Do you also have the feeling that weeks and months are passing faster and faster? It's the end of the year. It's the best time when we have the perfect opportunity to slow down, look back and appreciate the journey we've taken over the last 12 months. It's a time for reflection and to think more deeply about what made us happy, what made us stronger, what went well, etc. Not every moment in the year has been positive - but even these are great moments to reflect and move forward to make our journey better in the future.

Reflecting on the past year is a good thing to do not only in the personal sphere, but also in the professional sphere. It is good to reflect on what we have learned and how we can apply it to our plan. Because just by stopping and reflecting on what went well and what to do differently next time is the key to success for the year ahead. I've got some tips for you on how to do that.

What have you done well this year?

The first basic point to reflect on is to consider what were your achievements? What have you done well? What was behind the success? What has been a pleasant surprise? This feedback will give you valuable insights that you can use to plan future activities (not just marketing).

What would you like to change?

There are no failures or mistakes. There are only valuable experiences that help us learn and move forward in life. What moments would you do differently and why? What do you think went wrong and for what reason? How would you have handled the situation differently? Imagine what steps you would have taken specifically. It is by analyzing and finding solutions that you move forward because you become aware of what went wrong and how you will go about it differently next time. Sometimes it's the failures that lead to great success.

What strategies have worked best for you and why?

What new strategies and tools have you tried at work? Who or what worked best for you and why? Think about what new things you learned.

What did your communication look like internally within the company and externally to customers? Were you visible enough online? Did you communicate news in a timely manner? How can you improve communication with customers? Are you communicating to the right target audience in your campaigns? How can you make better use of digital tools and social media? What new trends would you like to follow and why?

How to put new knowledge into practice for 2024?

Write down all the insights on paper and create an action plan from it. Write down exactly what you will change, when and how to actually get to the change in the coming period. Many key learnings can come from the new insights, such as how to improve communication with customers, work on making your brand and its products more visible, focus on innovation, information flow within the company, etc. It is also important to incorporate the reflection into your strategy.

This valuable feedback will move you forward in any area.

And when else to take time than at the end of the year when we can really stop and slow down for a moment (I am not counting stressful situations like getting everything done at Christmas - from baking, cleaning up, wrapping presents, eating, visiting your families and friends, cleaning up and eating again, more visits, etc. :))

It's Christmas - I wish you a lot of success in the whole year 2024 both at work and your personal life and that you have plenty of love, health, well-being and joy.

Merry Christmas