End-of-year journaling
End-of-year journaling and reflection is one of my favorite ways to close the current year and begin a new one.
As someone who journals regularly, I love using this time to look back on the past twelve months.
I gather my journals, morning pages, planner, and reading notebook, and spend a quiet afternoon flipping through them.
I start to notice patterns, goals I didn’t reach, habits I let slip, books I read that weren’t on my list, and moments I forgot to record. These small details show me where I’ve been consistent, where I’ve struggled, and what I might want to change in the year ahead.
That’s the real purpose of end-of-year reflection: to pause, to look back with honesty, and to ask yourself: What do I want to keep, and what am I ready to let go of?
It’s one of the best habits you can develop. Not letting the time go by on autopilot, but taking the time to review what has happened, and deciding the direction of your life next year.
How to do end-of-year journaling
Step 1: Review your journals
The first step in my end-of-year journaling routine is straightforward: I review all the journals I used throughout the year. This year, that includes my Morning Pages, Planner, Reading Journal, and Gratitude Journal.
I read through them slowly and start to notice patterns. Some journals I didn’t use as regularly as I planned. In my planner, I see a few tasks that never got done. In my reading journal, I find books I didn’t finish, so I make a note to carry them into the next year.
These pages tell an honest story of how I spent my time, what mattered to me, and where I drifted off course.
If you did not use any journals, you can move on to Steps 2, 3, and 4.
Step 2: Review your year’s goals
A year ago, you started your year with a set of goals in mind. You might have written them down in your planner. Or you might just have had them in your mind.
Whatever they looked like, now’s your chance to go back in time and look back at those goals and hopes. When you made them, you had no idea how the year would turn out. Now you know.
Here are a couple of questions I go through when I review the past year:
- Which goals did I hit this year?
- Which goals did I miss?
- Which goals are no longer important?
- What is my new focus for the next year?
Step 3: Choose Life Areas you want to focus on
Write a few thoughts about specific areas in your life. Here are some areas I focus on every year:
- Friendships
- Relationships
- Career
- Work-Life balance
- Physical health
- Mental health
- Finance
- Spending
- Hobbies
I sit down and write a few short paragraphs about the main areas of my life.
It doesn’t have to be long or complicated. Just a few honest notes about what worked this year and what I’d like to change.
Once I’ve written down my thoughts, I ask myself one simple question: Is this working?
Is my current diet and workout routine helping me feel stronger and healthier?
Is my job supporting the life I want?
Are my relationships working?
Step 4: Choose what you want to take with you
Write down what you want to keep doing. What do you want to take into the next year?
For me, I will be taking my reading habit into the new year. I will try to stay away from my phone as much as possible, and continue to spend time writing, reading, or walking.
I want to keep these routines in the new year and even improve them further.
Step 5: Focus on the positives
It’s easy to get caught up in the goals you didn’t reach or the challenges you faced this year. But when you sit down for your end-of-year journaling and reflection, try to shift your focus toward what went right.
Celebrate the things you did accomplish: the small victories, the lessons learned, the moments that helped you grow. Think about the trips that changed your perspective, the projects you finished, or the relationships that deepened.
When I reflect on the past year, I don’t dwell on the things I didn’t check off my list. Instead, I look for the unexpected wins that happened along the way.
Maybe I didn’t journal every single day like I planned, but I did read 30 books and did help my daughter with her exercise routine.
Perhaps I didn’t increase my strength, but I felt the best I have this year, both physically and mentally.
Ending the year on a positive note matters. So give yourself a little boost before the new year starts.
Helpful prompts for end-of-the-year journaling
- Name one new habit you formed this year. How has it impacted your daily life?
- What is the biggest goal you achieved this year?
- Reflect on the friendships you have and how you can improve them.
- What is something/someone you had to let go of this year? Do you feel at peace now?
- What or who made you happy this year?
- What’s one thing you did that you were afraid to do before?
- What goals did you NOT meet this year?
- What does the perfect day look like for you next year? Describe it in detail, starting from the moment you wake up.
- Name 5 things you are looking forward to the most next year. Examples: trips, creative projects, personal events.
- List the habits you want to work on next year
Final Thoughts
A few years ago, I sat down for the first time to truly reflect on the year that was ending. What I realized then is how often we move through life without stopping to pause and think. We rush through days and decisions, and then wonder why we feel disconnected or like something’s missing.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Instead of letting the year carry you wherever it wants, you can choose to take a moment, look back, and take back control. Reflecting helps you focus on what truly matters, the areas of your life that deserve your attention.
Once you take time to understand what this past year has taught you, you can step into the new one with clarity and confidence.
So before the year slips away, grab your journal, make a cup of tea, and take thirty minutes just for yourself.
You don’t need a perfect plan. Just honesty, and a fresh page to begin again.
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