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End of year reflection questions: 36 to ask before next year

By the LeapSteps team. Updated . Facts checked .

Quick answer

Good end of year reflection questions ask what went well, what got in the way, who helped and what you want next. Set aside an hour, look back through your calendar first, answer six questions from each group below, then pick one to three goals for next year, each with a first step for this week.

Why look back before you plan next year

Most new year plans start with a blank page. A reflection starts with the year you just had, which is the best evidence you have about what works for you. In a paper by Di Stefano, Gino, Pisano and Staats (2016), people who spent time writing down what they'd learned from a task did better on it than people who spent the same time practising more. That held in two lab experiments and in a field experiment with new staff at a large outsourcing company.

The end of the year is also a good moment to start. In a study of "fresh start" dates by Dai, Milkman and Riis (2014), people were more likely to visit the gym and to sign up to commit to a goal at the start of a new week, month or year. A reflection makes use of that pull with goals drawn from your own year, not from a list of what other people want.

Then make the goals something to start. In a 2020 study of 1,066 people making New Year's resolutions, resolutions to do something went better than resolutions to avoid something: 58.9% against 47.1% successful a year later.

How to do an end of year reflection

Give it one sitting of about an hour, some time in December. Write the answers down; a reflection you only think about fades by January.

  1. Book an hour and protect it

    Put it on your list with a date and a time, like any other task. A quiet evening in mid-December works well, before the holidays fill up.

  2. Scroll back through the year first

    Open your calendar, your photos and your finished tasks, month by month. Memory keeps the last few weeks and the big moments; the record shows the rest.

  3. Answer one group at a time

    Pick the groups below that fit your year, and answer each question in a sentence or two. Skip any that don't land. Short, honest answers beat long ones.

  4. Circle what repeats

    Read your answers back and mark anything that comes up twice: the same win, the same thing in the way, the same person. Those repeats are your themes.

  5. Pick one to three goals for next year

    Turn your strongest themes into goals you can start, not things to stop. Three is plenty. The rest can wait for a check-in in spring.

  6. Give each goal a first step this week

    A goal with no first step waits for January 1, and then for a good week. Write the smallest next step and give it a day, so the goal starts before the year does.

  7. Keep your answers for next December

    Save them where you'll find them. Next year's reflection starts by reading this one, which shows you how far the goals got.

36 end of year reflection questions

Six groups of six. Each question comes with what to look for in your answer. You don't need all 36: pick the groups that fit your year.

Looking back at the year

  • What three words sum up this year?Look for: the theme you'd want to keep or change
  • What did a normal week look like in March, and in October?Look for: how your days changed without you deciding
  • What took up more of my time than I expected?Look for: something to plan for, or to cut
  • Which month went best, and why?Look for: the conditions you'd want to repeat
  • What did I start this year that I'm still doing?Look for: a habit that stuck, and what made it stick
  • What did I say I'd do this year and never start?Look for: a goal that needs a smaller first step, or dropping

Wins

  • What am I most proud of this year?Look for: what you care about, so next year's goals match it
  • What did I finish that I'd been putting off?Look for: what finally got it done
  • What did I learn to do that I couldn't do in January?Look for: a skill worth building on
  • What small change made the biggest difference?Look for: a cheap win to keep next year
  • When did I surprise myself?Look for: something you can do that you hadn't counted on
  • What would I tell last December's me about this year?Look for: the advice to give next December's you

What got in the way

  • What did I keep putting off, and what was the first step I was avoiding?Look for: a task that was too big or too vague
  • Where did my time go that I'd like back?Look for: one thing to say no to next year
  • Which plan fell apart, and when?Look for: the week it stopped, and what changed that week
  • What did I say yes to that I should have turned down?Look for: a rule for the next request like it
  • What mistake taught me the most?Look for: the lesson, written as something to do
  • What do I keep meaning to fix but never get to?Look for: a good first goal for January

People

  • Who helped me most this year, and have I told them?Look for: a thank-you to send this month
  • Who did I spend the most time with?Look for: whether that matches who matters most
  • Who do I want to see more of next year?Look for: a plan with a date, not "we should catch up"
  • Who did I lose touch with that I miss?Look for: one message you can send this week
  • Whose advice turned out to be right?Look for: someone to ask before your next big choice
  • Who did I help, and what did I enjoy about it?Look for: a way to give time that suits you

Work, study and side projects

  • What work am I proudest of, with a number I can point to?Look for: a result to bring to your next review
  • What part of my work did I enjoy most?Look for: more of it next year, or a new direction
  • What part of my work drained me most?Look for: something to hand off, fix or change
  • What did I learn this year that I'd use in another job?Look for: a first step toward a change of career
  • Did my side project move, and what moved it?Look for: the hours and habits that worked
  • If next year went well at work, what would be different by December?Look for: a long-term goal for next year

Next year

  • What do I want more of next year?Look for: a goal to start something
  • What do I want less of, and what would I do instead?Look for: the "do instead" as the goal
  • What's one thing I'd regret not trying?Look for: a goal worth a first step in January
  • What would make next December's reflection a good one?Look for: your one to three goals
  • What's the first step for each goal, and when will I do it?Look for: a task with a day this week
  • When will I check in on these goals before next December?Look for: a date in spring on your list now

Searching "year end review" mostly brings up work performance reviews. If you have one coming up, the work group above doubles as your notes, and our guide on how to ask for a raise shows how to turn the wins into a case.

