Speaker 1: 0:01

Hey there and welcome to Productivity Hacks, your go-to podcast for quick hacks to help you to get things done and to do them well. I’m Jasmine, your host, productivity coach and consultant, and my mission is to help people increase their productivity so that they have time for what really matters. Each week, I’ll bring you a short episode packed with tips that you can implement right away to boost your output. So let’s dive in. Today, we’re talking about something that can truly transform the way you approach 2025, and that is the power of reviewing, reflecting and resetting. Now, I know that when the end of the year rolls around, it’s so easy to get swept up in the business of the season just the tying up of loose ends, attending events and just trying to make it to the finish line. But before you dive into that new year new me, energy and more on that in my next episode about how to harness this and learn to love January there is something really powerful about pausing to review the year that you’ve just had. This isn’t just about goal setting. It’s about looking back to move forward, and today I’m going to walk you through why reviewing matters, how to do it well and how to turn reflection into action. I’ll even be sharing some practical reflection models. To help you do it with ease and to make it even simpler, I’ve created a review and reflect guide that you can download for free. I’ll tell you how to get it at the end of the episode. So grab a notebook, a cup of tea and get ready to review, reflect and reset for a powerful start to 2025. You may even want to keep pausing this episode to work through things practically, rather than adding this to another to-do list.

Speaker 1: 1:46

So first let’s talk about why reviewing is so powerful. Reviewing your year is actually a productivity superpower. When we’re constantly moving from one task to the next, we miss out on one of the most valuable opportunities for growth, which is learning from our experiences. Reflecting on your year isn’t just a nice to have. It’s a proven way to boost your productivity, self-awareness and confidence. I think it is incredibly efficient to do this to learn from our experiences and get the most out of everything that we’ve done. It’s definitely something that, if you’re not doing, you’re really missing a trick.

Speaker 1: 2:30

So here’s the psychology behind it Our brains are wired to seek patterns and when you review your year, you’re giving your brain a chance to spot those patterns what worked, what didn’t work where you grew, where you got stuck. This is known as self-evaluation bias, and if you don’t pause to consciously reflect, your brain will fill in the gaps with assumptions, and they’re often negative. So you might convince yourself that you’ve not achieved enough, you’ve not done enough, when in reality, you’ve grown a lot more than you realise. Because here’s the thing reflection alone isn’t enough. You’ve got to turn that reflection into action. That is the difference between staying stuck and making real progress. So we’re not just going to review, we’re going to reflect and then act. Going to reflect and then act.

Speaker 1: 3:29

So how do you actually do a yearly review that actually leads to change? Let’s get practical. If you’re thinking, okay, jasmine, but how do I even start reviewing my year, I’ve got you. Here’s a simple three-step process that you can do. Number one look back. This is where you reflect on key moments of the year. Think about your wins, your challenges, your learnings. You could use prompts like what’s one thing I’m proud of this year, what was my biggest challenge and how did I respond? If I could go back, what would I do differently?

Speaker 1: 4:05

And after you’ve spent some time looking back, have a look at the patterns. Find the patterns. Look for common themes. Did you keep facing the same obstacles? Were there certain habits that kept you moving forward? Were there things that continuously held you back? What are the patterns that you can see?

Speaker 1: 4:26

And number three is look ahead. So you look back, find the patterns, then look ahead. You use your reflections to plan your next moves. Knowing what worked and what didn’t gives you a blueprint for the year ahead. What will you do more of? What will you let go of? If you follow this structure, you’ll not only feel more clear-headed, but also more in control of the direction that you are headed in 2025. Now, if you’re someone who likes a little more structure a little bit like me I’ve got a couple of reflection models that I think that you’ll love to help you with this.

Speaker 1: 5:02

The first one is the three L’s model, which is learn, let go and look ahead. It’s inspired by a common framework used in leadership, coaching and reflective practice. It’s really simple but powerful, a little bit like how I feel about most productivity things. So ask yourself these three questions what did I learn this year, what do I need to let go of, and what do I want to look forward to next year? What do I need to let go of and what do I want to look forward to next year. So learn, let go, look ahead. This model is really popular in coaching and leadership development because it encouraged growth. The learning, the closure, let going let going is that even a word? And vision? The look ahead. It’s a helpful structure for both personal and professional reflection. Here’s where I decide whether I cut out, let going. I think I might leave in.

