Reflection

In business and in life, it takes time to reflect. Who has time for that? We have things to do, people to see, places to go. There is very little time for reflection. 

What if we made time for reflection? There are so many things to think about and to reflect on.  In my coaching practice, one of the biggest challenges I hear is the lack of time. Having enough time to get it all in seems to be a challenge for all of us. Setting aside time to reflect has many benefits.

• We get a chance to replay a situation or an event.
• We get to explore our thoughts, actions, and emotions.
• We get a chance to decide what we can do differently in the future.

I started taking time to reflect after reading the book “Getting Things Done” by David Allen. It is called a “weekly review”.  A weekly review provides you the opportunity to reflect on your goals, priorities, and your inbox. Your inbox may be a physical inbox or the inbox for your email, tasks, etc.  A weekly review is also a chance to reflect on your “someday-maybe” dreams for your life. Someday-maybe are those things that you dream of doing and do not have a time or date associated with it. I have found the practice of having a someday-maybe file a good practice as well. It takes away the pressure to perform and provides you the opportunity to dream about the things that you think would be enjoyable. 

There are other opportunities to reflect in addition to the weekly review.  Reflection can occur before or after an event.  It is good to reflect before an event to visualize or articulate what success looks like for you. Reflecting after the event allows you the opportunity to discover what went well, what were the challenges, and what you will do differently in the future. Here are some other opportunities for reflection.

• An introductory call to a new prospect.
• A client meeting.
• A meeting or conversation with a business partner.
• A meeting with your team.
• A presentation to a group.
• At the end of the day, week, month, quarter, year, 3 years.
• Personally, professionally, relationally, spiritually, physically, socially, mentally, etc.  

As a leader and a coach, allow time to reflect with your team members in all the areas mentioned above. Reflection allows us a chance to pause. It is like taking a deep breath to consider what is working and not working in your life. More importantly, it allows you the opportunity to adjust your performance in the future.

Reflection may take as little 5 minutes, or it may take an entire day. Reflection provides the opportunity to be more mindful and intentional about how you live your life. It also provides you the space to adjust along the way.