Make reflection a daily habit. Take the time each day to stop and reflect on your day. Writing down the highlights of your day or things that you are grateful can help you find some calm and insight.
We live in an incredibly fast paced world. Our mobile phones are constantly giving us notifications, it can be hard to switch off from work there is always a mess to clean up around the house, clothes to wash, dinner to cook or Netflix has something new to binge watch. Life is busy. But it’s important to stop and reflect.
Simply put, it’s taking the time to think about and evaluate your behaviours, thoughts, attitudes, motivations and desires. To help you work out if you are happy with the direction you’re taking and adjust if needed.
Reflection gives your brain an opportunity to pause amidst the many things running through your head. The observations, thoughts or interpretations and help you create meaning. This process can lead to valuable insights. I find for myself throughout a busy day at work I often am trying to find an answer for something, but when I stop, breathe and reflect on my day that’s when the answer usually hits me.
I’ve found that keeping a one sentence a day style journal helps me remember both the little things and bigger life events. And a focused to-do list to helps me to prioritise what I need to get done in a day.
Too often we look at the negative but we need to learn to treat ourselves with kindness. You can find contentment in journaling even the simplest of things. You’ll find in mine excitement that I made it to the bottom of my ironing pile to a conversation I had with one of my kids.
I use this memory book, by jotting down a quick one-liner each day for five years, this gorgeous book transforms into a fabulous world of forgotten highlights you can regularly revisit with the simple flick of a page.
When I stop and reflect I also take the opportunity to look at my to-do list. I struggle far too often with my to-do list and find myself at times overwhelmed with everything I have to do. One of the best strategies I have put in place is ‘pick 3’. During my ‘refection time’ I pick three tasks from my long list and they become my focus for tomorrow. This gives me a better sense of what my priorities are. Then once I complete them, I’ll pick another 3. This is why you’ll find in all of my planners and to-do notepads sections with to-do check boxes in groups of 3. I like doing many things in threes.
When I stop and reflect I also take the opportunity to look at my to-do list. I struggle far too often with my to-do list and find myself at times overwhelmed with everything I have to do. One of the best strategies I have put in place is ‘pick 3’. During my ‘refection time’ I pick three tasks from my long list and they become my focus for tomorrow. This gives me a better sense of what my priorities are. Then once I complete them, I’ll pick another 3. This is why you’ll find in all of my planners and to-do notepads sections with to-do check boxes in groups of 3. I like doing many things in threes.I like to stop and reflect in the evenings, being able to look back on the day and I find it helps me sleep better.
STEPS TO STOP AND REFLECT
Take some time each day to stop and reflect on what you’ve accomplished, what you’re proud of and prepare for tomorrow.
- Press pause on the chaos of life for 5 minutes.
- Close your eyes, breathe in and take time to think about your day. Open your eyes.
- Write down in one sentence something you felt about the day (accomplished, made you proud, a conversation, something you are grateful for).
- Look at your to-do list and pick 3 tasks on your list to prioritise for tomorrow.
- Close your journal, put away your to-do list and now relax.
DO YOU MAKE TIME FOR REFLECTION IN YOUR DAY?
