Happy December! We’re down to the final stretch. Including this one, there are only three Fridays left in the year. And while the temptation to start planning your 2026 goals might already be kicking in (along with the craving for turkey), I’d argue we’re not quite there yet.

As I’ve said before (and I’ll say again with even more conviction) there is no real growth without reflection. Planning without reviewing is like drawing a map without checking where you are. So today, before we set intentions for the year ahead, I want to walk you through a few foundational ideas that explain why reflection is the key to making those plans actually work.ro

Tip of the Week: Don’t plan your 2026 until you’ve reviewed your 2025. Real growth needs a retrospective before making a resolution.

Side Note: It’s tough to reflect (let alone grow) when your calendar is pure chaos. If you’re serious about aligning your time with what actually matters to you, start by getting your workload under control.

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The Theory Behind

Retrospectives matter more than resolutions. Tim Ferriss’s Past Year Review and James Clear’s Annual Review are two well-known examples of using reflection to guide planning. Both emphasize that we should learn from our actual experiences before setting new goals. Ferriss reviews his calendar week by week, logging what energized or drained him, while Clear reflects on what went well, what didn’t, and what he’s working toward. These methods work because they root future goals in reality... not in wishful thinking. Resolutions without retrospectives are often disconnected guesses; retrospectives give your goals traction.

Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle shows that reflection drives learning. Psychologist David Kolb introduced a four-part cycle to explain how we learn from experience: (1) Concrete Experience, (2) Reflective Observation, (3) Abstract Conceptualization, and (4) Active Experimentation. The takeaway is that experience alone isn’t enough. It’s the pause (the reflection) that transforms action into insight. Without it, we just repeat ourselves. But with it, we gain awareness, adjust, and grow. This is what separates progress from busywork.

Agile methods and deliberate practice both depend on reflection. In both software development and personal growth, one idea holds true: we learn by doing, but we grow by reviewing. In agile teams, retrospectives happen regularly (not just at the end of the year) to make sure progress stays aligned with goals. Similarly, in deliberate practice (popularized by Anders Ericsson), the goal isn’t repetition but intentional improvement, guided by feedback. In our own lives, reflection is that feedback. Combining annual retrospectives with goal-setting transforms vague intentions into informed action plans. The loop becomes: try → review → adjust → improve.

What I’ve Learned

You are where you spend your time and your money. Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do,” and I’ve come to believe that who we are is best reflected in where we spend our time and our money. That’s why every December, I revisit my calendar, my photos, and my budget. These will show what I actually did (which later I can compare to my original plan). Photos capture the moments that mattered, my calendar shows how I chose to spend my days, and my budget reflects what I was willing to invest in. If I say I value continuous education, but never made time for it or hesitated to pay for a course, then I wasn’t really living that value - I was just saying it. Reflection helps close that gap between what we believe matters and what we actually prioritize. That’s how growth starts: by getting honest about our patterns and deciding what we want to do differently next time.

Make It Happen

1. Schedule your reflection. Block one hour on your calendar this week or next. Protect it. This is a meeting with your future self.

2. Gather your inputs. Pull up your 2025 calendar, photo albums, journals, and any budget tracker or expense app you use.

3. Use a simple High/Low table. Create a spreadsheet with 52 rows (one for each week) and two columns: Highs and Lows. Note 1–2 moments per week, use your calendar/photos as memory triggers.

4. Tag patterns, not just events. After filling out the table, scan for themes. What activities made you feel energized? When were you most stuck? Highlight recurring patterns.

5. Run a values check. Compare how you spent your time and money with your stated priorities. Are they aligned? If not, don’t feel bad, just adjust going forward.

6. Celebrate progress. Growth doesn’t just mean hitting goals. It also means surviving hard seasons, making tiny changes, or staying consistent. Honor that.

7. Turn insights into intentions. Now (and only now) is the time to start thinking about your 2026 goals. Let your reflections guide your resolutions.

Reflectively,

Jorge Luis Pando

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