Remembering the year

Facts before feelings. Get the scenes down first.

  • Talk about where you were this time last year and how much has changed since.
  • Talk about a plan you made this year that actually happened the way you hoped.
  • Name the song you played most this year, and where you were when you played it.
  • Tell the story of a day this year that went completely off plan.
  • Describe the place you spent the most time this year, apart from home.
  • Talk about the most ordinary day this year that you'd happily repeat.
  • Talk about something you made, fixed or built this year.

What changed in you

A year is long enough to see yourself differently. These prompts look for how.

  • Describe something you believed in January that you don't believe now.
  • Talk about a fear you faced this year, small or large.
  • Name a skill you got noticeably better at this year.
  • Describe how you handle a bad day now compared with a year ago.
  • Talk about something you stopped doing this year and don't miss.

People and moments

Name names. The year is mostly the people in it.

  • Name the people who showed up for you this year, and say one thing each of them did.
  • Talk about someone new who came into your life this year.
  • Describe a conversation this year that you're glad you didn't avoid.
  • Tell the story of a moment this year when you laughed until it hurt.
  • Describe something a stranger did this year that you still think about.

Closing the year

End with what you're keeping and what you're leaving.

  • Say what you'd like to leave in this year and not carry into the next.
  • Talk about what you're proudest of from this year, even if it's quiet.
  • Give this year a title, as if it were a chapter of a book, and explain it.
  • Name one thing you'd tell yourself on January 1 of this year, knowing what you know now.
  • Talk about how you'd like to remember this year when you look back on it years from now.

How to use these prompts

Give it an hour in the last week of December, or split it over several evenings. You don't need to answer every prompt.

  • Look through the year's photos, calendar or entries before you start
  • Answer one section per evening over four nights
  • Say each prompt aloud before you answer it
  • When you've closed the year, move on to the New Year prompts

Questions about end-of-year reflection

How do I reflect on the past year?

Start with facts before feelings. Look through your photos, calendar or journal, name the moments that stand out, then ask what changed. Judging the year as good or bad comes last, if at all.

How do I look back on a year of journal entries?

Skim a few entries from each month rather than reading everything, and note what repeats. The guide to looking back has more ways in.

When should I do an end-of-year reflection?

Any quiet stretch in late December works. Some people do it on their birthday instead, which turns it into a personal year.

Hear your year again

Search finds every word, name and place you said this year, free. With Plus, ask Dawn Light a question like "When did Priya visit?" and get an answer from your own entries, linked to them.

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