At the end of each quarter, I personally do a simple self-reflection to check in on where I am and where I go. I’d like to invite you to do the same for your personal life.
I will keep constant watch over myself and‚ most usefully‚ will put each day up for review. — Seneca
Why we self-reflect
There’s a concept in aviation called the 1-in-60 Rule. It says that a 1 degree error in heading will cause a plane to miss its target by 1 mile for every 60 miles flown.
Small miss now, large miss later.
This highlights the need for real-time course correction and adjustment.
This is how I do it
I do this because it helps me to keep myself in check and aligned. Here, I look at 3 segments.
- Personal check in
- General quarterly questions
- A paragraph of general reflections
Objectives
- Figure out the principles, beliefs and values that keep working and do not work anymore.
- Identify areas that I am avoiding.
- Find reasons and practice gratitude in the current moment. There is always something to be grateful for.
- Check in on my personal learning growth and trajectory.
- Personal kindness mental health check-in.
This is how you can do it
- RAA: Reflect, Assess, Adjust
- Reflect: 2 questions to reflect on prior quarter
- Assess: 3 questions to assess heading
- Adjust: 5 questions to act on adjustments
- AAA: Awareness, Acceptance, Action
- Aware: 3 questions on the values, principles and beliefs that don’t work anymore
- Accept: 3 questions on what is needed to be done to accept that
- Action: 3 baby step to take, to adjust the values, principles and beliefs
Question Prompts
- What created energy?
- What drained energy?
- What is my “most important thing” right now? This is the big, long-term goal you’re focused on.
- Are my current systems aligned with my long-term goals?
- What is creating a drag on my progress right now?
- How can I make time for energy-creating activities and reduce time on energy-draining activities?
- How can I focus more energy on my most important thing?
- How can I better align my systems with my big goals?
- How can I reduce drag and accelerate my progress?
- What is going well?
- What is not going well?
- What is 1 thing you did that you are most proud of?
- What would you like to learn about yourself?
- What are my core values and beliefs, and how do they guide my decisions and actions in life?
- What are my passions and interests, and am I pursuing them in my personal life?
- What brings me joy and fulfilment, and how can I incorporate more of it into my daily life?
- How do I handle stress and challenges, and what coping mechanisms can I develop to better manage them?
- What routines do I want to create for myself, to celebrate success?
- How do I prioritise self-care and personal well-being in my daily life?
- What do I really want?
- What am I avoiding?
- What am I the most grateful for in my life?
- What am I afraid of?
- What are my biggest strengths and flaws?
- What are the greatest takeaways/life lesson of the quarter?
- Favourite thing that I bought
- What new things did I discover about myself
- Who are the people that I appreciate most?
- Did you accomplish everything set out in the start of the quarter? (Work)
- Did I enjoy learning? What did you learn?
- How could you have made the quarter better?
- What makes me valuable? How do I add more value? Who can I help and understand better?
- What is the 1 goal I want to achieve next quarter?
Keep growing. Keep learning. Become a better you next quarter.
Love,
L