My 2018 Year in Review And How It’s Done

At the start of each new year, I take time to review the year that has gone by. In 2018, I took the whole of Christmas off work to spend with my family, so my planning for 2019 started well into January. And as my friend and productivity ninja Grace Marshall says, that’s ok.

8th Jan. First working day of the year for me. No I’m not hitting the ground running. No I’m not playing catch up. No I haven’t got 2019 all planned out – I’ll start that thinking this week. If you haven’t either. That’s ok. Because it’s up to you how and when you start.

— Grace Marshall (@GraceMarshall) January 8, 2019

In this blog post, I wanted to start by sharing my process for doing my annual review.

I then want to share my thoughts on my own experiences in 2018. I hope you find it interesting as you reflect on your own plans, learning, goals and aspirations, but if you don’t — just remember this article is essentially an exercise for me, not you. Your own annual review will be much more interesting for you! 🙂

Why have an annual review?

Why do I conduct an annual review? What’s the point of it?

Well, as a driven personality type, it’s all too easy for me to forget the progress I’ve made — the achievements I experienced, the wins I had — and only focus on achieving the next big goal. I need to be kinder to myself and remember I’m doing the best I can.

As a positive sort of chap, without a reminder, it’s also far too easy for me to forget the pain I experienced and repeat the mistakes I made. I want to learn from my mistakes and make less of them. A review helps me do this.

If you’re a similar personality to me then you might benefit from doing an annual review too.

The process for my year in review

Like most things that are important to me in my personal and professional life, I have a process for my year in review. This process helps make sure I’m consistent with the steps I take to review my year, and, really importantly, reduces my procrastination to getting started.

My process includes:-

• Reviewing my monthly highlights (which, in turn, are pulled from my daily journals. You can find more about my journaling routine in this interview with Chris Ducker I did on how to journal for business growth)
• Reviewing my life plan and noting achievements and challenges
• Review and update my “to NOT do list” (read more about why you should create a to NOT do list)
• Review and update my three words for the year (a process I learned from Chris Brogan’s 3 Words routine)
• Block out calendar time for important events and projects in the year ahead

During this process, I’ll ask myself questions such as:-

• What did I achieve in the past year and what did I enjoy?
• What am I going to achieve and what am I going to enjoy?
• What can I work on in the next year that makes me smile?
• How can I organise my work and my life to do the things that cause me to smile?

So what did my 2018 year in review look like?

Travel and experiences

I had a stand-out year in terms of travel and experiences!

I drove in an autonomous Tesla (the experience of the car driving itself is an odd one) and experienced “ludicrous mode” (0-60mph in 2.2 seconds)

My wife, Claire, and I had dinner with my business hero David Allen and his wife Kathryn in Amsterdam

Claire and I attended another WWE Wrestlemania, this time in New Orleans

I played Pac-Man on an original arcade machine with Continuum CEO Michael George

I visited my cousin Steven and his family in Boston, MA

I enjoyed my first ever fish meal

I ate my first ever seafood thanks to IT Glue VP Luis Giraldo and Greystone CEO Peter Melby

I was driven around a track at high speed by a professional driver in a Mercedes Benz S Class

I hosted a live video event from the studios at the London Stock Exchange

I delivered the keynote presentation at MSPCon in Paris, France and did some sightseeing alongside mon ami Pascal Fintoni

According to TripIt (read more on why I use TripIt – all your travel plans in one place) in 2018 I took 26 trips to 25 cities in 6 countries, travelled 183,272 miles and, most importantly, spent 91 days on the road. That’s 3 months I was away from home.

I’m really pleased with how I balanced travel this past year, making sure I learned from previous years mistakes when I became run-down, and blocking out plenty of rest and recovery time after trips. I was kinder to myself and didn’t expect be on full form in between trips.

Reducing my travel

With that said, that sort of travel schedule takes its toll on physical health, mental health, productivity and relationships and so I’ve already started saying no to events and speaking opportunities for 2019.

As a result, expect to see me at far fewer MSP events in 2019.

You can see the events I will be attending or speaking at by viewing my join me on the road diary.

The Tech Tribe Community

As well as moving away from one-on-one coaching work, in the latter part of 2018, I also became a part of Nigel Moore’s online MSP community,  The Tech Tribe.

Like myself, Nigel is a former MSP owner who now helps other MSPs to grow.

Nigel and I have become good friends, and he kindly invited me to join his community, and add value where I felt I could.

After a few weeks lurking in the community, I was blown away. I say this without exaggeration – If I were to build an MSP community, I would want it to look like The Tech Tribe.

So, rather than re-invent the wheel, going forward, I’ll be making The Tech Tribe my home and becoming a “Tribal Elder” in that community.

Expect to see me answering MSP questions in the forum, recording videos and delivering workshops on a day-to-day basis there.

If you’re an MSP and want to work with me, then I’d recommend you join The Tech Tribe.

Working with others

Talking of community, 2018 was the year I really embraced co-working.

Working alone can be a lonely pursuit, so co-working enables me to spend time around other business owners to have a cuppa, discuss our challenges, or even just put in our headphones and get on with work knowing you’re in good company.

