I’ve often been accused in life of being one of those do-as-I-say-no-
as-I-do people, likely because I am. For
the longest time, I preached to others about the importance of introspection,
self-evaluation and taking time to think about your own life and the things
that have happened to you.
That said, I don’t think I started genuinely and
constructively reflecting on my life until around a year ago. While I’m sure you’re greatly enjoying
looking down your digital nose right now with a smug sense of satisfaction
(wipe that stupid grin off your face :-), can you honestly say that you take
scheduled, structured time to reflect on your life and experiences on a regular
interval? Sure, we all say that we look
back and evaluate the things that happen to us, but there is a HUGE difference
between spending 5 minutes on the subway thinking about your shitty day and
sitting down with a pen and paper to regularly answer some very important yet
simple questions about what you’ve been doing.
I have always led a ridiculously packed life and I would
argue that during the fall of 2010, my life was at its craziest. On top of an intense academic schedule while
completing a condensed, 1 year MBA, I was an executive member of two different
student governments, prepping for multiple case competitions, attending every
and any conference or business event I could get my hands on, training for the
Toronto marathon, active in a rock band that practiced twice a week a gigged
once a month AND I still maintained a healthy beer regimen. I was a complete mess of a human being who
became almost entirely task based with next to no critical thinking about how I
approached my life. My friends tolerated me for the favours I was able to do for them and my roommates found me unbearable.
However, after attending a fantastic conference with a group
of like-minded MBAs, someone put me onto the idea of setting aside a small
amount of time each week to reflect.
While I was worried about adding the proverbial straw that might break
the camel’s back (read: nervous breakdown), I figured that an extra 15 minutes
a week wouldn’t kill me. Based on a
recommendation, I would answer 3 questions each week:
What did I accomplish
this week?
This first question for me became more of a pat on the back
than anything. Sometimes, when
individuals become so mired in the drudgery of all that they do, they neglect to
sit in awe of their own accomplishments for a moment. In addition to making yourself feel better,
this question is also useful to identify where you are sinking the bulk of your
time.
What did I intend to accomplish
but was unable to?
Next, things start to get more critical. Here you have to consider your goals from the
week and flat out admit to your shortcomings.
The purpose of this question isn’t to beat you down and make you feel
like crap, but instead to set you up for the next, and most crucial question in
this process.
What prevented me from
accomplishing my goals?
This is the most important question you can ask each
week. After looking at the good and the
bad, you need to step back and look at the root problems. Sometimes the
problems are internal – in which case, learn to give yourself a good smack –
and sometimes, the issues arise from external sources – so get ready to punish
someone in your life. When I first started reflecting, a number of my initial
time sinks came from doing menial tasks that I shouldn’t have even been doing
in the first place. Identifying this
issue over and over forced me to change my ways and learn to become a better
delegator and a more hands-off leader.
These 3 simple questions became a routine every Sunday night
that helped me identify some of my greatest accomplishments and the hurdles
standing in my way. Instead of blinding
fighting through a seemingly endless task list, this process transformed me
into a more dynamic individual who made adjustments each week in terms of how
to approach life. It wasn’t easy getting
started – for the first few weeks, you will have to force yourself to sit down –
however, the results were undeniable.
So the next time you have a shitty week, don’t simply drown
your sorrows on a Friday night, curse about how you hate your job or take the
life of a vagrant somewhere in a back alley.
Sit down for 15 minutes with a pen and paper and answer 3 simple
questions. You’ll be amazed at the
things you learn about yourself.
