How to Download and Start Using the YearCompass Booklet

Updated

YearCompass is a free, downloadable booklet for reflecting on the closing year and planning the next one. To start, open yearcompass.com, choose your language, format (Standard for handwriting or Digital), and size (A4 or A5), then download the booklet and set aside a quiet few hours to work through its questions and exercises—first reviewing the past year, then planning the year ahead.

What you need before you start

  • A quiet block of time. The site states that all you need is “a quiet few hours and our booklet.” Plan for an uninterrupted session rather than squeezing it into scattered minutes.
  • A way to fill it in. If you choose the Standard format, you'll write by hand, so have a pen or pencil ready. The Digital format is for filling out on a device.
  • A printer, only if you want a physical copy. The A5 size is a small, foldable booklet, and the site points to a printing guide for a “stress-free experience.” You don't need to print if you use the Digital format.

Step-by-step: download your booklet

  1. Go to yearcompass.com. The homepage presents the download flow directly: “Close 2025, Plan 2026.”
  2. Pick your language. The site lists dozens of languages, including English (GB and US), Español, Deutsch, Français, 中文 (汉语), 繁體中文, 日本語, 한국어, and many more. If your language isn't listed, the site invites visitors to help create the translation.
  3. Pick a format.
    • Standard — “If you want to fill out the booklet by hand.”
    • Digital — for working on a device.
  4. Pick a size.
    • A4 — a full-page format.
    • A5 — “Small booklet, foldable.” Check the printing guide if you plan to print this size.
  5. Download the booklet. The site labels the download as “totally free.”

Expected result: you'll have the YearCompass booklet in your chosen language, format, and size, ready to fill out.

How to work through the booklet

The booklet is built around “a set of carefully selected questions and exercises” designed to help you uncover your own patterns and design the ideal year for yourself. The intended order is:

  1. Close the year first. Reflect on what happened—learn from your mistakes and celebrate your victories.
  2. Then plan the next one. Use what you learned to set out a path you want to walk on.

The site frames this as an alternative to new year's resolutions, which it says don't work, and notes that more than a million people around the world have used YearCompass since 2012.

Common sticking points

  • “I don't have hours to spare.” The booklet is designed for a single focused sitting. If you can't find a few quiet hours, consider splitting the closing-the-year section and the planning section across two sessions—but keep each session uninterrupted.
  • “I'm not sure which size to print.” A5 is foldable and small; A4 is a standard full page. Read the printing guide before printing A5 to avoid layout problems.
  • “My language isn't offered.” The site accepts translation contributions, but for immediate use, pick the closest available language you read comfortably.
  • “I'm not good at planning.” One user quoted on the site, Csaba E., describes exactly this: only the first step of goal-setting ever worked for them, and knowing where they want to go was enough. The booklet's questions are meant to surface that direction rather than force a rigid task plan.

What you get out of it

Users quoted on the site describe two common outcomes: slowing down to notice whether they like the direction they're heading (Andrea B.), and facing themselves honestly about how they want their life to go after years of defining themselves through others' expectations (Csaba E.). Treat these as illustrations of how the booklet is used, not guarantees—the value depends on answering the questions honestly during your quiet session.