Daily Reflection Practices for Effective Goal Setting

This dead-simple 2-minute prompt has helped me journal every night for 1000 days in a row. I call it the “Daily Bullets”—here’s how it works: When I first started evening journaling, I made one big mistake: I had a complex, handwritten system that took 30+ minutes to complete. This was unsustainable, so every time I would fall off after a few days. Luckily, the Daily Bullets solves that problem—here’s how: Every night, as I’m winding down, I take out my phone and complete 3 steps: Step 1: I create a note with two headers: the date & “lessons/realizations" Step 2: I brain dump everything that happened that day, in order I don’t overcomplicate this. I simply put a bullet for everything that happened. • How I felt during the day • What I trained at the gym • The coffee shop I went to • What I wrote that morning • Any meetings or calls I had • Anyone I had a conversation with • Interesting things I read or listened to Step 3: I brain dump any lessons or realizations I had The list of what happened “primes” me for reflection & iteration. I’ll list habits that are working, ideas of experiments to run, people that are draining my energy, anything and everything. Then, I shut my phone and go to sleep. That’s it, that’s the entire routine. Why does it work so well? There is ZERO friction to doing this every day. • It only takes 2 minutes • I can do it from my phone, anywhere • I can do it even if my brain is working at 10% capacity Each of these is a requirement to stick with any journal practice (which was a realization from one of my Daily Bullets a few years ago). There are 3 big benefits to this routine: 1. Daily Bullets “close the loop” on my day. Rather than go to bed with swirling thoughts, this practice gets all the “open loops” out of my head and onto the page. Also, if I need to remember anything for tomorrow, I just put it at the bottom of that note so I don’t forget it. 2. Daily Bullets help me remember lessons I would have otherwise forgotten. Speaking of forgetting, most lessons slip my mind if I don’t write them down quickly. And this is why most people never make any progress. They don’t have a practice for iteration, so they make the same mistakes repeatedly. 3. Daily Bullets create a ledger of my year and set the foundation for my longer-term reviews. And finally, the best part is being able to look back on any day from my past to see exactly what happened & what I learned. At the end of every week, month, quarter, and year, I gather these recaps into one document to capture all the lessons in one spot. Aaaand that’s it. That’s the Daily Bullets system. Give it a try and let me know how it works for you.

Journaling nightly for ~10 minute has made me a better man. Feel free to steal my journal framework: ✔ 1 page free form brain dump of the day that just happened (What wins did I have? What would I do differently if I could live the day over again?) ✔ A quick look to the day ahead (this is a great place to prepare myself for the challenges to come.) ✔ List 3 reasons for gratitude (over time, this changes the brain to become more positive!) There is no better way to consistently set the direction for your life than daily reflection and planning (plus it's fun the laugh at the entries from a decade ago!)

7 Steps to Finish This Year Strong (The overlooked step to goal mastery) Most resolutions fail because we skip one step: Reflection. Before you are tempted to jump into setting goals, take one hour to look back. Why? Experts like Tim Ferriss and James Clear agree: Reflection reveals patterns needed to shape our goals. Here’s how to finish this year with clarity and set goals that stick: 1️⃣ Block one focused hour ↳ Set aside one hour distraction-free. Use your calendar or photos to revisit key moments. 2️⃣ Create a “Highs and Lows” table ↳ List 52 weeks with two columns: what energized you and what drained you. 3️⃣ Do a 1-minute audit per week ↳ Review wins and lows for each week. Keep it simple and quick. 4️⃣ Spot the patterns ↳ Find recurring themes. What worked? What didn’t? 5️⃣ Celebrate your wins ↳ Reflect on highlights and share moments with those who were part of them. 6️⃣ Shape your goals ↳ Do more of what works and less of what doesn’t. Let reflection guide you. 7️⃣ Make reflection a habit ↳ Track highs and lows regularly to make future reviews effortless. Reflection is the foundation. Goals are the path forward. Together, they create real, lasting progress. What’s your favorite reflection practice? Share your tips below 👇 ____________ ♻️ Repost to help others start the year with clarity. 📌 Follow Jorge Luis Pando for more actionable insights.