I reached out to do plenty of co-working with local business owners here in the North East via Colleagues on Tap.

Similar groups probably exist wherever you are in the world. Why not check them out?

For my own happiness and energy, I’m going to continue to look for opportunities to co-work with my peers in 2019.

Website and Branding

2018 was the year that my website and brand got a long overdue overhaul!

Thanks to a team involving the wonderful Col Gray, Laura Pearman and Ahmed Khalifa, we migrated this website across to host WPEngine with a brand new look and feel.

This included new photography, and I can’t express how much I value photographer Laura Pearman’s work with her quirky headshots (read the full story here).

Consistent branding is important. I never realised how much so until I went through a rebranding process myself.

Going forwards into 2019, I’m partnering with a web design company to ensure the website continues to grow and evolve to meet visitors needs.

Confidence

In 2018 I spoke at a lot of business events!

Those who know me well know that speaking in front of audiences is something that scares the wits out of me, causes me sleepless nights and plenty of angst.

2018 was the year that I (finally!) became confident in my abilities as a public speaker.

This culminated in me presenting at MSPCon in Paris in December, where I had to deliver the keynote address to an audience to whom English was their 2nd language.

That presentation went really well and the feedback blew me away! I’m very proud to have played a small part in establishing what I hope will become a thriving MSP community in France.

That community has already suggested I return and deliver a new presentation in 2019, spoken in French. Sacré bleu!

The nerves around public speaking may never go away, but I’m finally comfortable calling myself a professional speaker.

Using video

I also forced myself to record more video content towards the tail end of 2018. Recording video is so powerful at helping you establish rapport with your audience, and I’ll be stepping up to do more in 2019.

Appearing on a magazine cover

Finally, thanks to the folks at Zedsphere who asked me to feature in their first issue of Zed magazine. There’s nothing like seeing your ugly mug on a magazine cover to remind you are making an impact, and friends and mercilessly teasing you to remind you not to let it go to your head. 🙂

Personal

In March 2018, my best pal and one of my oldest friends, Matthew Cleary, passed away.

Losing a friend

Matt and I grew up together in Birmingham as huge fans of Pro-Wrestling. My wife, Claire, Matt and I were due to get together to attend Wrestlemania in New Orleans just two weeks after Matt unexpectedly passed away.

I was so touched that my friend, Jill Bate, contacted the co-owner of Progress Wrestling, Jim Smallman, to share the sad news.

Jim gave a lovely tribute to Matt at the first Progress Wrestlemania-weekend show.

Matt’s passing hit me hard, but that time of sadness reminded me of the importance of friendship. My friends helped me come to terms with Matt’s passing and celebrate his life, rather than dwell on his loss.

So I organised for all my Wrestling buddies to get together in Birmingham for a weekend of local Wrestling shows we called the Matthew Cleary Wrestlepalooza Weekend Festival of Friendship.

I think Matt would have enjoyed it. 🙂

Resiliency

Thanks to my friend Polly Brennan, I also put together a resiliency plan that reminds me that if I’m feeling anxious or overwhelmed, being unkind to myself or any of the red flags that can be signs of poor mental health, that I’ve got uplifting activities I can do to change my mood, and friends I can call on for support.

As fellow “generally happy and friendly and funny guy” Chris Brogan says on why he writes about Depression, it’s good to hear the phrase “I’m on your team” from friends.

Living in the North East

In September 2018, I celebrate 2 years of being married to Claire and just over 2 years of living and working in the North East.

Getting married and moving to Newcastle-Upon-Tyne remains the best decision I’ve ever made. I absolutely love my life in the Toon, my friends and my family here!

Finding a new hobby

One of my challenges for 2019 is to find a new hobby.

I love reading, movies, comic books and retro gaming, but the common thread amongst those activities is that they don’t involve a lot of movement!

In 2018 I tried archery and in 2019 I want to try to find a new hobby that gets me moving. Suggestions on potential new hobbies are welcome.

Becoming a Godfather

Finally, on a very happy note, in 2018 my good friends Lee & Becky asked me to be godparent to their newborn twin sons, Isaac & Joshua.

My lovely Goddaughter, Georgina, turns 21 in 2019.

So, I could not have been prouder than to be asked to play a part in these two lovely boys lives as they grow up, and I look forward to helping them celebrate their 21st birthdays in 2039!

Conclusion

As with every year, 2018 was full of great experiences, wins, losses, challenges, uplifting news and sad news.

It’s not until you make time to reflect on what you’ve experienced that you really appreciate what you’ve learned.

Each year, I look back on the year I’ve experienced, and as I plan my year ahead I ask myself…

• What did I achieve in the past year and what did I enjoy?
• What am I going to achieve and what am I going to enjoy?
• What can I work on in the next year that makes me smile?
• How can I organise my work and my life to do the things that cause me to smile?

What is 2019 going to look like for you? Leave a comment below or get in touch and let me know. 🙂

You Might Also Be Interested In

• Three Questions To Ask Yourself Before Setting Your New Years Goals
• Why I’m rebooting my blog and my business
• Perseverance and Consistency = Success

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