The Secret to Success Starts with Reflection

Unlocking Your Best Year Yet: The Secret to Success Starts with Reflection

When you think about planning your best year ever, what comes to mind? Setting ambitious goals? Creating long lists of resolutions? What if I told you the secret doesn’t lie in looking forward but in looking back? Using a simple, one-hour method I discovered, I realized that 80% of my happiness stemmed from just three types of activities, and 90% of my stress came from things I could easily avoid. The best part? This method, inspired by productivity expert Tim Ferriss, is straightforward, effective, and only takes an hour of your time.

Why Resolutions Don’t Work

Tim Ferriss, known for his expertise in productivity and lifestyle design, is not a fan of New Year's resolutions, and with good reason. According to a study from the University of Scranton, about 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by February. To make matters worse, January 17th has been dubbed “Quitters Day” by Strava, a social network for athletes, marking the day most people give up on their resolutions. So, what’s the alternative? Ferriss advocates for a “Past Year Review,” a method that helps you harness insights from your own life to build a better future.

Step 1: The Life Audit

Begin by setting aside an hour for a deep, honest reflection. Get a blank page and two different-colored pens—green for positive and red for negative. At the top of the page, write “Positive” in green and “Negative” in red. This exercise is all about understanding what activities make you happiest and which ones trigger stress. By identifying these, you can strategically plan to include more of what brings you joy and minimize what doesn’t.

Step 2: Analyze Your Year

Pull out your calendar—digital or physical—and go back to January of the year. Examine your schedule, noting people, activities, and commitments that sparked peak positive or negative emotions. This part is key: only you know how you felt about each moment. Record the emotions triggered by specific events in their respective columns.

For example, if you loved attending a family event, mark it in green. If you felt drained from endless work commitments, write that in red. As you go through the year, take your time. You’re collecting data on what energizes and what depletes you.

Step 3: Identify the Top 20%

Once you’ve filled out your list, the next step is to look at the top 20% of activities that had the most significant positive impact. Ferriss suggests focusing on these for the upcoming year. For instance, if time spent with family, certain types of projects, or specific activities were consistently uplifting, prioritize those. At the same time, pinpoint the most impactful negative experiences, like tasks that consistently drained your energy or triggered stress.

Step 4: Schedule More of the Good, Less of the Bad

Now, take the positive activities and build them into your schedule. Block out time for them, commit to repeating them, and treat them as non-negotiable parts of your calendar. For example, if you found that your best moments came from family outings or coaching sessions, ensure these are planned into your year in advance. Don’t let external demands take priority over your well-being.

On the flip side, create a “Not-To-Do” list. This isn’t about eliminating all challenges (after all, life is full of necessary responsibilities) but about minimizing the most draining ones. If video editing, over-committing, or stressful administrative tasks made your negative list, find ways to delegate, streamline, or say no to these activities whenever possible.

Why This Works

This method works because it’s personal, data-driven, and proactive. Rather than blindly setting goals, you’re building your year around what truly works for you. It helps you understand what aligns with your energy and happiness, allowing you to shape a year that feels fulfilling and manageable.

So, the next time you plan your new year, don’t focus solely on aspirations. Take an hour to look back, reflect, and learn from your past. Trust me, this 60-minute life audit will help you create a year that’s not just successful, but genuinely your best one yet.