Let’s be honest, life is busy! Between work, family, friends, deadlines, errands and a whole lot more, we tend to find ourselves running the proverbial hamster wheel. It feels like we’re constantly moving but not really getting anywhere.
This leaves very little opportunities to take the time to stop and reflect on our day, week, month or year. (You can continue reading after you’ve finished singing the “Friends” theme song 😊)
Why is reflecting about your time spent important
Reflecting on your day, week, month or year helps you
identify what’s working, what’s not working, and allows you to celebrate your
successes and take stock of what you have learnt during this time.
Taking time to reflect forces you to stop and think about the things that are important to you, and if you have been spending the time you need to on these things.
Reflection gives you the opportunity to confront the things
you have been avoiding. Have you been
procrastinating about doing that task, making that phone call or having that
difficult conversation?
It also forces you to dig deep and figure out the real issues behind what you are feeling. Why are you procrastinating? Why are you focusing on the unimportant things instead? Why are you feeling stresses/anxious/overwhelmed?
It allows you the space to identify and celebrate your
successes and achievements. It’s easy to
forget what you’ve achieved at the end of your week, especially if you are
focused on the things that didn’t get done, or if you end your week feeling
stressed, tired and anxious.
When Should You Reflect
There is no right or wrong time to reflect. Choose what works for you.
At the beginning or the end of each day – before you do anything else. At the start of the day, get yourself a cup of tea/coffee. Reflect on the things you are looking forward to that day. Understand what your priorities are for the day.
At the end of the day – before you go to bed. Get into your pj’s, get into bed and start writing instead of watching tv or scrolling on your phone. Do a brain dump of everything that happened that day, how you feel about it and what you’ve learned.
Weekly
Set time once a week – at the beginning of the week, or at the end. Sunday works because it can be both the end of one week and the beginning of another.
Reflect on the week that has passed, and the week ahead. Did you spend your time the way you wanted this past week? What worked? What didn’t work? What are you going to do differently next week?
Monthly
Schedule your reflection time at the end of the month. Make sure that you give yourself enough time because you will have the whole month to review.
Annually
Annual reflections are non-negotiable for me. Annual reflections are important so that you
can review the previous year and prepare for the year ahead.
When you’ve completed your annual review, reflect on what
you can do differently next year, and what you want to achieve in the year
ahead. Use these to set your goals and
intentions for the year ahead.
Tips
Find a quiet space – being out in nature works well. If you can, go to a park, the beach or your garden.
Take 3 deep breaths and just start writing. Writing works better – it allows thoughts to just flow, and you can go back to what you’ve written at a later stage to see what has changed and what success you have had.
Ask yourself why at least 3 times. The power of asking yourself why is amazing. It allows you to get down to the root of the issue. You might be surprised to learn the real reasons behind your behaviour.
Don’t be scared to ask yourself the difficult questions.
Be honest with yourself.
Acknowledge your achievements, or the good things that
happened – no matter how small.
Some Reflection Prompts
What am I excited about for this day/week/month/year?
What worked today/this week/month/year?
What didn’t work today/this week/month/year?
Did I spend my time the way I wanted to?
What can I do differently tomorrow/next week/month/year?
What were 3 good things that happened this week/today?
What were 3 good things that happened today/this week/month/year?
What am I proud of?
Reflection Prompts to Help you Dig Deep
What would I like more of in my life?
How can I get this? What do I need to do to get more of this in my life?
What do I not want more of in my life?
What can I do to get rid of this in my life?
What am I grateful for?
Who am I grateful for?
How can I show them this?
As you develop the habit of reflection, the questions that
work for you will become evident. Use
you reflection time to learn more about yourself, how you can grow and what
kind of life you want to lead.