5 Steps To Reflect Upon (And Improve) Your Career
“Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I will understand.” -Confucius
Your day-to-day life can be so busy that finding time for reflection might feel worth it. Why take the time to reflect when you can just keep pushing forward?
But research shows that reflection is actually imperative to success. A series of studies, conducted by Francesca Gino and Gary Pisano of Harvard Business School, Giada Di Stefano of HEC Paris, and Bradley Staats of the University of North Carolina, show that reflecting on what you’ve learned in the past helps you do better in the future. It increases productivity, performance, and shapes success.
There are different situations throughout your career that may require your time and reflection. Starting or leaving a job, before and after an interview, and even important work milestones are all great times to sit down and reflect upon yourself, your career, and your path.
So how can you use reflection to improve your career?
Here are five ways you can take the time to reflect upon, and therefore improve, your work.
1. Set goals.
The key to any path to success is having a clear objective… and being able to reflect back on that goal can help you continue to strive toward it. Setting goals can be as simple as telling yourself what you want in the future, but making what you desire as concrete as possible will help you move forward and reflect back. So how can you do this?
You’ve probably heard of SMART goals. These are goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time Bound. SMART goals make you more accountable and responsible for taking action… and studies show they work. But in order for these goals to work, matter, and be reflective, you need to write them down. Writing down your goals will make them concrete, embed them in your long-term memory, and keep them at the forefront of everything you do.
2. Write down your goals and reflections.
In the studies about SMART goals, the difference between those who wrote their goal down versus those who simply had an unwritten goal was stark: 76% of those who wrote down their goals (along with an action plan) ended up achieving results.
Writing down your goals is key to achieving them… and writing down your reflections is just as important. In fact, writing or journaling is the key to successful reflection, according to a study by Harvard Business School. The act of writing things down helps your brain process the information deeper, allowing you to retain whatever information you need for longer periods of time.
3. Just take 15 minutes.
Reflection doesn’t necessarily have to take a big chunk out of your day. Harvard Business School conducted a study that revealed even 15 minutes of written reflection at the end of your workday improved performance on assessment tests by 22.8%.
4. Journal all of your experiences… positive and negative.
It can be tempting to only focus on the positive aspects of your day, but the same studies that show just 15 minutes of written reflection improve performance also show it doesn’t matter whether or not this reflection is positive or negative. The focus instead should be on writing down what you felt was most important in your day. This will help you accept responsibility for all your actions throughout the day, and you can begin to learn from your failures… an idea most people are resistant to, according to Staats.
5. Practice mindfulness.
Speaking of fear of failure… one way to avoid falling into the trap of only negative reflection is practicing mindfulness.
Mindfulness is the act of bringing your awareness and focus to the present moment. Reflecting on your day might seem like an inherent act of mindfulness, but the draw to self-criticism is strong. Being mindful disengages you from negativity by allowing yourself to center and accept your thoughts without judgment. By focusing on the present moment, you can reassess your thoughts and call your wandering mind to attention. Rather than passively engaging with your reflections, you’re now completely active in writing down your day… without letting the negative get you down!
When you feel stuck or lost in your career, take it as a sign that you need to start reflecting.
Use Career Companion and take 15 minutes after work to write down the most significant part of your day. Set and write down concrete goals, don’t ignore your negative experiences, and stay present… Your career will thank you for it!
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