224 ☼ My most valuable creative habit (plus a new workbook)
Ten years of annual reviews, distilled for you
Dear friends,
This is the fiftieth (!!) and last issue of Process for 2025, and I’m excited because it’s also the release of the fourth volume in the Process Workbook series. It’s called the Year Review and Annual Planning Workbook, based on my own decade-long practice.
To break up the text, I’ve sprinkled in some images from my 2025 Daily Photo Diary.
Before we dive in, a few things:
Paris Recap Video — A new video recap of the Process Paris Photo Walk is live here. It’s also episode 3 in the “She Just...Disappeared” series and includes a street photography review of the Panasonic Lumix GF1.
Fujifilm XF10 Review — I wrote about using the 2011 classic Fujifilm XF10 as a pocket camera for travel on the MPB website. Read it here.
How I Handle Client Feedback — I wrote and directed a new video about processing client feedback for my friends at picdrop. Check it out here, featuring the very funny Matt Castellvi as the human form of Carl the Pigeon.
Boomerang — My old friend Nalden, co-founder of WeTransfer, started a new company to pick up where WT left off. I’ve been beta-testing it for sending large video files and love it. It’s free to use, and Nalden set up a coupon for Process readers: three months of the pro account free with code “PROCESS” at checkout. Check it out here. Not an ad, just sharing something useful made by a friend.
My Most Valuable Creative Habit
For the past ten years, I have dedicated one weekend towards the end of the year to looking back at the past year, see what I have learned, and set new goals for next year. These are not just creative or work goals, but a balanced set of goals across eight different areas of life to help me examine my needs and wants and be intentional about making time for them.
When I started this habit, I didn’t know it would become such a big part of my life. I originally adapted a method developed by Zig Ziglar in the 1960’s and shared by Seth Godin in a now out-of-print workbook. Over the years, I have borrowed many bits and pieces of other people’s methodologies to make it work for me. After ten years it’s pretty set and well-tested so I wanted to share it with you. This workbook is what I wish I’d had when I started.
Why I Do It
Everyone’s life is different, so it’s important to know I made this system to be flexible, modular, and full adjustable. It’s built for people like us. People who like to make things, who work independently or alongside a busy day job, and who need clarity more than complexity.
The goal is simple: understand the past year honestly, choose what matters most for the year ahead, and build systems that don’t require superhuman willpower or lots of time to keep up. The goal is decidedly not optimization or perfection. It’s just my system for keeping overview and staying on track in less than ideal circumstances.
How It Works
This workbook is meant to be used over the course of one year. You can start in December and prep for the next year, or start in May and go from there. You choose!
There are no hard rules here, just an opportunity to look back, see what worked and what didn’t, and move forward. This is about you as an individual and having a framework you can adapt to your needs. If you work through this slowly and honestly, you’ll start the next period feeling more grounded. That’s been my experience for ten years now.
The rhythm is simple:
Phase 1:
Review the past year
A guide to look at eight key areas of your life:
Career/Creative Work
Financial
Health/Fitness
Relationships
Personal Growth & Learning
Fun & Recreation
Home Environment
Contribution & Impact
Out of those key areas, choose 2 or 3 to focus on for next year (you decide on the actual number to focus on, I’ve found 2-3 is a good amount and more gets overwhelming.)
Set one goal per chosen area plus supportive habits and boundaries
A guide to setting up a system to check in with yourself and stay on course
Phase 2:
Go into the world and execute your plan
Review lightly each week (15 minutes) and a bit more comprehensive every three months (1 hour).
Adjust as you go (some things will turn out to not be so important as expected, and new things might pop up.)
The main goal is to find clarity and building a plan for yourself that you can actually follow. It helps you understand yourself and your priorities, and it’s not for impressing anyone else.
My Personal Examples From Last Year
To show you how it works in practice, I’ll share two goals I set for 2025, plus the why and how of each one. What you won’t see here is the entire process that helped me discover these goals were fully aligned with my needs and wants for 2025. That part is the real value of this system, but it’s hard to illustrate without trying it yourself. So instead I’m sharing the goals I landed on, why they mattered, the plan I made to reach them, and how it actually played out.
The real accomplishment is giving ourselves a little time to get clarity about what we want, and making a plan we can stick to that still allows the flexibility we need to adapt as life happens.
