2024 was one of the most action packed years of my life. So packed in fact that I didn’t even feel guilty I wasn’t doing enough writing or filming. I actually made a video on that recently (here).
Last year I didn’t do an Annual Review because…idk…probably forgot or something.
However in the past few months I’ve been getting more and more back into writing and producing content so here I am back to this sort of stuff.
That said, the Annual Review will answer three main questions:
- What went well this year?
- What didn’t go so well this year?
- What did I learn?
Before we begin, it is worth noting that every Annual Review is a personal process. This is simply an overview of what my year looked like, not advice for how you should live your life. (That said, you are always welcome to use this general format for your own Annual Review.)
James Clear
1. What went well this year?
Gym. This year I probably had the most consistent gym-going experience of my life. Having lived right outside the gym and going with someone all the time made it that much easier and enjoyable. Of course after having to move out in the second half of the year it was harder to keep going, but i’ve started to go again and am very much excited to keep going in 2025. I felt the benefits of consistent gym-going and it does feel really nice I have to say.
Student life. Having moved into the student dorms at the beginning of the year, I had 6 months of almost non stop student hangouts. That was definitely the highlight of the year. Living close to my friends. Always having someone to hang with and do stuff with. Made a lot of memories and friends that I will always cherish.
Drugs. I smoked this year. A lot. Weed and cigarettes. That was not ideal. But the reason why I put it as part of what went well this year is because it taught me accepting the bad with the good and balance. I quit smoking cigarettes in early December basically overnight. I don’t really care for it anymore. I don’t game that much anymore. Barely like it nowadays. True long-lasting change needs to happen naturally. If it doesn’t align with your identity it will always take an effort to keep.
2. What didn’t go so well this year?
Creative work. The only thing that I truly would say did not go so well this year was not doing any creative work, but I also am okay with that since I purposefully didn’t want to put the pressure of having to do that on myself this year.
University. I did not do much to pass uni this year. I realised I either use it as an excuse to not do what i want to do (like YouTube) since no one will bat an eye at me if I’m studying or I don’t care for it.
Getting lost. As much as I loved experiencing this year and letting myself just live and not care too much about the future, at one point it did become apparent that I lost myself a little in my relationships with other people. It was great to always be with people and having this really laid back lifestyle where I just whatever and whenever, it’s also important to not let myself get lost in this persona that fits everyone around and actually be true to myself and what I believe in.
3. What did I learn?
Adulthood. Maturing is weird. I realised reading the book “Games People Play” at the end of the year how much I’ve grown. It’s opened my eyes to my relationships with other people AND myself and why some work so well and others don’t.
Truth. Truth is relative. However that doesn’t mean that I don’t have my own truth that I should live by. I really don’t like conflict and I am always trying to find a way to make everyone happy, but in the end that just ends up making me unhappy and therefore other unhappy too. I’ve learned this year and practiced prioritising myself a lot and focusing on doing me first and that has been a game changer at times. The reason I say “at times” is because I still have to practice it. And I hope to do that in the next year.
That’s it for 2024. Happy New Year and may we all find peace and tranquility in this next year.
August 