Why incorporate reflection into your day and life.
Reflection is a deliberate practice of questioning that can be incorporated into your day and life in different ways. It may be something that you’re already doing without consciously thinking about it. However, it’s worth your time to understand the different methods because it can improve your decision making skills and life. You can also watch the short.
Four ways to incorporate reflection into your day and life.
1/ Reflect during routine and/or monotonous activities.
You may already be using the tail end of your walks, runs or commutes as time for reflection. Many people find these types of actives perfect for reflection because the monotony of the activities frees up their mind and the regular routine becomes a practice. This type of reflection is effective when you have previous experience or a framework to guide your next steps.
2/ Build time into your day to contemplate.
Contemplation is time for deep reflective thought whether during prayer, meditation or a mindfulness practice. Building time for contemplation into your day can be as simple as adding time between meetings for reflection. Looking out a window and/or changing the position of your body helps to stimulate your brain. As your mind meanders, reserve your judgements and note your feelings to help find the right path forward.
3/ Ponder the tough issues.
Ponder tough issues by thinking in a flexible and open way. It’s very similar to design thinking in that a white board or white space is used to brainstorm and develop new ideas. The first idea is rarely if ever the best idea but iterating on the idea eventually produces the right one. Standing and using a playful mindset produces the most creative thinking whether you do it alone or with others.
4/ Pause and measure up.
Do your convictions align with your conduct? Are you becoming the person that you want to be? These types of questions speak to your values and how you are living into your values. Creating a Life List makes it easier to apply your convictions, guide your conduct and periodically, evaluate your life.
Life List:
1/ Values: Distill two guiding principles from the values list.
2/ Standards: Operationalize your values for your desired conduct.
3/ Experiences: Choose and prioritize experiences to live the best version of your life.