Example 1
Category: Career/Creative Work
2025 Goal: Land a regular visual column for a respected publication
Reasoning: I love working in a series format, and for the longest time I’ve wanted to create a regular column and place it with a notable publication. Something like a weekly portrait for a newspaper, or a quarterly photo essay for a magazine. Also, while editorial gigs aren’t big money makers, they add some stability in a freelancer’s life.
The Plan: Develop a variety of themes and subjects and pitch newspapers and magazines I’ve had a good working relationship with on the idea of an ongoing column to develop and publish.
Result: I did everything as planned, and there was interest but a regular visual column didn’t come to fruition for a variety of reasons. No budget, no space, not interested in the topics I pitched, etc. However, I was able to pivot! (Like Ross!)
After I was invited to write and read an essay about a photographic legend of my choice on Dutch national radio, and it turned out to be a lot of fun and a success for the station, we agreed to make it a regular audio column about photography. We’re now 6 episodes in with essays about Elliott Erwitt, Coreen Simpson, and more.
I got what I wanted, just not in the shape that I anticipated.
Example 2
Category: Health/Fitness
2025 Goal: Develop a regular exercise habit that I can sustain and not hate.
Reasoning: I tend to focus on work and creativity so much that other life areas suffer. I was inspired by Zig Ziglar’s concept of the Wheel of Life when I made my system, because it helps remind me of the other areas and bring some balance to my life. Health/Fitness has often been one of those neglected areas, but after a big health scare in my family it was time to make a change.
The Plan: Eliminate all my excuses to say no to exercise, and if possible, find a form of exercise I actually enjoy. Make it a daily habit because consistency works better for my brain than sporadic effort.
Result: I identified my main excuses: I don’t like gyms, I don’t have time to go somewhere, I need flexibility around timing, and I don’t have money to spend on it.
I eliminated these excuses by starting a 15-minute habit (no time) of doing calisthenics at home (no gym, no travel) with the help of a free YouTube channel (no money). I did this every morning for five months, and 15 minutes grew into 30-40. I also ran 2-3 times a week until I got a running injury knocked me off-track for a bit. But I proved I could do it and I felt stronger and healthier, so I no longer have an excuse. I also discovered padel, a racket sport I know play a few times a months. It’s fun and social. Partial success that I will keep building on in 2026!
Your Turn
If you’ve wanted some guidance thinking through your priorities for the coming year, give this workbook a shot. I’m standing on the shoulders of giants here, with bits and pieces borrowed from and inspired by many authors, coaches, and friends I admire.
I’ve spent a decade developing this system to work for my creative ADHD brain, busy schedule, and ambitious mind. If you relate to that, it might work for you. The book includes reminders throughout that you can adapt and change the system, even leave parts out, to fit your life and needs. Make it your own.
Process Workbook 4 is a 64-page eBook. You can use it digitally or print it out and write directly on it.
Through December 31, this workbook is €6,99 and it goes to €9,99 on January 1. Get it now here or click the button below.
Process Photo Club members receive this workbook for FREE. If you’re not yet a member but want this workbook, consider joining the club. You’ll get immediate access to all four volumes plus other ebooks, up to 50% off physical books, and the knowledge that you’re directly supporting Process and helping keep it going. More on the perks and pricing of the Process Photo Club can be found here, or click below.
I wish you all a wonderful end of the year. Thank you for reading and being here. It means the world that I can share my thoughts and work with you every week. Process will be back on January 11th, but keep an eye on my Instagram for episodes 4, 5, and the season finale (episode 6) of my “She Just Disappeared?” video series. Mystery and goofiness abound!
Talk soon,
Wesley
P.S.
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This Week’s Camera + Tools
Camera: Pentax Espio Mini
Film Stock: Kodak Tri-X
Lab: Developed with love by Carmencita Film Lab. They’re the best and put so much care into getting it right. Use code “PROCESS“ for a free upgrade.
Process is supported by MPB.com, my personal go-to for buying, selling, or trading used gear. Everything comes with a 12-month warranty.
🗃️ Browse the Process Archive.
Wes, I found it quite funny that we basically share the same problem/excuses for the fitness thing...
I loved that this is more of helping making this happen instead of another prison of productivity and micromanagement of time (both of which I hate). You might have just sold me on this workbook of yours 🤣
Damn, now I’m forced to hold myself accountable and do my year end review.