In these days where everyone is so focused on progress and self-improvement, I think its becoming increasingly important to be able to look back and appreciate how far we’ve come.

This practise is not something that comes naturally, I admit, but in pushing myself to reflect each week I’ve already felt better about my progress. Taking this time has helped me to notice when I am not moving towards my goals, and forces me to examine why I might be struggling to do so. As you reflect weekly, you can spot the patterns or specific challenges that hold you back and create strategies to combat those challenges and help yourself grow!

One example which will probably sound unsurprising is that I was wasting so much time on social media, and justifying it to myself by saying that I was ‘doing research’….yeah, I know.

So, in addition to helping you to see where you’re falling short, there are positives too!

Firstly, it forces you to take stock of any progress that you make so you don’t forget it! By focusing on the good things you do you can multiply those in your life. I think of it as a form of practising gratefulness too, which has in turn helped me to improve my perspective as I choose to look at all the good things in my life. Now as I go about my days, I will take stock of the good things that happen, and I find that I am often excited to add them to my list.

Second, this practise helps you to keep track of the progress you make. It can be so easy to think that you aren’t making enough progress in your life or improving at the things you want and then getting sad about it. Still, I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be that way! By reevaluating what steps I took towards my goals each week I can actively be thinking about and tracking my progression. Occasionally I even surprise myself at the end of the week by seeing how many of the little things I chose to do actually did fit in with my goals.

Now, I’m guessing that if you’re still reading here, you’re wondering what on earth you’re meant to reflect on?

Well, I’m going to be honest, I don’t like having too much to do (or I will lose my motivation) so here are the prompts I use. Remember that you can personalise this as much as you want to, and you should definitely readjust as you go! If you no longer resonate with the questions or find that they aren’t pushing you, feel free to cut them or replace them.

What to ask yourself each week:

• List 3 good things from this week:
• List 3 challenges you faced and how you overcame them:
• How did you progress your goals this last week?
• What will you do to progress your goals in the next week?
• Summarise the week and share your overall thoughts:

First I like to start the reflection by forcing myself to pick three good and bad things I dealt with during the week. This practise reminds me to look for things to be grateful for, and to appreciate the things I struggle with and overcome.

These positives and challenges can be as big or small as I want, but I push myself to fill out everything, even if its something as small as taking my vitamins every day or a challenge like going to bed on time.

Then, I think about my goals and what I did for them in the previous week, and how I can progress them next week. This weekly accountability is tough, especially when I don’t accomplish all that I want, but it is still enlightening. It also helps me to plan my next week much more effectively and intentionally.

Lastly, I finish with a quick summary of the week. Sometimes I only write a quick and short sentence or two, but other times I will add much more if I feel like writing a bigger review.

Personally, I keep these all in a collection on my notion page and have kept this practise up most weeks so far in this year, which has been good. I am looking forward to reflecting on it all again at the end of the year, and seeing how the year progressed.