Reflecting for the Future
Have things been a blur lately? Too busy to catch a breath?
While being busy can be a good thing, it can also be detrimental to growth. If you are barreling ahead, doing things as you have alway done them and reacting to unexpected things without a thought - your stifling growth and probably burning out.
So what can you do?
Well, slooooooow down and take time to reflect. It sounds counterintuitive - but it truly is a key component of learning and building skills.
The practice itself is all about learning, looking back on the day (without bias or regret) to contemplate your behavior and its consequences. It requires sitting with yourself, taking an honest moment to think about what transpired, what worked, what didn’t, what can be done, and what can’t. Reflection requires courage. It’s thoughtful and deliberate. Being at the “top of your game” only comes when you extract from your past how to engage the future.
— James R. Bailey and Scheherazade Rehman
Studies show that taking time for reflection can improve productivity, increase self-awareness, facilitate learning, improve confidence and more. It can also help in building a mindset or culture that normalizes and learns from failures, which is key to building a resilient life.
In the article, Don’t Underestimate the Power of Self-Reflection, the authors share ways to build a weekly self-reflection practice. Taking time to reflect is a key activity to do in the 4th Quarter if not on a regular basis.
Below are some suggested questions for the areas of business, leadership and life. Choose the questions that explore the areas you want to reflect on. Be sure to ask at least one from each area.
ALWAYS ASK
Always ask this question first no matter what. It is important to reflect on what went well as too often we don’t take the time to recognize what we have accomplished.
What are wins for the year? What am I most proud of?
BUSINESS
Taking time to look at your business (or the business you are in) is an important task in planning for the year to come. By considering what went well, what shifted from your original plans and what opportunities arose - you can better look at what will be important to focus on next year.
How would I summarize this year?
Where was the majority of time and energy spent?
What areas can I/we take a step back from?
For the goals we set this year, what was really important?
What would a successful 2024 look like to me/us?
LEADERSHIP
We all lead in some capacity - at work, in our community, event at home. Taking time to reflect on your leadership this past year helps you step back and think about not only how you are leading but what are you modeling?
Did I accomplish my professional goals? If not, what kept me from doing so?
How satisfied am I with how I spent my time this past year? Was I able to spend some time on new ideas or special projects?
Did I keep my commitments (i.e. meetings, events...)?
What did I drop the ball on this year?
Can I change or remove one recurring meeting on my calendar?
Did I give enough time to my direct reports?
LIFE
Google “personal self-reflection questions” and you will have no shortage of lists and lists of questions. These are from a post on The Confident Mother - check out the post as there are few more that are really thought provoking especially in thinking about the year to come.
What are you grateful for in the past year?
How often did you put your wellbeing first?
What has surprised you in the past year?
What brought you joy this year?
When is the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone this year?
What do you most value in yourself?
As we head into the last 3 months of the year, take some time to reflect back on all you have accomplished and learned this year. You’ll be amazed at what you find. Plus, you’ll be ready to build a plan for a great 2024!
