A Simple, Effective Way To Review Your 2014

A close friend of mine and I exchange biweekly emails reviewing our progress and performance of the past two weeks.

It serves as a way to keep each other accountable and stay on track. The method we use is simple yet extremely effective. With the New Years celebrations in full swing, I find myself looking back at the year that passed, 2014. As I contemplate the various events that took place and things I experienced, it dawns on me that our biweekly review format offers a solid way to review the entire year.

I believe people get far too caught up in setting New Year’s goals and resolutions. The focus should be on reviewing the time that’s passed and learning what we can from our own actions and experiences. We should always have clear goals. Some new goals may arise as you review your year, yes, but there’s absolutely no reason you should wait for January 1st before setting goals. As men we need a purpose—a direction—to move forward and to stay focused and motivated.

But I digress. Let’s return to the basic method I want offer you in regards to reviewing your 2014. All you need to do is think of your life in terms on the following four categories: fitness and health, women and dating, business and career, and self-improvement. I find they cover the vast majority of ground men need to concern themselves with.

For each area, simply ask yourself: What did I do well? What will I do differently? Then record your answers. Below I’ll share my personal review with you:

Business

What I did well: I built my personal training business into a solid source of income. My clientele is as vast as ever. Also my blog How To Beast experienced steady growth. My books and courses are selling well enough that I was able to quit my software consulting job. Now I get to dedicate most of my time to writing and How To Beast. This was a goal of mine for a long time.

What I’ll do differently: Before quitting said software job, I hesitated. It was a profitable position and I almost dropped the training in place of it. This indecision crippled my productivity for weeks. Next time I need to make a career decision, I’ll move quicker.

Dating

What I did well: I was in a relationship at this time last year and I’m in another one currently. But the time in between was the most prosperous gaming period of my life (with day game and Tinder both being gold mines). I finally was able to assimilate a strong and confident mindset into my gaming and dating, and the results reflected this.

What I’ll do differently: As I mentioned in my most recent article, I believe I lost touch with my emotions and motivations somewhere along the line. While I was crushing the single life, I was doing so from a place of insecurity where I felt I needed women and sex. I’ll continue to remind myself that women are a great thing to have, but not required for living the good life.

Self-Improvement

What I did well: I terminated my internet porn habit. And this simultaneously felt great and boosted my discipline across all other areas of my life.

What I’ll do differently: I went through long stretches of not reading or meditating, two habits I want to be doing daily. I’ll get back on track here by reading for 30 minutes and meditating for 10 each day going forward.

Fitness

What I did well: My strength steadily increased all year long. I hit PRs on the bench press, overhead press, and back squat—my three favorite lifts. I’m also currently as lean as ever.

What I’ll do differently: My newfound leanness is the result of a string of bad GI issues that originated from a poor diet that ignored my food allergies. I also lost a bit of strength and muscle mass as a result of my current calorie-restricted diet. Once I’ve healed I will construct a superior diet that I’ll adhere to, to avoid future issues.

And that’s my year in a nutshell. A good one. I honestly would love to hear from you guys below. Share how you progressed in these four areas in the comments.

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Read More: How To Free Yourself From The Need For Women