Halftime Break, Mid-Year Review - TPW402

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Halftime Break, Mid-Year Review – TPW402

This week we discuss the importance of taking time for an effective mid-year review and how it can benefit us throughout the rest of 2022.

July is a good time to take stock of our goals and how we are doing so far in 2022

Believe it or not, we’ve passed the halfway mark of 2022. Time feels like it’s flying by. We’ve just passed the summer solstice for those of us in the northern hemisphere; it’s summer-hot here in Texas. For our friends in the southern hemisphere, it’s wintertime. I read that July is typically the coldest month in Australia.

Either way, it’s a great time to settle in with a cold or hot beverage, depending on which hemisphere you live in, and pause to reflect on where things stand in terms of your goals and plans for the year.

Although this is something I do around this time every year, I started thinking about this a few weeks ago when I randomly watched a documentary (I think it was on Netflix) about Jennifer Lopez, called Halftime. It was structured around her preparations for and performance at the Super Bowl halftime show last year, but also talked about her feelings about turning 50 and her thoughts about this next stage of her life.

Halftime in American football is a break from the action, a time for those on the field to go into the locker room, rest, evaluate how the first half went, and make adjustments to the plan for the second half. The same thing can help with our year . . . we call it a mid-year review.

Why do a midyear review?

It helps foster awareness and intentionality in how you’re living your life by giving you time to evaluate if and how you’re progressing toward your goals and in general toward making a life that matters as you define it.
Gives you a break from the action, a chance to pull back for a big-picture look at the field, get some perspective, and make any necessary course corrections.
One article I read identifies the following major benefits:
- Determine if your actions are progressing you towards your goals
- Determine if you are progressing at the right speed (i.e. will you reach your goal on time?)
- Determine if your goals are still relevant
- Understand the challenges you have faced and what learnings you can make
- Identify more effective or efficient methods of achieving your goal
Another writer notes that an effective halftime pause can result in “decreased anxiety, increased motivation, increased focus, and decreased wasted time.”
Applies to both personal and professional lives; recommend doing it for both

What materials do you need?

Calendar
Master to-do list if you use one
Goals if you set any
Notebook or journal (digital or analog)
Snacks & beverage
Consider doing a time log for a week before you do your review (get a good look at how you’re actually using your time)

Prompts and ideas

1. A traditional mid-year review involves looking at your calendar

Take a look at your to-do list, goals list, etc., evaluating your progress, what still needs to be done, and developing a plan to complete them. If you set goals for the year, look at them.

Which have you accomplished? (Celebrate!)
Which are on target for completion? Brainstorm the remaining steps and schedule the next step
Which have you abandoned or modified/replaced/postponed?
Which are languishing on the list, little or no progress made, little or no action taken? Make a decision: will you drop it or defer it, or will you take action and when?

Revise/modify your goals as it makes sense for where you are in your life now.

Look at your calendar for the past six months. Are you satisfied with how you’ve spent your time? For the next six months, are there any commitments you want to rethink? Anything you want to add? Anything upcoming you need to prepare for?

2. A little more introspection can be helpful, beyond just the very practical time/energy/activity management

Take a step back to think about how your life is reflecting who you want to be in the world. I like the ideas for questions to ask yourself and perhaps journal about from Jules Acree’s Mid-Year Reset Notion page.

What has been the highlight of my year so far?
What has been the biggest challenge of my year so far?
What were my top goals for this year? How am I doing with achieving them?
What is working really well in helping me make progress on my goals?
Where haven’t I been able to make progress? What might be getting in the way? (Remember, life happens! Take care and find ease.)
Are there any goals that don’t feel aligned anymore? Any goals I could move to next year instead?
How have my priorities changed since the start of this year? Any realizations?
Overall, how am I feeling at this point in the year? If I’m not where I wanted to be, what could I shift or pivot to make it feel better or more attainable?
Am I making time to pause and celebrate the wins (big or small)? If not, what will I do to celebrate?!
How do I want to feel as I head into this next half of the year?
What do I need to do to help me feel that way?

3. Another option is David Sparks’ approach (see his blog post for more details)

4. Here are some other mid-year reset tasks to consider:

Tidy your workspace, get a handle on papers, etc., filing
Check in with your spouse or significant other
Do a similar check-in with your boss and/or direct reports

Final Thought

I tend to follow a hybrid approach, evaluating my calendar and task list, clearing things out, taking care of procrastinated tasks, but also doing some introspective thinking about where I’ve been so far this year and where I might want to make adjustments for the rest of the year. Whatever process you use, an effective halftime pause can help you live more intentionally, purposefully, and productively.

What do you think?

Do you do a mid-year review? If so, what process do you use? Post your suggestions in the comments section below or in The Productive Woman Community Facebook group, or email me.

Resources and Links

Mid-year check-in episodes

End of year wrap-ups

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