The last day of the year brings two very opposite emotions each year without fail: disappointments and hopefulness.
Facing the very last day of the year and realizing that I would have to mark many yearly goals with X marks and then starting completely new with a brand-new calendar without X marks brings the joy and hopefulness.
Like many people, the month of December is probably the busiest time of the year, trying to finalize (or meet) work deadlines, attend holiday parties, and finally reflect and review the year.
I often find myself rushing to complete this very last to-do list item, always on December 31st.
As someone who loves getting a brand-new calendar each year and filling it with annual goals, this year was no exception.
However, flipping through this year’s old calendar and putting X marks on several professional goals made me pause.
I started questioning whether these goals truly deserved X marks.
Was my way of looking at annual goals—accomplishing or not accomplishing—all wrong?
Better to measure process than outcomes
All outcomes and results are not within your control.
Even with the best goal planning, the final outcome is not guaranteed.
Everyone’s favorite January goal of weight loss is a perfect example of an outcome being outside of control. You can commit to daily workouts, healthy meal plans, and smaller portions, but losing 10 pounds might still not happen. Been there, done that!
Of course, not keeping up with daily workouts or turning to chips on stressful workdays didn’t help.
My efforts, or lack thereof, played a role in these missed goals. But some goals are even more difficult to measure by simple success or failure when external factors come into play.
At the beginning of the year, I submitted two project proposals to potential clients. Excited by the possibilities, I prioritized these proposals, delaying other work to focus on them in January and February.
Despite my best efforts, the outcomes were a resounding no. I didn’t get the projects. According to my goals, I failed. Did that make me a failure?
As I reflected on this “failure,” I started to question whether these goals truly deserved X marks.
Did I not work hard enough? The outcome ultimately depended on others’ decisions—decisions I had no control over. What if the selection process prioritized the lowest architect’s fee, and others offered a lower rate? Does this mean I didn’t accomplish my goal?
The answer is no.
While I didn’t get the projects, I realized my effort was the real accomplishment.
Goals influenced by external factors need a deeper review. Simply labeling them as accomplished or not is an oversimplification.
There is one goal that is entirely in my control
The biggest (and most significant) goal in my life is one I’ve “tried” to accomplish for as long as I can remember: consistency.
As someone who tends to work and play in extremes, maintaining consistency has always been a challenge.
nstead of following a steady schedule, I often peak on certain days and completely crash on others, resorting to comfort foods like Häagen-Dazs.
These “ice cream days” don’t just derail healthy eating—they throw off my workouts and delay important emails. On those days, my annual goals seem to vanish.
But after a day (or two), I manage to climb out of the ice cream container and start again with yet another resolution to stick to my goals. Reviewing my old calendars, I can see this cycle play out repeatedly over the years.
The good news? The number of “Häagen-Dazs days” has decreased significantly!
Consistency is hard.
It’s one of the oldest and most challenging goals I’ve worked on, but it’s also foundational.
This year, I’ve achieved about 74% consistency—far from perfect, but progress nonetheless. As I improve my day-to-day consistency, my success rate with other goals has increased.
Final Thoughts
The last day of the year has become my most significant day. It’s when I look back on what I did or didn’t accomplish and review my goals. It is also the day that set you up for the New Year…until I crash with Hagen Daz:-)
Over time, I’ve learned to review goals differently. Instead of assigning a checkmark or X mark, I’ve adopted a new grading system: a happy face for effort, even if the outcome wasn’t what I hoped for.
What are your ways of reviewing annual goals?
Life Outside of Design Studio 