Embedding self reflection as a high performance habit

Stop; Start; Continue: Embedding self reflection as a high performance habit
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Reflection can sound so passive.

Self reflection even more so.

An indulgent luxury for which surely there’s no time in our fast moving worlds with such a high demand on our productivity and output.

I get it.

Whilst we’re massive proponents of the importance of reflection, and the ensuing corrective actions or behavioural adjustments, it’s oft been the thing that gets shelved when we’re delivering a workshop and we’re pushed for time.

No more.

Why? Because it’s just too important.

In order to ensure continued high quality action and performance, individually or collectively, at work or away from work, you have to get off of the conveyor belt of busy doing and stop: 

To observe and assess whether what you’re doing is serving you or the people around you as best as it could.

Maybe it never was.

Maybe it was then.

Maybe it was even yesterday.

But maybe it’s not now.

This is reflection.

It doesn’t happen enough in our working worlds.

It needs to.

Throwing some structure around your reflection can be a great way to start and the “Stop; Start; Continue” framework is excellent for this.

As a result of your reflection, what will you stop doing? What will you do differently? And what will you carry on doing?

This structure makes it feel a little less like an open ended sitting down and having a think. You need that ensuing commitment to action to ensure that the reflection has purpose.

The basic process: As a result of my greater self awareness, through intentional reflection, I will commit to the following things - self management - resulting in change.

This process needs to happen all of the time.

Reflect.

Manage.

Adjust.

Rinse. Repeat.

It’s not just something that should be saved for the end or beginning of the year.

It should be embedded as a habit to make sure that we keep moving, adapting and adjusting to our ever changing environments.

As we begin to know and understand ourselves more - our needs, wants, drives, triggers etc, we have a far greater capacity to realise our potential.

As a guide, here’s my STOP; START; CONTINUE for 2024:

  • STOP - Being so quick to anger and frustration - it’s not serving me, the people around me or my work well at all.

  • START - Beginning my days with intent: 6 minute cold water plunge; followed by some breathing outside in the garden in just my trunks, exposing my body to the day’s elements; followed by 15-20 minutes meditation.

  • CONTINUE - Using the breath as a tool, throughout the day, to bring me out of my head and fully into the present moment.

Whilst these particular “stop, start, continue” commitments will not change daily (it’s a commitment for the year), I absolutely will carve out daily time to reflect on how I’m doing against them, making adjustments.

I invite you to do the same and let us know how it’s going. We want to hear from you.

There’s comfort in thinking that the answer to all of our challenges lies in something that we don’t yet know. Something out there. And when we learn it or have it, THEN, we’ll know what to do.

Until then, just leave it.

However, with an intentional commitment to regular reflection, we often find that we already know most of the answers. Very little of it is rocket science. A huge amount of it is about incremental habit changes - actually making them - sticking to them - tweaking them - holding yourself accountable - and maybe inviting someone else that you trust to hold you accountable too.

I know it doesn’t sound very exciting or feel like a huge “AHA!”, but embedding self reflection and management as  a daily habit, over time, has one of the biggest transformative potentials out there for business culture and performance.

Get in touch and let’s chat some more about this.

Christopher Wickenden 02.01.2024