Speaker 1: 5:57

The second model is the rose, thorn and bud model. This is from Design Thinking and it’s widely used in education and creative problem solving. So here’s how it works widely used in education and creative problem solving. So here’s how it works. You think about the rose, what went well this year they’re your wins. Then the thorn prompts you to think about your pain points, what challenged you. And then bud, what’s growing for next year, what are your future opportunities. This model encourages you to see those bright spots, the roses, to learn from challenges, the thorns, and to nurture potential growth those buds. I love this one because it’s simple enough to do with your team, your family or even your kids. I also love it because my daughter’s called Rose Nice one to remember. So rose, th continue model and this reflection method is linked to the Kaizen philosophy, which is a Japanese philosophy and methodology that focuses on continuous improvement.

Speaker 1: 6:59

So for each key area of your life or business, you ask yourself what do I need to stop doing? And the second question is what should I start doing? And the last one is what should I continue doing? Because it’s working? So it’s stop, start, continue.

Speaker 1: 7:17

This model is fantastic for action-oriented people. It’s practical. It makes it easy to identify what’s no longer serving you, what fresh habits to introduce and what wins to keep building on. It’s used in team retrospectives, in business reviews and personal reflections. So these models are very simple to use but incredibly effective. They provide structure for people who want to reflect deeply but might not know where to start.

Speaker 1: 7:42

So which one resonates most with you? Is it the 3Ls model Learn, let go look ahead. How about the rose, thorn, bud model? So the looking at the rose what went well, the thorn what challenged you. And the bud what’s growing? Or is it the stop, start, continue model? What do I need to stop doing, what do I need to start doing and what do I need to continue doing?

Speaker 1: 8:08

Okay, okay, so you’ve done your review. You’ve spotted your patterns, potentially used one of those reflection models and it’s time to put it into action. Here’s the mistake that I often see people make they do all this deep thinking, they fill a notebook with their insights and then the notebook gets closed and forgotten about. So I want you to be different, to commit to just one action. So, after you’ve done your review, just pick one insight and ask yourself what is one small action I can take this week to move forward? If you can build this habit of reflecting, choosing one small action and repeating the process, you’ll create a cycle of momentum for 2025. Because, remember, small, consistent action beats big, inconsistent bursts every single time. You can climb a mountain with baby steps, but you can’t climb a mountain if you’re paralyzed because you’re not quite sure what to do. That inaction that paralyzes you.

Speaker 1: 9:12

If you feel like you’re facing a mountain in your business or your life, have a listen to episode two of my podcast. It’s called Scaling your Business Mountain Turning Goals Into Actionable Steps. It will definitely help you with taking those baby steps and climbing your mountain. Okay, so I know that is a lot to take in. You’ve got the why of reviewing, the how of reflecting and the models to help you do it with ease, but I wanted to make it even easier for you. I’ve created a free ultimate review and reflect guide just for you. It’s packed with prompts, templates and the exact reflection models we talked about today. You’ll be able to download it and start your year end review in less than 10 minutes. So to grab it, head to the show notes or get in touch with me for the link Instagram and Facebook Jasmine, clark Coach. Jasmine with an E and Clark with an E and look for the download link. It’s totally free and it’s my way of helping you step into 2025 with clarity, confidence and a plan.

Speaker 1: 10:19

So, as we wrap up, I want to leave you with this the year you just had is your greatest teacher. If you listen to it, learn from it and act on it, 2025 could be your most intentional, productive year. Yet Take a moment this week to pause, review, reflect and choose just one action. I promise it’s going to be worth it. And remember, head to the show notes to download that free guide to help you with this.

Speaker 1: 10:49

I’m not going to be releasing an episode next week because it is a couple of days before Christmas, but if you want to get your weekly productivity hacks fix, then I would encourage you to catch up on an episode you’ve missed, or re-listen to the one that made you think the most. If you need inspiration, head back to. Productivity is not what you think. It is episode 7. If you found this episode helpful, I’d love for you to subscribe. Please leave a review and share it with a friend. Don’t forget to grab your free review and reflect guide from the link in the show notes or email me at jasmine at zestproductivitycom.

Speaker 1: 11:26

Until next time, keep working on your version of productivity, the one that works for you, not against you. Productivity is about focusing on the important things, not about doing all the things, and please always make space for reflection. See you next time. That’s it for today. Thank you for tuning into the Productivity Hacks podcast with me, jasmine. What is your action point today? Write it down and make time to do it. If you like what you’ve heard, follow this podcast to get notifications of the weekly episodes and please, please, share it with your friends.