Edition #172 – Dec 22nd, 2022

Annual Review

This is it. The end of the year. Whether 2022 was hard, fun, surprising, disappointing, challenging... You made it. You learned a lot. You're a whole new person. You can be proud.

Before you close your laptop and take a well-deserved break, I want to invite you to make one last investment in yourself before the end of the year, by conducting an annual review.

An annual review is an opportunity to reflect and learn from our experiences — the good and the bad. It's a way to practice gratitude and to notice patterns we want to undo. It's a time to let go of the past so we can feel ready for the future.

I know how hectic the end of the year can feel, so I have created a simple template that shouldn't take more than one hour to fill. You can download it here.

Find somewhere quiet, make yourself a cup of tea or coffee, and give yourself the gift of self-reflection.

Then, you can stop there. You'll already have done more than most people. But you can also turn it into an essay to share with loved ones or to publish on your blog. This is what I do every year, and you'll find my own annual review just below :)

This is the last edition of the year. I want to thank you for reading my little newsletter, for sharing this journey of inquiry and discovery together, and for endlessly encouraging my curiosity.

I'm grateful for our weird and wonderful corner of the internet, and I can't wait to keep on learning with you.

Happy holidays and happy new year!
Anne-Laure.

P.S. If you want to start 2023 with something fun and exciting while contributing to a good cause, I'm hosting a charity event with James Clear on January 4th ✨

🧠 Brain Food

​2022 year in review: wander and wonder (7 min)​
​Written by Anne-Laure Le Cunff​
This year was not the year I expected. It was a year of darkness and doubt, a year of light and love, a year of self-discovery and community. I usually start my annual reviews with a few bullet points listing my proudest accomplishments, but it feels wrong this time around. Instead, I’ll describe why this year has been a pivotal one.

​Life management: a holistic approach to make the most of your life (5 min)​
​Written by Dr Hannah Rose​
Your life is not a list. Rather than managing each aspect of your life separately, life management is about integrating all the moving parts of your life. In contrast to traditional task management, this holistic approach provides the foundations for a more creative, productive, happy life.

​The Zwicky box: a powerful method for problem solving and creativity (7 min)​
​Written by Haikal Kushahrin​
Whenever you feel stuck, it can be helpful to boost your creativity with a systematic approach. The Zwicky box is a simple and effective way to create many unique ideas by breaking the problem down into categories, adding values to each category, and combining these values to create unique answers.

🍬 Brain Candy

Little nuggets from my Twitter bookmarks this week. Click on the card to read the full tweet and see any videos/images.

✨ Brain Picks

Are you or do you know a UK university student? As part of my PhD studies, I'm running a short survey about perspectives and experiences of online learning. Learn more.

🤝 Brain Trust

Invest in your productivity and your mental health. Join the Ness Labs learning community for unlimited access to our online courses and workshops. Join the community

🌊 Brain Waves

If you enjoyed this edition, please share the love with fellow curious minds on Twitter or Whatsapp.

Until next year, take care!