Year in Review
The problem with New Year's resolutions is they're a wish-list with no diagnosis — so they fail. This runs the review a good operator runs on a project, pointed at your year: what actually happened (not the highlight reel), where your energy went, what you'd repeat and stop, and a single organising theme that makes next year's dozens of small choices easier. One theme beats twelve resolutions.
What This Skill Produces
- The retrospective — the year in the domains that matter to you (work, health, relationships, money, growth), honestly
- The energy audit — what consistently gave energy vs. drained it (the most useful and most skipped part)
- The misses — what didn't happen and the real reason, without self-flagellation
- Next year's theme — one organising word/phrase, plus 3–5 concrete commitments tied to it
Required Inputs
Ask for these if not provided:
- The raw material — highs, lows, big changes, and anything you're proud of or avoiding (a brain-dump is fine)
- The domains you care about — so the review reflects your life, not a generic template
- How last year's goals went — if you set any (be honest about the gap)
- Constraints for next year — anything fixed (a move, a baby, a health issue) that shapes what's realistic
Framework: Diagnose, Then Direct
- Facts before feelings. What actually happened this year, listed plainly, before judging it.
- Energy is the signal. What gave energy and what drained it predicts next year better than any goal — audit it explicitly.
- Misses get a real reason. Not "I was lazy" — the actual constraint (no time, wrong system, wrong goal). Reasons are actionable; shame isn't.
- One theme, not a list. A single organising idea ("build, don't polish"; "less, better") makes small decisions automatic all year.
- Commitments, not resolutions. 3–5 concrete, checkable actions tied to the theme — fewer than you want.
Output Format
[Year] in Review — [name]
One-line summary of the year: …
What happened (by domain)
| Domain |
Highs |
Lows |
What I learned |
Energy audit
- Gave energy: … · Drained energy: … · The pattern: …
Honest misses
- [what] — the real reason — what it tells me
[Next year]: the theme
One organising phrase.
Commitments (3–5):
- [concrete, checkable action tied to the theme]
Quality Checks
Anti-Patterns
- A highlight reel that skips the misses — the review's value is in the honesty.
- Twelve resolutions with no organising theme — they compete and die.
- "I was lazy" as a reason — find the real constraint.
- Vague commitments ("get healthier") with no checkable action.
- Ignoring energy — the most predictive signal, most often left out.
Example Trigger Phrases
- "Run a personal year in review with me."
- "Help me reflect on this year and plan next year."
- "I want a yearly reflection — not just resolutions."
- "Do an energy audit of my year and give me one theme."
1---2name: year-in-review-23description: Run an honest personal year-in-review and set next year's direction — wins, misses, an energy audit, and one theme, not a resolution list that dies in February. Use when asked for a personal year in review, a yearly reflection, to reflect on the past year, or plan next year. Produces the structured retrospective (what worked, what didn't, what you learned), an energy audit of what gave vs. drained you, the honest misses, and a single theme with a few concrete commitments. Personal, not corporate.4---56# Year in Review78The problem with New Year's resolutions is they're a wish-list with no diagnosis — so they fail. This runs the review a good operator runs on a project, pointed at your year: what actually happened (not the highlight reel), where your energy went, what you'd repeat and stop, and a single organising theme that makes next year's dozens of small choices easier. One theme beats twelve resolutions.910## What This Skill Produces1112- **The retrospective** — the year in the domains that matter to you (work, health, relationships, money, growth), honestly13- **The energy audit** — what consistently gave energy vs. drained it (the most useful and most skipped part)14- **The misses** — what didn't happen and the real reason, without self-flagellation15- **Next year's theme** — one organising word/phrase, plus 3–5 concrete commitments tied to it1617## Required Inputs1819Ask for these if not provided:20- **The raw material** — highs, lows, big changes, and anything you're proud of or avoiding (a brain-dump is fine)21- **The domains you care about** — so the review reflects your life, not a generic template22- **How last year's goals went** — if you set any (be honest about the gap)23- **Constraints for next year** — anything fixed (a move, a baby, a health issue) that shapes what's realistic2425## Framework: Diagnose, Then Direct26271. **Facts before feelings.** What actually happened this year, listed plainly, before judging it.282. **Energy is the signal.** What gave energy and what drained it predicts next year better than any goal — audit it explicitly.293. **Misses get a real reason.** Not "I was lazy" — the actual constraint (no time, wrong system, wrong goal). Reasons are actionable; shame isn't.304. **One theme, not a list.** A single organising idea ("build, don't polish"; "less, better") makes small decisions automatic all year.315. **Commitments, not resolutions.** 3–5 concrete, checkable actions tied to the theme — fewer than you want.3233## Output Format3435### [Year] in Review — [name]36**One-line summary of the year:** …3738### What happened (by domain)39| Domain | Highs | Lows | What I learned |40|---|---|---|---|4142### Energy audit43- Gave energy: … · Drained energy: … · The pattern: …4445### Honest misses46- [what] — the real reason — what it tells me4748### [Next year]: the theme49> One organising phrase.5051**Commitments (3–5):**521. [concrete, checkable action tied to the theme]5354## Quality Checks55- [ ] The review lists what actually happened before evaluating it56- [ ] The energy audit is present and specific — not skipped57- [ ] Misses get an actionable reason, not self-blame58- [ ] There is exactly one theme, not a scattered list59- [ ] Commitments are few, concrete, and tied to the theme60- [ ] Next-year plan respects the stated constraints6162## Anti-Patterns63- **A highlight reel** that skips the misses — the review's value is in the honesty.64- **Twelve resolutions** with no organising theme — they compete and die.65- **"I was lazy"** as a reason — find the real constraint.66- **Vague commitments** ("get healthier") with no checkable action.67- **Ignoring energy** — the most predictive signal, most often left out.6869## Example Trigger Phrases70- "Run a personal year in review with me."71- "Help me reflect on this year and plan next year."72- "I want a yearly reflection — not just resolutions."73- "Do an energy audit of my year and give me one theme."
Mohit Aggarwal