From the bestselling author of Building a Second Brain comes this hands-on guide to year-end reflective rituals as tools for personal and professional growth.
LIFE IN PERSPECTIVE:
The Art and Power of the Annual Review
by Tiago Forte
Simon Acumen/S&S, Fall 2026
(via Writers House)

Photograph by Ted Saunders
Tiago Forte credits his business and relationship success and his mental health and happiness to something in his life even more essential than his Second Brain. It’s a ritual he has been practicing, documenting, and perfecting since 2008 and teaching in virtual workshops since 2019. More than checklists, gratitude journals, vision boards, goal setting, or meditation, Tiago’s Annual Review process is a “psychological portal” that can reliably surface insights and reveal blind spots in your thinking. According to Tiago, there’s no more effective way to face your fears, find your direction, and grow in all areas of life than by developing an Annual Review practice, which can happen at any time of the year. Blending research (Appreciative Inquiry, the science of intention, the science of goals), storytelling, and guidance in one irresistible, category-defining new volume, LIFE IN PERSPECTIVE is approachable as a New Year’s Resolution—and a lot more effective.
Now more than ever, we need to know ourselves. LIFE IN PERSPECTIVE is a personal identity map, a flexible system you can customize and use to remember what matters, identify your goals, and create the life you want.
Tiago Forte is one of the world’s foremost experts on productivity and has taught thousands of people around the world how timeless principles and the latest technology can revolutionize their productivity, creativity, and personal effectiveness. He has worked with organizations such as Genentech, Toyota Motor Corporation, and the Inter-American Development Bank, and appeared in a variety of publications, such as the New York Times, The Atlantic, and Harvard Business Review. He is the author of Building a Second Brain and The PARA Method.

Imagine the perfect organizational system.
For the first time in history, we have instantaneous access to the world’s knowledge. There has never been a better time to learn, to contribute, and to improve ourselves. Yet, rather than feeling empowered, we are often left feeling overwhelmed by this constant influx of information. The very knowledge that was supposed to set us free has instead led to the paralyzing stress of believing we’ll never know or remember enough.