What goes wrong when you ignore that the annual review?

The most common reason fails: The most common failure is treating the annual review as a bigger quarterly review — evaluating projects and goals without stepping back to examine the life those projects and goals are embedded in. You emerge with a sharper strategy for the same trajectory, when the real question was whether the trajectory itself still serves you. The annual review must operate at the identity and direction level, not just the strategy level.

The fix: Block a full day within the next two weeks — not a half-day, a full day. Go somewhere you do not normally work. Bring your calendar, journal, monthly and quarterly reviews from the past year, and nothing else except what you need to write. Run the complete annual review protocol described in this lesson, including all six parts. Produce a written Year-in-Review document and a one-page strategic thesis for the coming year. This is the most significant single review you will do all year. Treat it accordingly.

The underlying principle is straightforward: An annual review assesses the year as a whole and sets direction for the next.