New year reflection questions help you look back on the past year before you plan the next one. Start with what went well and what you learned, then move to what you want more and less of. Below are 40 questions, an example one-hour reflection session, and how to write a letter to next year.
It is tempting to jump straight to resolutions. Looking back first gives those goals something real to build on.
We overlook the good. Greater Good in Action, from UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, points out that we tend to adapt to good things and take them for granted. Its Three Good Things practice asks you to write down what went well and why, and notes that writing it down can be more helpful than doing it in your head.
Specific beats vague. The same site's Best Possible Self exercise is most useful when you are very specific about the future you imagine, and it can help you rethink your priorities.
Obstacles matter. WOOP, a strategy based on psychologist Gabriele Oettingen's motivation research, asks you to picture your wish and then imagine the obstacles inside yourself that get in the way.
What are three moments from this year I want to remember?
What am I proudest of, big or small?
What surprised me in a good way?
When did I feel most like myself?
What did I try for the first time?
What made me laugh the hardest?
Which day would I happily live again?
What went well, and why do I think it went well?
What was the hardest part of this year?
What got me through it?
What did I learn that I couldn't have learned any other way?
Which mistake taught me the most?
What did I worry about that never happened?
What did I keep putting off, and why?
Where did I say yes when I meant no?
What do I need to forgive myself for?
Who made this year better?
Who did I grow closer to?
Who do I want to thank, and have I told them?
Which relationships drained me?
Who do I miss?
Who do I want to see more of next year?
Where did most of my time go?
What gave me energy, and what took it away?
Which habit helped me most?
Which habit am I ready to change?
How did I rest, and was it enough?
What did I spend money on that was truly worth it?
What do I want more of next year?
What do I want less of?
If next year goes really well, what happened?
What is one skill I want to build?
What is one thing I want to stop doing?
What would make my ordinary weekdays better?
What am I curious about?
What is one brave thing I could do?
What is most likely to get in my way, and how will I handle it?
What word or phrase could guide my year?
What do I want to remember a year from now?
What would I love to say about next year when I look back on it?
This is an example plan. Split it over two evenings if an hour feels like a lot.
Minutes 0 to 10: Set up. Grab a notebook, your calendar and your phone's photos. Make a drink and silence notifications.
Minutes 10 to 25: Scroll the year. Go month by month through your calendar and photos. Jot down anything that stands out.
Minutes 25 to 40: Answer questions. Pick 8 to 10 questions from the list, mixing looking back and looking ahead.
Minutes 40 to 50: Choose one or two focuses. Circle the answers that feel most alive, then run your top one through WOOP (below).
Minutes 50 to 60: Write a letter to next year. Seal it or save it somewhere you will find it next New Year's Eve.
WOOP stands for Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan. The WOOP site says it only takes a few minutes, but you need to focus and keep the four steps in order. Here is an example:
Wish: Read more books next year.
Outcome: Evenings that feel calmer and less screen-heavy.
Obstacle (inside me): I pick up my phone as soon as I sit down.
Plan: When I sit on the couch after dinner, I'll open my book before I touch my phone.
A short letter turns your reflection into something you can come back to. Include:
Where you are right now: your routine, your worries, what is on your mind.
The one or two focuses you chose, and why they matter.
A kind word for the version of you who reads it, whatever the year brings.
A question to answer when you open it, such as "Did the plan help?"
For a full walkthrough, see how to write a letter to your future self. If you would like to save more than a letter, these time capsule ideas can help.
Go through your calendar and photos month by month, note the highlights and hard moments, then answer a handful of questions about what you learned and what you want next.
Try "What do I want more of, and what do I want less of?" It points you toward change without a long list of resolutions.
Either can work if it is specific. Pick one or two, then name the obstacle most likely to get in your way and plan for it.
Be gentle with yourself. Focus on what got you through and who helped. If looking back brings up feelings that are overwhelming, talk to someone you trust, a doctor or a mental health professional.
Dear You: Daily Letters lets you seal a letter to your future self for anywhere from a week to five years, and it opens in the app on its scheduled date, which suits a letter to next New Year's Eve. Your letters stay on your iPhone, and the app has no account or ads. It is free with optional Dear You Plus purchases.
Get Dear You free on the App Store