{"id":6265,"date":"2024-01-24T21:48:36","date_gmt":"2024-01-25T01:48:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/the-benefits-of-looking-back-and-looking-forward\/"},"modified":"2024-01-24T21:48:36","modified_gmt":"2024-01-25T01:48:36","slug":"the-benefits-of-looking-back-and-looking-forward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/the-benefits-of-looking-back-and-looking-forward\/","title":{"rendered":"The Benefits of Looking Back and Looking Forward"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/hop.clickbank.net\/?affiliate=infohatch&amp;vendor=J1R2C\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10614 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/profit-gen400px.png\" alt=\"Profit Gen\" width=\"400\" height=\"217\" srcset=\"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/profit-gen400px.png 400w, https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/profit-gen400px-300x163.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>For more than a decade, each year, I\u2019ve been meeting with two friends to do a \u201clook back\/look forward\u201d exercise.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes we break this exercise into two meetings; this year, we did both parts in the same meeting.<\/p>\n<p>How do we conduct this \u201clook back\/look forward\u201d exercise?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Meet in person, if possible<\/li>\n<li>Have a pad of good paper and good markers at hand<\/li>\n<li>Bring look back\/look forward pages from previous years<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Look back\/look forward materials\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gretchenrubin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_7398-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/gretchenrubin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_7398-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gretchenrubin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_7398-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/gretchenrubin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_7398.jpg 1512w\" src=\"https:\/\/gretchenrubin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_7398-225x300.jpg\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-136370 lazyload\"\/><noscript><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-136370\" src=\"https:\/\/gretchenrubin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_7398-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"Look back\/look forward materials\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gretchenrubin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_7398-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/gretchenrubin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_7398-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gretchenrubin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_7398-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/gretchenrubin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_7398.jpg 1512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\"\/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>I find this exercise extraordinarily valuable, but if I\u2019m being honest, I don\u2019t think I\u2019d do it on my own. It takes several hours, a lot of hard thinking and soul-searching; I\u2019m not sure I\u2019d carve out the time to do it year after year if I wasn\u2019t doing it with friends. Accountability!<\/p>\n<p>Because the three of us do it together, we don\u2019t forget to do it, and we make time for it. Also, we take time to talk about our insights and observations, about ourselves and each other. That conversation is also extremely valuable.<\/p>\n<p>Each of us does this exercise slightly differently, so I\u2019ll describe how I do it.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, I use this exercise to explore my work life. I note very important personal milestones, but for context, rather than to closely track what happened.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Look Back at 2023<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>To do the \u201clook back,\u201d to jog my memory, I reviewed <a href=\"https:\/\/gretchenrubin.com\/articles\/how-to-write-your-23-for-2023-list\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">my \u201c23 for 23\u201d list<\/a>\u00a0and my digital calendar.<\/p>\n<p>On one page of good paper, in separate boxes, I noted:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>My one-word theme<\/strong> for the year: for 2023, \u201cWave\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>My annual challenge<\/strong>: #GoOutside23in23<\/li>\n<li><strong>Personal milestones<\/strong>: such as celebrating my in-laws\u2019 anniversary, giving the commencement address for my daughter\u2019s high-school graduation, jury duty, Justice O\u2019Connor\u2019s death<\/li>\n<li><strong>Travel<\/strong>: both personal and work, including vacations and conferences<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Most of my entries are related to creative projects I\u2019ve worked on, so they each have their own box; for instance:<\/p>\n<p>Some of my boxes are more idiosyncratic, for instance:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Didn\u2019t work<\/strong>: I noted things that didn\u2019t work out, or that failed altogether; for instance, I tried to figure out an idea for an audio-book from my material, and haven\u2019t cracked that yet<\/li>\n<li><strong>Realized<\/strong>: I made a list of things I realized; for instance, I realized that going to conferences is very useful for me, and should be more of a priority; I also realized that I want to spend more time reading social media (yes, <em>more<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>At the end of the \u201clook back\u201d half of this exercise, I always say, \u201cWow, I can\u2019t believe everything that happened this year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Creating this kind of \u201cta-da\u201d list is really valuable. I\u2019ve found that I can become very focused on everything that I want to do in the future, or on the things that I\u2019ve been struggling to accomplish.<\/p>\n<p>I get very energized by reminding myself of all the things I <em>have<\/em> done.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Look Forward to 2024<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>No surprise, my \u201clook forward\u201d is less specific and more aspirational.<\/p>\n<p>For 2024, on another page of good paper, I included all the major categories that I used to \u201clook back\u201d\u2014also my one-word theme of \u201c<strong>Revisited<\/strong>\u201d and challenge of <strong>#Write24in24\u2014<\/strong>as well as categories such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Anniversaries<\/strong>: 2024 marks a milestone date for my marriage, my <a href=\"https:\/\/gretchenrubin.com\/articles\/my-81-favorite-childrens-young-adult-books\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">children\u2019s literature reading groups<\/a>, and <em>The Happiness Project<\/em> book<\/li>\n<li><strong>Paperback<\/strong>: the paperback of <em>Life in Five Senses<\/em><\/li>\n<li><strong>Adventures<\/strong>: My \u201c24 for 24\u201d list includes \u201cGo on 2+4 adventures\u201d so I have a box with possible adventures<\/li>\n<li><strong>Admonitions<\/strong>: I wrote certain words in big letters, such as GROW ALL and CONVENE and WATERCOLOR<\/li>\n<li><strong>Major to-dos<\/strong>: I listed items such as \u201cUpdate my office\u201d \u201cNew product\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Big Goals:<\/strong> for instance, doing something for TV, writing occasionally for outside outlets, picture book<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>Secrets of Adulthood<\/strong><\/em>: I want to make progress on this next big book project<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Just as the \u201clook back\u201d helps remind me of what I\u2019ve accomplished in the previous year, the \u201clook forward\u201d helps me articulate what I want to accomplish in the new year.<\/p>\n<p>Putting it all on one page, in the briefest possible form, keeps this exercise manageable. It also means it\u2019s easy to keep a file handy of all the previous years\u2019 sheets.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m struck by how often a theme will repeat year after year before it finally gets resolved; on the other hand, sometimes a theme that seemed important at one point will vanish.<\/p>\n<p>These pages give me a real feeling of both continuity and change\u2014in my interests, values, strengths, and weaknesses.<\/p>\n<p>How do you look back and look forward on your work life?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/hop.clickbank.net\/?affiliate=infohatch&amp;vendor=J1R2C\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10614 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/profit-gen400px.png\" alt=\"Profit Gen\" width=\"400\" height=\"217\" srcset=\"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/profit-gen400px.png 400w, https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/profit-gen400px-300x163.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For more than a decade, each year, I\u2019ve been meeting with two friends to do a \u201clook back\/look forward\u201d exercise. Sometimes we break this exercise [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6266,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-habits"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6265","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6265"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6265\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}