As the year winds down, I’ve been taking some time to reflect on the past 12 to 36 months and consider what 2025 might bring.

To guide this process, I’m exploring a few approaches:

• Reviewing my calendar from the past year to remind myself where I’ve spent much of my time, both personally and professionally.
• Re-reading journal entries from throughout the year. While I have fewer handwritten entries than I’d like, I’ve made a significant number of digital notes this year.
• Taking inspiration from Patrick Rhone’s approach by trying a couple of structured reflective activities, completing them over a few days in hour-long sessions.
• Working through a set of reflective questions to help prepare for 2025.

Each of these practices alone holds value, but I’m hoping the combination—bringing in different perspectives and methods—will help me form a more complete understanding of who I am and what I need moving forward.

While I view reflection as central to personal growth and development, I’m not someone who thrives with structured reflective activities. My usual approach is to write when the need feels pressing, letting my thoughts flow freely. This year-end exercise feels like new territory for me, and I’m curious about how the insights it generates will shape both the near future and the longer term.