In a moment when the funding landscape has been unstable, institutions have been unpredictable, and many of you have been carrying more emotional and intellectual weight than ever, it can feel self-indulgent to pause and look back. But this practice isn’t about creating a tidy narrative of the year. It’s about locating yourself again — your values, your choices, your direction — so you can step into the new year with clarity and intention.Below, you’ll find all of the questions from my long-standing end-of-year reflection practice, along with a new set of prompts that speak directly to the realities of 2025.Take your time with these. Paste these questions into a fresh document and give yourself an hour or two to really reflect. Let the answers come slowly if they need to.REFLECTION QUESTIONS — Looking Back1. What went well this year? 2. What did I do that helped those things go well? 3. What accomplishment or milestone did I not celebrate enough? 4. What didn’t go well this year? 5. What did I learn from what didn’t go well? 6. What else do I need to reflect on so that I can do better going forward? 7. What do I want to remember about this year? (Think beyond achievements — consider character, values, and how you showed up.) 8. How did I stay true to my values this year? 9. What am I most proud of?REFLECTION QUESTIONS — 2025-SpecificThis year brought its own challenges. These questions are designed to help you integrate what 2025 required of you.10. What did I hold together this year that no one saw? 11. Which values guided me when external rules or expectations kept changing? 12. When things felt unstable, what choices did I make that I’m proud of? 13. What did I learn about my capacity under pressure? 14. What did I stop tolerating this year? 15. What did this year reveal about what I no longer want for my career? 16. Where did I find steadiness, connection, or meaning — even in small moments? 17. What did I learn about the kind of researcher, colleague, or leader I want to be going forward? 18. What expectations or habits did I let go of — and what space did that open up? 19. Despite everything, what persisted in me?INTENTION-SETTING QUESTIONS — Looking Ahead20. What do I want? (For the next year — or further out.) 21. Who do I need to become to make that possible? 22. What kind of internal or external transformation is required? 23. What lessons or insights from this year do I want to carry forward? 24. What am I most looking forward to in 2026, and why? 25. What am I worried about or dreading, and why? 26. How do I want to show up this coming year — for myself, my loved ones, my colleagues, my community? 27. What makes it easier or harder to show up that way?BONUS: Optional Closing PromptIf next December’s version of me could write me a note, what would she thank me for?Interested in joining the next cohort of K to R Essentials? Join the waitlist at https://sarahdobson.co/k2r