There is nothing new about the idea of doing reviews. The trick is actually getting myself to do them. A few years ago, this video by Aidan was the final bit of motivation I needed to start a serious review habit. 

For me, it is always about finding the level of effort that creates useful results, but is low enough  that  I’ll do it consistently, even when I’m tired. Or when I’m feeling resentful at my past self for thinking this was a good idea. Knowing myself, I need to set that bar pretty low! So, templates are a great solution.

I started by copying Aidan’s templates, which I found quite thorough and inspiring, but it wasn’t long before I began modifying them to fit my own preferences.

Sometimes I enjoy journaling in more of a free-writing, narrative, or prose style, but for a daily habit, I wanted to create a template that would work equally well even if I just wanted to jot down a few bullet points. Something I could still do on the days I’m tired and really don’t want to do it. Something I could still succeed at even if that means pausing my YouTube binge session at 11:59 PM.

Logistics

I journal in the Day One app, which has a handy templates feature. I’ve included the templates I currently use below in Markdown, which Day One supports. (I update them periodically if I find certain elements of them being less useful…they tend to get shorter and shorter over time). 

Day One also has a cool custom reminders feature that allows you to create a new entry from any template you choose by tapping on the reminder. You can also customize the reminder text. I use this to reduce friction. 

My custom reminders are pretty vanilla. But I could see myself having more fun with these at some point.

Daily review template

## What happened today?

## What Did I Learn Or Realize?

## Any Wins?

## Did I progress on my goals today? Why or why not?

## Additional Thoughts

Weekly review template

## What was the most enjoyable event of the week?

## What was the best thing I learned this week?

## What was the biggest win of the week?

## How did I progress on my goals this week?

## Additional Thoughts

## What was my favorite image of the week?

Monthly review template

## What was the most enjoyable event of the month?

## What Was the best thing I learned or Realized This Month?

## What was the biggest win of the month?

## How did I progress on my goals this month?

## Additional Thoughts

## What was my favorite Image from this month?

Quarterly review and planning template

# Quarterly Review & Planning

## 💭 REFLECTION

### What was the most enjoyable event of the Quarter?

### What was the best thing I learned or Realized This Quarter?

### What was the biggest win of the Quarter?

### Did I achieve my goals this quarter? If not, what got in the way? What would I change next time?

### What was my favorite image of the Quarter?

### Additional Thoughts

## 🚀 PLANNING THE NEXT 12 WEEKS

### WHAT IS MY VISION FOR THE NEXT 12 WEEKS?
Who am I becoming? What do I want to experience or feel?

### Goal 1
Description: 
Lag Indicator/Result: 
Lead Indicators/Weekly Actions: 

### Goal 2
Description: 
Lag Indicator/Result: 
Lead Indicators/Weekly Actions: 

### Goal 3
Description: 
Lag Indicator/Result: 
Lead Indicators/Weekly Actions: 

### When is my next anchor Week?
Plan PTO, meaningful rest, celebration

Yearly review template

# Yearly Review

## What were the five most enjoyable events of the year?

## What were the five most valuable things I learned this year?

## What were the FIVE biggest wins of the year?

## What 20% of things accounted for 80% of my enjoyment?

## What 20% of things accounted for 80% of my unhappiness?

## Reflect on the Possibilities

### What does my life look like five years from now on my current path?

### What does my life look like five years from now on a completely separate path?

### What does my life look like five years from now if societal obligations and money weren’t factors?

## What are the key goals for next year?

## What is my number one priority at work this year?

## What is my number one priority in my personal life this year?

## Review My Decision Log and see how things panned out

## Review My Failure log and see how I learned from my failures

## What Is the theme of this next year?