A new year (calendar or financial) is often a time for reflection, for looking back at the events of the previous year and looking forward to the year ahead with all the challenges and opportunities it might have in store.

Whilst we shouldn’t necessarily dwell too much on the past, it can be a good thing to review what’s gone well and what can be improved upon, to look at what we achieved against what we’d planned to do and amend our future plans accordingly, and to look at what we can learn from our own and others’ experiences.

There are lots of sources of information, both internally and externally, which can help with this process, including various reports, websites, books, magazines and maybe even some good old-fashioned networking with people who may have some valuable input or feedback.

However you decide to do it, why not resolve to set aside some time, to take stock of what’s gone before and to plan ahead, before the chaos of the new year’s "business as usual" activities kicks in?