End-of-Year Reflection: What Worked, What Didn’t, What to Keep: A gentle, honest check-in for authors building sustainable creative lives

Every year has a rhythm of its own. Some seasons feel wildly productive; others feel slow, stretchy, and reflective. But no matter what your year looked like, taking intentional time to pause and look back is one of the most empowering things you can do as an author—both for your creativity and your marketing.

End-of-year reflection isn’t about judgment. It’s about clarity. It’s about understanding the path you walked so you can step into the new year with confidence, vision, and peace.

Here’s a simple framework to help you reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and what you want to keep moving forward.

1. What Worked: Celebrate the Wins (Even the Quiet Ones)

As authors, we’re often conditioned to celebrate only the “big” milestones—new publications, sales spikes, subscriber increases. But sustainable creative living means recognizing the small, steady victories that shaped your year.

Ask yourself:

What felt good?

Maybe it was a writing routine that finally clicked, a marketing rhythm that didn’t drain you, or a community moment that warmed your heart.

What energized me?

Look for the tasks, projects, or interactions that lit you up. These are clues pointing toward work aligned with your identity.

What grew?

This could be your readership, your confidence, your craft, or even your boundaries. Growth doesn’t always show up in numbers; sometimes it shows up in the way you talk about your work or the ease you feel in creating.

Celebrate without minimizing.

Your wins matter, especially the quiet ones. They’re proof of the seeds you planted and the foundation you’re building.

2. What Didn’t Work: Release Without Shame

Not everything we try will succeed . . . and that’s okay. Failure isn’t a verdict; it’s data. When you practice Rooted and Rhythmic Marketing, you learn to base decisions on who you are and the seasons you’re in, not on pressure or trends. That means letting go of anything that didn’t serve you.

Reflect on:

What drained me?

Identify the tasks that consistently felt heavy, stressful, or forced. That’s a sign they weren’t aligned with your natural rhythms.

What felt misaligned with my identity?

If you tried marketing trends that didn’t feel like you, or you pushed yourself into a workflow that didn’t match your season, name it and release it.

What didn’t bear fruit?

Maybe it was a social platform that never built connection, a posting habit that wasn’t sustainable, or a project you kept forcing even when your heart wasn’t in it.

Release with gratitude.

Everything you tried taught you something: acknowledge the lesson, then let it go.

3. What to Keep: Choose What Supports Your Best Creative Life

Reflection becomes powerful when it guides the future. Instead of reinventing everything at the start of a new year, build upon what already works.

Think about:

What rhythms do I want to carry forward?

Maybe your weekly newsletter cadence, your morning routine, your planning ritual, or your content pillars.

What relationships strengthened my year?

Readers, fellow authors, clients—relationships grow when you nurture them with intention. Keep what felt life-giving.

What systems supported sustainability?

If a strategy made your creative life easier, like batching, scheduling, outsourcing, automations, templates, keep it.

Protect what brings peace.

You’re building a long-term author career. It’s worth preserving habits, tools, and environments that safeguard your creativity.

Bonus Reflection: Who Am I Becoming as an Author?

Behind every task, win, or challenge is a deeper story: your growth.

Ask yourself:

• How did I expand this year?

• What new strengths emerged?

• What do I understand about myself now that I didn’t last January?

• What do I feel God is leading me toward next?

This isn’t just about productivity. It’s about identity, calling, and the kind of life you’re cultivating as you create.

A Final Thought

Reflection isn’t about rewriting the past. It’s about realigning your future.

What worked shows you your strengths. What didn’t work shows you your boundaries. What to keep shows you your path forward.

As you move into the new year, carry what is rooted, rhythmic, and relational. Release the rest. Craft a creative life that feels like yours,  deeply, wholly, beautifully.

Learn more about how to build these weekly rhythms in my upcoming digital course: The Path to Sustainable Marketing for Authors.