Yearly After Action Report

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I. Introducing "Bertie Bells".

I've developed a routine over the past few years: completing an "After Action Report". It's a way for me to reflect on the past year, reviewing both the good and not-so-good experiences and it helps set an intention for the coming year.

It follows a simple framework using only a handful of questions. I like to write my answers out by hand, but it’s up to you how you use it.

What went well? - These can be big wins or little wins, write them all. From my experience and that of asking others, it’s easy to get sidetracked into what things didn't go well. Let's stay on the positive side and focus on the "wins". If needed, you can write about the challenges below, but let's get back to the "wins".

What setbacks did you face? Now is the time to address any setbacks you encountered. These could be things outside your control or mistakes you made. For bonus points, explore not only what went wrong but also why it happened.

What lessons did you learn (either from the wins or the setbacks)? I know it may sound a bit cliché to say there is a lesson in every setback, but often it's true. Both our wins and losses can be great teachers to inform future efforts.

Looking ahead, what do you want to focus on? Now that reflection is done, let's look ahead. What are your goals for the next year? I like to braindump this section and write down all the things I want to do, knowing that I can't do them all. It helps to get them out of my head.

What problems am I trying to solve? - This is arguably my favourite question and a recent addition to my yearly A.A.R. When it comes to goals, we often gravitate towards sound bites that sound good. “I want to get fit”, “lose weight”, “Run a marathon”. They sound good but often skim the surface of what we want. That’s where the “problem” question comes in.

When you look over your answers to question #4, what problems are you trying to solve? Is there a common theme or an underlying focus? It’s not to say your goals are not good, but maybe they are missing the bigger picture.

To give you an example, an answer I wrote for myself was to increase my “Thursday Three” subscribers by 30% by the end of 2024. It covers all the usual areas of a “good” goal. It was specific, measurable, and time-bound. Yet, when I stress-tested it with the “problems” question, I wasn't sure what problem it solved. Was it to boost my ego? To give me some type of validation of my prowess as a writer?

It sounded good, but ultimately, it didn’t mean anything. This is not to say that “losing 10 lbs” is not a good goal or you shouldn't run a marathon this year, but do some digging to understand if the juice is worth the squeeze.

I find this exercise helpful to reset and refocus for the coming year, and I hope you find it helpful too. That’s it for this week.

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P.S. If you enjoyed this week's Thursday Three, share it with a friend.

Thanks,

Jamie