’s a reason why we once gravitated to these identities, beliefs, and habits. Express gratitude for all their service and bid them farewell.

• What existing identities am I shedding?

• What beliefs no longer serve me?

• What habits no longer serve me?

👨🏼‍🎤 Identity Defining

• What identities am I calling in for 2024?

• Why do I want to embody these identities?

• What aligned actions do I need to take?

• What’s this identity’s day to day routine look like?

step 5: goal mapping 🗺️

Now that you’ve defined who you want to become in 2024, it’s time to get tactical and map out the aligned actions you need to take to embody these identities.

Goal setting is inherently backward looking. As we progress, goals may become outdated, no longer relevant, no longer motivating. Rather than set goals for your full year, focus on January and Q1.

• What are the most meaningful actions you can take in the next 1-3 months to become the person you aspire to be?

January / Q1 Themes

January / Q1 Goals

Set goals for categories of life that most resonate with you. A few of the buckets I use are:

• Body & mind

• Partnership

• Community

• Work & self-expression

• Side projects & hobbies

• Finances

• Fun & travel

See template for an example.

step 6: dear 2024 me 💌

With clarity around the type of person you aspire to become and the accompanying goals, it’s time to set intentions and imagine a world where you’ve actualized your intentions. Handwrite the letter and seal the envelope to be read in 365 days.

✉️ Write yourself a letter as if it’s all come true

A few questions to help you craft your letter:

• What’s the world where this has all come true look and feel like?

• How do I want to feel in the new year?

• What words describe my intention for 2024?

• What are my top 3 personal intentions?

• What are my top 3 professional intentions?

• What are the top 3 experiences I intend to have?

• What am I letting go of?

Seal the envelope and put it away in a safe place until December 2024.

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a collection of annual review templates

Here are a list of other annual reviews that have inspired me along the way:

• Anthony Gustin’s Annual Review — Anthony Gustin

• Annual Review Template (Public) — Kevin Lee

• 2023 Annual Review Template — Patricia Mou

• The Ultimate Annual Review — Steve Schlafman

• Past Year Review — Tim Ferriss

Thanks for reading! How are you spending your December? What's your annual review process? Let me know in the comments. Or say hi on Twitter.