The TLDR
In this post you’ll find:
- A link to an annual review template that might come in handy
- Motivation, maybe, to do your own annual review
- Deeper insight to the things I’m doing to improve my life design
- Ideas for how you can improve your own quality of life
- A link to my current favorite song - such a banger!
- A link to my favorite book of all time
- Why I’m stopping my pursuit of life optimization/life hacking
- Why I’m stepping back from a fully regimented calendar
For the past three years, I’ve done an annual review on New Year’s Eve (today; 12/31/25).
I use a Notion template that I got from Ali Abdaal. You can duplicate it here.
While I’ve made them in the past, I’m not a fan of New Year’s resolutions.
Instead, I use the annual review template to do a retrospective of the past year. I think of it as a do more of/do less of/stop doing/start doing exercise.
It’s my version of Spotify Wrapped, and I just completed it. So, I thought I’d share some of the things from my annual review, all in with the hope it inspires you to do your own review. Because, chances are, you had a better year than you realize.
Do more of
Relationships
This year was all about reconnecting in relationships. I have several where I wasn’t investing like I should, so this year I was more deliberate about carving out time with people I want in my life.
That starts with family. Specifically my brother’s family. We lost him over five years ago and with life/work/etc. its been hard to see my sister-in-law and nieces more than once or twice a year. Over Christmas we were able to get together more and we all felt like we recaptured some of the holiday closeness we used to feel when he was alive.
I also reconnect with two of my best friends. One lives all the way across the country, but we were able to spend the better part of a week together at a conference. The dinner conversations we had, just the two of us, are a highlight of the year for me. My other friend lives nearby and we had drifted apart a little. But this fall and winter we have been better about seeing each other more often, for some epic pizza lunches, and the conversations have, I think, reminded us both, of how much we enjoy our time together.
While I don’t think we were ever disconnected, this year has been one where our daughter (a senior in high school) and I have talked more often than usual. I’ve loved it, because I know our time together is limited. If you have a child close to graduating and potentially moving out, consider doing a “Last Years” project. This is a journal I keep where I regularly log my thoughts about our daughter, the lessons I want to share, and generally give her a deeper look into my brain and how much I love her. I started mine last year and can’t wait for the day I share it with her.
Focusing on relationships has single-handedly been the thing that has improved my life the most in 2025.
Writing
From reviewing the prior two annual reviews (2023 & 2024) I was reminded that writing is my happy place.
Prior to Thanksgiving I had been on a writing and content creation bender. But, I got frustrated because I felt like no one was ready my work.
In 2026 my focus is going to be to write often and for myself. Meaning, I’m not focused on producing content for you, dear reader, I’m focused on writing what makes me feel good. If people read it, great. If they don’t, so be it.
Music
Man I love a good song. When I find one, I will obsess over it, playing it over and over, for weeks on end sometimes.
This year I found two songs. My tastes in music are eclectic, so the choices might shock you.
Kesha’s One - I don’t know anything about her personal life or choices, but the beat and the lyrics to this song really got me fired up on a long drive to Missouri in November.
Stephen Austin Jr’s Grief is Only Love - I just found this song this week. I loved it so much, that I rushed to learn it on my guitar. If you have ever lost someone, you need to listen to this song.
Read
I was able to get myself back into reading, as an alternative to gaming, once temperatures plummeted and we were inside more.
This year I found what could be my favorite book of all time.
If you want to see my notes from the book, head here.
I can’t recommend enough buying it. If you do read the book, reach out to me and let me know what you think. I just ordered the special hardcover version for myself. You can email me at jonathan.mills.patrick@gmail.com
Do Less Of
This category has centered around my professional life.
My goal moving forward, not just in 2026, is to do less work that I don’t enjoy. It’s impossible to completely erase joyless work. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do.
My entire career I’ve been focused on getting ahead.
Bigger titles, bigger teams, and bigger paychecks all lead to bigger internal strife.
Because I wasn’t doing the work I was meant to do.
Using words from Paul Millerd’s Pathless Path, I was focused on a life built on getting ahead, rather than one focused towards coming alive.
The truth is, I’ve been grinding hard for decades. I’m talking harder than most of the people I know.
Early side hustles to help improve our financial picture paid off, i.e. paid off our debt, but the inability to not be hustling and the urge to take on work simply for the income didn’t subside when our finances improved.
That’s not only true for my side hustles, but that mentality bleed over into my work-life, where I kept allowing myself to get pushed toward work I didn’t enjoy.
That all changed in November when I was offered a new role, doing work that I used to do for my company. It’s the type of work that makes me happy and where I feel like I add the most value.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s been scary stepping away from a role that has defined my identity for the past decade. I can’t tell you the number of people that I’ve delighted in telling that I’m leading the largest project in my company’s 50+ year history. But, it was a role that was turning me into someone that didn’t want to be.
I can’t tell you how thankful I am for the people at work that are making this happen for me. Its few companies that focus on allowing associates to do work they enjoy, rather than what the company wants them to do.
Stop Doing
I can summarize this category up with three words - no more “shoulds.”
I’m not doing anything, and I mean anything, anymore that is a “should.” I either want to do it or I don’t. It’s either a hell yes or a hell no.
Shoulds turn other things into somedays, and somedays will carry your dreams to their grave.
No more content I should create.
No more gigs I should take on because they pay well.
No more allowing people to take up space on my calendar because I should try to help them.
No more people in my life because I should be nice to them, even though the relationship was never mutually beneficial.
I know those statements make me sound angry. I’m not.
My wife has always told me that I’m too nice and I let people take advantage of me and my time. She’s been right this entire time.
Oh, yeah, one more. No more buying things because some online “guru” says I should if I want to optimize my finance/health/you name it.
I’ve been life hacking for too long now, trying to optimize my life through things like:
- Perfect Day calendars
- Journaling
- Meditation
- Mindfulness practices
Don’t get me wrong, some of those practices have been helpful. But I’ve been doing them because I should, not because I wanted to or because I saw a real benefit to them collectively.
Life, it turns out, is not something that has to be well orchestrated all the time. Sometimes the pathless path is best.
Start Doing
Let’s start this category with an easy one.
I’m going to start including a TLDR section at the beginning of each post, so you know what you are getting yourself into. Like it? I hope so.
On a more serious note, I’m going to start allowing more space in my calendar. Space for deep work.
In my previous role I delighted in telling people that I was often triple or quadruple booked during a time slight. Why that was a badge of honor, I don’t know. It’s nonsense to be THAT busy.
I used to think that I needed to have every second of my day, from 7am-7pm, scheduled out. I’d even get anxious if I wasn’t following that schedule each day.
I talked myself into that by telling myself that I was happier with a regimented day.
I was lying to myself.
I didn’t need that for mental clarity. In fact, being hyper scheduled was causing a lack of mental clarity.
So, instead of scheduling out my entire day, I’m starting to revert back to a simple to-do list for anything that isn’t a meeting with another person. When I get to each to-do during the day is when I get to them. I’m disciplined enough that if they are that important they will get done.
2026 Wrapped
How was your 2025? Are you telling yourself that 2026 is going to be “my year,” but deep down you know will just fall into the same patterns?
If so, I can’t help you. No seriously, there is nothing I can do to convince you to finally affect change in your life. There aren’t any frameworks or protocols that are going to make 2026 different. It’s all on you. You simply have to put in the work.
That said, did you see anything in my list that spoke to you? If so, hit reply and let me know what stuck with you.
If you’ve found this information helpful, I hope you’ll do two things for me.
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