Have you ever felt like life is moving too fast and you’re just going through the motions without truly understanding who you are and what you want?

As we embark on a new year, it’s the perfect time to take a step back and reflect on ourselves. January brings with it a sense of renewal and the opportunity for personal growth. It’s a time to look inward and ask ourselves important questions that can guide us towards a more fulfilling life. In this blog post, we’ll explore some self-reflection questions that you need to ask yourself in January. These questions will help you gain clarity, set meaningful goals, and make positive changes in your life.

So, why is self-reflection important?

Self-reflection is an important exercise that helps you learn from mistakes and experiences. 
If you don’t make the time and effort to refocus your mind on the positive through introspection, you won’t allow yourself to grow and develop.
Researchers have shown that we think more than 50,000 thoughts daily, of which more than half are negative and more than 90% are repeats from the day before (Wood, 2013).

Tips for answering self-reflection questions:

• Take a piece of paper, and write down your answer so you can go back and evaluate each year.
• Some questions may take longer to figure out the answer, which is fine! Give yourself a break if you feel like you need it.
• Be honest with yourself! Some questions can be hurtful, but it is key to learning from past mistakes.
• Be alone, and create a quiet environment for extended focus.

So here is a list of year-end review self-reflection questions that will guide you through your personal growth, career, finance, mental health, and more.

Goals, achievements, and self-reflection questions- PAST YEAR

1. What were my greatest moments this year? What was the best?
2. Take a look back at the goals you set for this year. How well have you accomplished them? What didn’t go as planned this year? Why? What can you do better next year?
3. Name 10 things you are most proud of this year.
4. Name 10 things you regret about this year.
5. What mistakes have I made? What have I learned from them?
6. What was my biggest failure?
7. Name one thing you are most proud of this year.
8. What did I do this year that I’d never done before?
9. What is a good habit that I built this year? How has it influenced my life?
10. If I could travel back to a year ago, what would I tell myself?
11. What is one difficult decision I’ve made this year?
12. What do I want to take from this year into next year?
13. How well do I take care of myself this year? How can I do it better?
14. What do you wish you’d done more of?
15. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Present, future

1. How can I make my daily life easier and nicer for myself?
2. What do I want to learn next year?
3. Am I spending my time the way I want to spend it?
4. What is holding me back from living the life I want to live?
5. How will I approach things differently next year?
6. What is important to me in life? Am I organizing my life accordingly?
7. How well do you take care of yourself this year? how can you do it better?
8. What are you most excited about for the year to come?
9. What is the first step you want to take in the new year?
10. How can you make next year a better or nicer year?

Relationships

1. Have you spotted anyone toxic in your circle? How do you handle it?
2. Have you reconnected with anyone this year? 
3. How much quality time have you spent with your family? 
4. What new understandings do you have towards a friend, a family member, or someone you know?
5. If you can only contact three people for the next entire year, who will they be, and why?

Finance

1. How much have you earned and saved this year?
2. Are you meeting your yearly goals?
3. How much debt do you have at the moment?
4. How much has it changed throughout this year?
5. What is the most worthy investment of your time/money this year?
6. What are some poor financial decisions you’ve made this year? 
7. what do you plan to spend less next year?
8. What are your money goals next year? How do you plan to achieve them?

Work

1. What is the biggest challenge I face at work this year?
2. Does my job reflect my core values?
3. Am I happy with what you have achieved professionally?
4. What new challenges do I take on this year? How does it go?
5. Where do I see myself next year? Will I be doing the same thing or not?

Mental health/ Self-care

1. What are you most grateful for this year?
2. How do you rate your mental health at the moment? 
3. What have you done this year to improve your mental health? (therapy, journaling, support group, etc.)
4. How can I improve my mental health?
5. What keeps you awake at night?
6. What’s the best way to look after myself when I’m not feeling well or in pain?
7. What worries me most about the future?
8. If this were the last day of my life, would I have the same plans for today?
9. Am I holding on to something I need to let go of?
10. What matters most in my life?
11. What do I want most in life?
12. What’s the one thing I’d like others to remember about me at the end of my life?
13. I feel most energized when . . .

Take the time to pause, reflect, and embark on a transformative journey of self-discovery through self-reflection questions. Your future self will thank you!

Remember, the journey of self-reflection is ongoing, so make it a regular part of your life. Take a moment each day to connect with your thoughts, feelings, and desires!

Check out these FREE goal-setting printables if you need some help planning your next year: https://miss-productivity.com/62-minimalist-goal-setting-worksheets-for-2024-free-printables/

Hope these questions will help you with your introspection and with achieving your goals!