ilovebrownbutter

I've been doing this since 2014-2015 and love offering it as a Christmas present to my loved ones.

This year I also happened to want to branch out and gift it to a 10 year old and realized (and I meant to contact you all for this question but ended up lazing out, ha):

Will we get to have a YearCompass Kids, some day? I think it would be amazing to be able to do it with 5-12 year olds, a simplified and age-appealing version.

What I usually do is for the last few weeks or days of the year I start getting in the mindset of filling this book. So I am already reflecting on how the year was - what was more meaningful, the worst, the best, any development, anything that left a mark on the year for me. For instance, this year was difficult and long, and it had a lot of slow improvements. I tried new things that didn't go as well as I hoped, I had health issues, the year was divided in a lot of parts.

Then, two days ago I started even writing down things in a notepad on my laptop called "Year 2021" and loosely wrote stuff like

• "This year I made a lot of new recipes", or "I ran for the first half of the year then lost the habit", "applied for this thing and failed" etc. Things I'd remember.

Today, I'm looking at photos of my past year - I could not be doing it, but it's an idea that works for me to remember and recollect the feelings and events and reflections about the year.

Then what can I do?

• Gather these things and only start making the booklet after

• Fill the booklet in parts, as I remember.

I can do either, really. For now I haven't started the booklet but I'm thinking of doing it before finishing "gathering" the pictures.

And lastly, another note:

I also have got a little bit of ADD symptoms, in that I often procrastinate a lot of things because they are overwhelming.

With this booklet, I've ended up settling for this idea: I don't mind not finishing. There are years, since I started in 2014-15, that I haven't even touched the "next year" part of the booklet. There were others in which I filled some parts of it. I think in only one of the years I did finish it all - and even so I have my doubts that I did.

I just fill it little by little and don't think it's a chore. I know I will be filling parts of it until March and April if needed, I know I probably won't finish it. But still in the next years I will be able to look at the 20% filled booklet, and remember some things. And it will also last as a reflection.

So:

• Pick up the mindset

• Don't mind how much you fill and if it is or isn't perfect. Just whenever you're remembering something about your year, or a goal you'd like, remember to note it down in the booklet.

• Don't mind the time. It can take months. It does for me. If in May 2022 I feel like adding new goals to my YearCompass, heck, I go there (I do sign that addition as May 2022, though)

What matters is to have fun

Besides, some questions are more helpful than others so we only have to do the ones we want and inspire us.

As far as purpose goes, I can't help. For me, it helps in my personal improvement. Seeing how my goals changed over the years, see how I got better at some things, how some things changed, etc. My main happinesses, the goals I ended up achieving... it's about reflection. if you like to reflect about your life on the daily you will likely like this booklet. If you aren't that introspective, maybe you probably won't like it. That's all I an say, I guess :)

Thank you so much, your answer also means a lot to me. I followed you tip and also looked on my 2021 goals that I wrote in 2020 and I was surprise at how much of it I actually accomplished. I didn't have that sense. I might also look at same questions/different years as you said.

do you keep the Year Compass at hand all year round?

Sort of, but not really. I have it reachable, and I tend to want to keep reflecting and adding things because I never finish it, but I end up just adding until March, and after that dropping it. Some times I have grabbed it but ended up not looking at it. So I don't know if I really look at my goals?

However this year I also have started a list of goals and bucket list in a notebook, and have looked at that throughout the year. I usually find out I'm not as excited to try things I once felt were a dream to do. But some I still want to do. And mostly it helps me reflect on what things I want to do and it's a tiny push forward. And it also helps me somehow compromise with myself and not forget - just by noting it down, I feel the purpose is stronger.

Thank you! I wasn't expecting that it was already in the plans!

If it happens, I'm totally in to volunteer for helpting to translate it into Portuguese. The kid also isn't ready to do it in English, ha. If I can help, let me know how I should contact you.

Is that realistic for next year?