(make a copy before answering)
Backward Looking Questions
1. What are the big moments, memories, and milestones for this year? pick a couple per quarter
a. Q1:
b. Q2:
c. Q3:
d. Q4:
2. What do I look back on the most fondly that brought me joy? (people, places, habits, tasks,
experiences)
3. What do I look back on less fondly that weighed on me, draining energy or joy? (people,
places, habits, tasks, experiences)
4. How could I be a better;
a. Son / daughter:
b. Employee / employer:
c. Partner:
d. Friend:
5. What weighed on me this year? What did I learn from it?
6. What am I most grateful for?
7. What’s on my best of list? (books, podcasts, movies, songs, purchases, habits, etc.)
8. How did I grow as a person? (new perspectives, priorities, habits)
9. What were my biggest achievements? (what 20% of behaviors led to that)
10. Where did I fall short this year? (what 20% of things contributed to falling short that can be
eliminated)
11. What were the five most difficult conversations of the year?
Overall satisfaction (1-5) with;
A. Health:
B. Wealth:
C. Relationships:
D. Experiences:
E. Operations:
F. Career:
G. Side projects:
Forward Looking Questions
1. What is my single biggest bottle neck to growth? (what to focus on relentlessly to remove it)
2. If I had unlimited money, how would I invest today to increase time, energy, or happiness?
3. If I repeated my actions every day for 5 years, where would I end up? (is that where I want
to end up?)
4. Am I spending, or investing;
a. Time:
b. Attention:
c. Capital:
d. Energy:
5. Imagine your career is a game;
a. What game am I playing?
b. What are the rules of the game?
c. How do players advance?
d. How do players lose?
e. Is the game still serving me?
6. What could I start doing today to have a horrible year? (how do I avoid that)
7. How am I complicit in creating the conditions I say I don’t want?
8. What is nagging me that could be eliminated, automated or delegated?
9. Where am I taking myself too seriously?
10. How can I achieve my 10 year goal in one year? (or 10x my one year goals?)
(or download the file below)
OpsCombinator 