From your answers to next year's goals

Say your answers kept coming back to the same thing: you meant to read more, and the evenings went to your phone instead. Here that theme becomes a goal for next year with a first step for this week.

Example goal

  1. Long-termRead 24 books in 2027
  2. Mid-termFinish 6 books by the end of April
  3. Short-termRead 15 minutes every night for two weeks

Today's taskPick the first book and put it by the bed

We wrote this example ourselves. In LeapSteps you write the long-term goal in your own words. Tap Generate on the mid-term or short-term step and AI drafts three options; keep one, edit it or write your own.

The goal screen in LeapSteps with the AI draft as generated. Long-term goal: Read 24 books in 2027. Mid-term goal: Finish 6 books by Apr 22, 2027, averaging one book every two weeks. Short-term goal: Read 15 minutes every night for 14 days, logging each session, by Nov 5, 2026.

The screenshot is the app's draft for the same goal, captured for our list of New Year's resolution ideas. Its short-term step starts in the autumn, not on January 1, which is the point of reflecting early: the first two weeks of the habit are done before the new year begins.

In LeapSteps your goals live on the Inspire tab, each with a long-term goal, a mid-term milestone and a short-term next step. On the Goal page, Add short-term to to-do list turns the next step into a task, so it shows up with the rest of your day. Once a week you can mark finished steps Done and set the next one.

Turn your answers into goals in LeapStepsGet it for Windows

Your reflection hour

Seven short tasks that fit one evening. The aim is one to three goals with a first step each, not a perfect write-up.

  1. Book the hour on your list with a date and a time2 min A reflection with no date slides into January.
  2. Scroll your calendar and photos month by month, noting what stands out15 min The record fills in the months memory has dropped.
  3. Answer the wins and the what-got-in-the-way questions15 min These two groups hold most of what you'll use.
  4. Answer one more group that fits your year10 min People, work or next year: pick the one that matters most now.
  5. Circle anything that comes up twice5 min Repeats are the themes worth a goal.
  6. Write one to three goals, each as something to start10 min Goals to do something tend to go better than goals to stop.
  7. Give each goal a first step and a day this week5 min The goal starts now, not on January 1.

When the reflection stalls

A blank page, a year you'd rather forget, or goals that never leave the notebook. The usual snags, and the next move for each.

  • You can't remember much of the year.

    That's normal; recent weeks crowd out the rest. Work from the record instead of memory: your calendar, photos, sent messages and finished tasks, one month at a time. Then answer the questions.

  • It was a hard year.

    Keep the reflection short and practical. Start with the people group and one question from wins, however small the win. If the year brought losses that need more than a list of questions, talk them through with someone you trust first.

  • You wrote ten goals.

    Keep the three that came up most in your answers and park the rest for a spring check-in. Fewer goals leave room for each one's next step on a busy week.

  • Last year's goals never started.

    Usually there was no first step with a day on it. Across 94 tests, plans that said when, where and how people would act had a medium-to-large effect on reaching their goals. Give this year's first steps a day this week. Our guide on how to stop procrastinating covers the step you keep avoiding.

Sources checked October 30, 2026.

Questions, answered

What are good end of year reflection questions?

Good ones ask about the whole year, not just how you feel about it today. Start with what went well (what am I most proud of, what did I finish), then what got in the way (what did I keep putting off, where did my time go), then the people who helped. End with next year: what do I want more of, and what's the first step? Questions that ask for a specific example work better than yes-or-no ones, because the example shows you what to repeat. You don't need all 36 on this page. Pick the groups that fit your year and answer each in a sentence or two.

When should I do an end of year reflection?

Any time in December works, and earlier is fine too. A quiet evening before the holidays is easier than December 31, when the year is already full of plans and people. Reflecting a few weeks early also gives you time to start: if a goal's first step happens in December, you go into January with it already moving. Some people do a short version at the end of each month or each quarter as well. That makes the December one quicker, because the notes are already there. Whatever the date, put it on your list with a time, or it tends to drift into January.

How long should a year end reflection take?

About an hour is enough for most people. Spend the first 15 minutes looking back through your calendar, photos and finished tasks, then about half an hour on the questions, and the last 15 minutes picking one to three goals and their first steps. If you have less time, answer just the wins and what-got-in-the-way groups, and pick one goal. If you enjoy it, go longer, but keep the end the same: goals you can start and a first step with a day on it. A long reflection that ends without a next step changes less than a short one that does.

Should I reflect alone or with someone?

Either works. Alone, you can be blunt with yourself, and writing the answers down keeps them from fading. With a partner, a friend or a team, you get a second view of your year: someone else often remembers a win you've forgotten, or spots the pattern you keep missing. A simple way to do it together is for each person to answer the same six questions first, then swap and talk through one answer each. For a team, the work questions here fit a short end of year meeting, with each person bringing one win and one thing to change.

Can an app help me turn reflection answers into goals?

It can hold the goals and their steps, but the answers have to come from you. LeapSteps is our app. On its Inspire tab, each goal has a long-term goal, a mid-term milestone and a short-term next step; you can write each part yourself or tap Generate on the mid- or short-term part to choose from three AI options. Add short-term to to-do list turns the next step into a task, so it sits on your list with everything else. If you'd rather not use an app, write the goals and their first steps on one page you'll see each week.

Start next year's goals this week

LeapSteps helps you turn a goal into small next steps, so what you decided in December is on your list in January. LeapSteps is out now on iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac and Windows.

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