As you may know, I’m currently writing a book all about the art and power of the annual review—a ritual that has transformed my life and countless others.

But here’s the thing: I need your help.

I’m on the lookout for great examples of annual reviews—your own, or ones you’ve come across online. I’d love to see the many forms this practice can take, from written blog posts to videos, podcasts, visual presentations, or even something completely unconventional!

If you’ve created or come across an inspiring annual review, please share it with me by replying to this email.

Your examples will help show the incredible range of creativity, reflection, and expression that’s possible with this ritual—and they may even make their way into the book!

Looking forward to seeing what you’ve got 🙏

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How to Stop Digital Clutter Before It Starts

This month is all about clearing your workspace in our Second Brain Membership. And it got me thinking about a key principle I’ve heard applied to physical items: “Don’t put it down, put it away.”

For example, if you’ve just finished your coffee, don’t leave the mug on the counter—put it in the dishwasher right away. This small habit helps keep physical spaces free of clutter.

So what does this look like in the digital world? It’s about immediately processing incoming information rather than letting it pile up in “in-between” spaces like your desktop, downloads folder, or inbox. For instance:

• Save it where it belongs: Move files into your PARA structure (Projects, Areas, Resources, Archive) as soon as you download them.
• Archive right away: If a file or email is no longer relevant, archive it instead of letting it linger.
• Tag or label info: Add keywords or notes when saving, so future-you can easily find it.

These small actions can prevent digital clutter before it has a chance to take hold.

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This Year-End Review Is One of the Best I've Seen

It's a 12-minute video by Australian podcaster, YouTuber, musician, and artist Campbell Walker After years of reading people’s reviews, I’ve found that most of them tend to be either:

• Overly triumphant (bragging endlessly about everything they’ve accomplished and how awesome they are), or...
• Overly cliché (repeating tired motivational slogans or generic “life lessons” that anyone could have come up with)

Here’s what sets this one apart:

1. It’s fun, creative, and lighthearted, acknowledging that a year-end review is essentially an art project more than anything else. There is no formula and no rules, so you might as well express yourself to the fullest extent possible.

2. It’s littered with genuine insights, such as him noticing that the bulk of any year is made up of “normal” days and they deserve to be appreciated as well and that he reached the 50% mark for almost all his goals (which tells him that he tends to overestimate his progress by 2x).

3. Meta realizations about his own approach to goal-setting, such as that most surface-level goals (like selling his house and doing #vanlife) have an underlying intention, which can be achieved in other ways (like moving to a farm).

4. How he highlighted not just big impressive milestones, but small moments that are disproportionately meaningful (like making a wooden storage box for his wife or reading a book that moved him to tears).

5. While being very authentic and personal, this video is also a “how-to” guide and template that is designed to support other people in their own year-end reviews, which means his creation contributes to others and is part of his building his following and business.

6. It’s highly visual, entertaining, and funny. You may think it’s strange to design a review in order to be more appealing to others, but I think that’s actually valuable. Other people are a mirror for oneself, and thus your ability to inspire others is closely related to your ability to inspire yourself. And seeing what resonates with others can actually make it more meaningful and motivating for you as well.

Watch on YouTube

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Ni de Aquí, Ni de Allá: Finding Home Between Two Worlds

I want to share a deeply personal and reflective piece by my wife Lauren on our recent move to Mexico.

It’s her perspective on why this journey was not just a physical relocation but a deeply emotional one tied to heritage, healing, and bold choices.

She shares what motivated us to take this step, the challenges we faced, and the lessons we’ve learned in embracing a life between two cultures.

Her words offer a rare glimpse into the complexity of finding belonging and purpose in a globalized world, particularly as a Mexican-American returning to the country of her ancestors.

Read on Substack