Firstly think: Would it help you portray yourself better if you imagine the review as a review you're doing of a teammate. How would you review Yourself as a teammate?
- How good of a team player he is.
- What work of his was noticeable.
- How much do you value his principles?
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Don't forget that this is also your opportunity to celebrate your accomplishments: You accomplished a lot, and you worked very hard to do it.
Don't sell yourself short as you talk about how you can improve. There's always room for improvement, no matter how well you do -
Keep it concise and strong: Try to find the right amount of things that you would like to include in your review. Not less - not More. Make sure you are not diluting the value of important acts by including too many trivial things.
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Plan your review for the SDE level you want to be in.: Go through your company's SDE leveling guide and frame your review based on whats expected of your position. Discuss with your manager prior regarding what are the areas for improvement and mention how you have been tackling them.
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Goals: It's important to have personal development goals to be part of the year-end review. this shows dedication put towards career improvement. The review should contain what goals have you achieved.
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Above and Beyond sprint work: Your peers value you for the principles you follow and amount of responsibility you take up. Make sure to mention about the extra mile you have gone to finish up a crucial task or area that you have worked on out of your interest that made impact