What do we want to do? What do we want to do differently? The answer is usually: a lot. And then very little happens.

We have found that at the end of the year, a review is more appropriate than an outlook.

The author and podcaster Tim Ferriss calls it PYR - past year review - it only takes 30-60 minutes and we were very enthusiastic about it.

This is how it works: Take a notepad and create two columns: POSITIVE and NEGATIVE.

Now open your calendar on your cell phone or computer and go through the past year. Week by week.

Make a note on the pad for each week of all the people or events that triggered positive or negative feelings.

Enter them in the appropriate columns.

Once you've gone through the past year, look at your notepad list and ask yourself:

"What were the people or actions that reliably produced peak values?"

Now take your "positive" frontrunners and plan more of them in the new year. Put them in your calendar now! Book time with friends. Block out time for projects. It's not enough to plan it, you have to put it in the calendar.

This is the first step.

The second step is to take your "negative peaks" of the year and resolve to avoid these people and activities in the new year.