Look Back to Move Forward – Debriefing 2018

Happy New Year, former procrastinators!  Be refreshed and encouraged.

One way to do that is to review our last year’s methods and results so we go forward more wisely.

Military pilots debrief their missions. They evaluate themselves but they also get evaluations from others around the table who review what was right, what went wrong, how to correct and be more effective.  We can do the same.

Often family members or friends can tell what worked for us and what didn’t.  Their perspectives can be enlightening.  We may think we did better or worse than we did. No rose colored glasses and no unmerited reprimands. We want to deal with reality as we review our goals and routines that help us do what needs doing when it needs doing.

These questions help us debrief last year and fly successful missions in 2019:

• What were my goals?  (I forgot some because I didn’t review frequently. Now they’re posted beside the computer.)
• Did I accomplish them?   (No fudging.  Goals should be measurable so we know if we did them or not.  “Read three professional books.”)
• Were there goals I did not meet entirely but made progress on? Congratulations!  Be glad to be farther down the road.  (I didn’t memorize all those scriptures but I did half of them.)
• Were there goals I didn’t do at all?  Can I drop them?  Revamp my approach?  (Work three hours a week on a photo project.)
• Did I truly have to let go of some goals because of life circumstances?   (Serious illness in the family)  Or, did I drop goals because it got hard and I took the easy way out?  (“When I get home, I don’t want to do anything.”)
• Did I make deliberate decisions or drift with the flow of circumstances?  (“I’ll skip that again today.”)
• Did I lose interest in a goal and now realize it’s not that important to me?  (I can drop it.)  Or is it something I can do less often?  (Volunteer quarterly.)
• What did I learn about how I function best or not so well that will be helpful for this year’s planning?  (I think more clearly in the morning, so that’s best for writing and learning.)
• What activities require more – or less – from me than expected?  How can I adjust to benefit?  (Start dinner prep during lunch break.)
• What activities piled up on me and should’ve been spread out?  (Christmas shop in September.)  Or something omitted?  (Join only one club.)
• How can I set myself up for success?  (Print out scriptures for my notebook, car, and carry-on bag – easy opportunities to memorize or review.)
• Did I attempt too much – or too little?
• Did I include ample rest, play, and margin?
• Did God use something last year to show me where I should focus time and attention?
• What will I keep, omit, add, or modify?
• Overall, what did I learn?

Where does God want your life to count?  Did you give that your thoughtful attention?