The attempt reviewed honestly becomes more than a finished effort.

An attempt that simply ends leaves you with only the outcome. Looking back at what you actually did, including the parts that went badly, turns the same hours into something you can use next time. Honesty is the whole condition here, because a review that protects your self-image mostly preserves the mistakes.

After the next thing you finish, spend ten minutes writing what you would do differently and what surprised you. Keep it plain and unflattering enough to be useful, and short enough that you will actually do it again.