Photo by Brad Neathery
“Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day.”
—Jim Rohn
The discipline of daily, weekly, and yearly reviews has been one of the most powerful practices of personal growth I have ever undertaken.
It has given me a consistent time and place to reflect on what’s working, what’s not, and what I need to do differently to grow into the man I am meant to be.
Like anything of value, these disciplines didn’t take root overnight.
I struggled with consistency, having a simple system I could use, and most importantly, finding pleasure in the process.
But through the commitment to showing up time and again, what was once difficult eventually transformed from something I had to do, to something I get to do.
In order to accelerate this process for you, I have outlined 3 practices I use that you can follow below.
I. Daily Reviews
Much happens in a day.
We have deep conversations with those we love, we take on practices to improve our health and well-being, we make (or fail to make) power moves in business that can change our lives forever.
In each of these happenings there is much wisdom—IF we take the time to find it.
The practice of daily reviews is simple. Set aside 5-minutes before bed, take out your journal, and reflect:
What did I enjoy?
What did I learn?
How did I contribute?
What could I improve?
For added impact, turn each of these reflections into action steps to continue moving in the direction you want to move.
Example:
I really enjoyed the hike Randy and Steven took me on. Being in nature was refreshing, I should make more time to do this.
Action Step: Schedule a hike with Randy and Steven for next week.
II. Weekly Reviews
Of all my disciplines, reviewing the week has easily been one of the most impactful.
Whether the week was “good” or “bad” I always benefit from sitting down and reflecting, especially when I would rather not.
By asking the right questions, these weekly reflections allow me to see all I have accomplished, all I have learned, and what’s most important for me to focus on in the weeks to come.
To begin, block out 1-hour at the end or beginning of the week, Friday or Sunday afternoon, or Monday morning are good times.
Pour yourself a cup of coffee or tea, turn on some music, and get comfortable (it’s important you ENJOY this process, that’s how we transform it from something we have to do to something we get to do).
Open your journal, or a new word document, and answer the following questions.
What did I accomplish? (write down at least 10 accomplishments, big or small)
What did I learn? (write down at least 3 lessons, big or small)
What magical moments do I want to remember? (capture at least 3 impactful moments that occurred over the last week. It’s good to write in the details—where were you? Who were you with? What were you feeling?)
What didn’t I get done? (write at least 3 things that did not get done. Reflect on why they didn’t happen and what you can do to mitigate this in the future)
What do I want to accomplish/experience in the coming weeks? (brainstorm a list of things you’d like to do, feel the need to do, or are feeling called to do in the next few weeks. I recommend setting a timer for 5-10 minutes and just writing. These are not commitments, just ideas)
Next, prioritize these tasks by placing a 1, 2, 3, or 4 next to each item indicating which week you intuit they will be completed
Narrow down your 1 week items by marking the top 3 most important with a star
Break down your top 3 most important outcomes (why are these items important to you? What steps could you take to make them happen?)
Schedule your most important tasks in your calendar or planner (I recommend scheduling them at the beginning of the week, where they can receive your full attention)
As mentioned, this process takes about 60-minutes to complete.
This may seem like a big commitment, but remember, these 60-minutes will save you countless hours otherwise wasted due to lack of clarity on where to focus your time and energy.
Find the time—make the time—to give yourself this gift of clear direction.
III. Yearly Reviews
If a lot happens in just a day or a week, imagine how many happenings take place in a year.
Countless, endless lessons and insights can be mined from an entire 365.
For nearly a decade now, I have set aside time to reflect and refine my direction at the end of the year.
The fruits of this have been tremendous:
living abroad for several years
climbing into cages and rings for battle
building my own training, then coaching business
moving to sunny California
driving cross country via motorbike
To name a few.
A simple way to mine the wisdom of a year, is to apply the weekly review practice mentioned above to your entire year.
Reflect on your accomplishments, lessons learned, memories to cherish, and what’s to happen next.
Use 1, 2, 3, and 4, marks to separate your list into quarterly goals and prioritize your top 3 from there.
For those interested in a deeper dive on transforming the lessons of year's past into wise action for the future, I host a monthly group coaching container where you will can receive direct support from myself and the group to help you live with more clarity, accountability, and purposeful action than you’ve likely ever experienced before.
For more information click here.
In Conclusion
Taking time to review your life is an incredible practice.
It can transform day-to-day happenings into powerful insights you can use to consciously direct your life in a way that serves.
Make the time to do this.
If nothing else, take 5-minutes now and write out any insights or takeaways you’ve experienced in the past week.