A New Year’s Reflection to Get Clear on What’s Next

Taking time to pause and reflect as one year ends and another begins is one of the most impactful things you can do for yourself and your business.

This definitely does not mean spreadsheets, complicated planning tools, or a perfectly mapped-out year.

It means actually slowing down enough to notice what’s working, what’s not, and what you want more of in the next season of your business.

Without taking a short pause to reflect before diving into a new year, it’s really easy to carry the same patterns forward year after year and then wonder why things still feel chaotic and scattered.

So grab your notebook, and let’s walk through a simple way to reflect on the year we just finished and get clearer about where you want to head next.

Start with What Actually Went Well

Start by celebrating what went well last year, even if they seem like small  things.

Think back over the past year and ask yourself:

• What are you genuinely proud of?
• What felt easier than you expected?
• What brought in results without draining you?

It’s not about how much revenue you made or how many clients you booked (though those are great too). It’s about recognizing progress in all its forms.

• Did you finally launch that new service or course?
• Streamline your client onboarding process?
• Build your website or clean up your Kajabi backend?
• Set clearer boundaries with your time or workload?

Write it all down.

When you start your reflection from a place of gratitude and celebration, it changes your mindset.

You realize how much growth actually happened.

Take a Look at the Numbers

Now it’s time to check the data, the actual numbers from last year. 

You don’t need to do a deep dive on every stat you can think of. Focus on the handful of numbers that tell the real story:

• Which offers brought in most of your income?
• What content or emails got the most engagement?
• How much time did you spend working (and how much time were you totally unplugged)?

This isn’t about judgment. It’s about clarity.

The idea is to give yourself a clear starting point for the year ahead instead of trying to plan from memories or feelings.

The goal isn’t to analyze everything to death. It’s to use real information to make more intentional choices moving forward.

For example, if you find certain projects or services consistently take up too much time for too little reward, maybe that’s a sign that it’s time to simplify, automate, or let them go entirely.

Revisit Your Bigger Vision

Take a moment to zoom out and reconnect with your long-term goals.

Where do you want to be in three years, both in business and in life?

To help solidify this vision, imagine it’s three years from now and everything has gone really well.

• What does that look like?
• How does your business feel?
• What kind of work are you doing (and what are you not doing anymore)?
• What does your schedule look like?
• How much time are you spending with your family, traveling, or resting? 

Write it out in detail, like a journal entry from your future self.

Then compare that vision with where you are today. What needs to shift in order to bridge the gap?

Looking at your bigger vision helps you make sure your day-to-day decisions align with where you actually want to go, not just where momentum is taking you.

Check In With Yourself

You’ve probably spent a lot of time this year focusing on client projects, business logistics, and all the behind-the-scenes tasks that keep things running.

But what about you?

Think about the version of you who ran your business this past year.

• Where did you grow?
• Where did you stretch myself too thin?
• What felt supportive? And what felt draining?

This is about being honest with yourself about how this year actually felt and how you want to feel moving forward. 

Get Clear on What Actually Matters Right Now

With all of that context in mind, now you can think about what you want to focus on next.

As your business evolves, the way you operate has to evolve too. Not by doing more, but by doing things differently.

Ask yourself:

• What specific result would feel satisfying by year-end?
• Is there a process that needs streamlining or automating to save you time?
• What do you want more of: rest, family time, movement, creativity?
• What would make the biggest difference right now, not someday?

Choose just one or two areas to focus on, and create a small, realistic plan to keep yourself learning and growing in this season of life and business.

Set Your Future Self Up for Success

This is probably the most important part of this reflection.

To actually make these goals happen, you need to block time in your calendar now to make space for them.

• Schedule vacation days and long weekends first.
• Add school breaks, family time, and personal commitments (including workouts and self-care).
• Plan out any launches or bigger projects scheduled for the year.
• Block focused “CEO time” for planning and big-picture work at least once per month.

When you schedule the most important things before the year begins, you create space for what matters most instead of reacting to everything as it comes.

Finally, think about one or two small things you can do now that will make the rest of the year smoother.

This might look like:

• creating a system for something that’s been frustrating you
• automating part of a recurring workflow
• cleaning up your desk or inbox

You don’t need a complete overhaul. Even small micro changes can create a noticeable shift in how your business and your life feel day to day.

Final Thoughts

A meaningful year-end reflection doesn’t have to be hard or feel like a judgement.

It’s simply about creating a moment of pause to look back with gratitude, look ahead with clarity, and move forward with confidence.

Here’s to closing out a year feeling proud of how far you’ve come and ready and excited for what’s next. ✨