Growth is a constant process. Everyday we strive to be our best, either succeeding or failing, but always learning. It’s important that we take the time to internalize those learnings lest we lose the day’s growth. And the simplest process, Think Time at the end of the day, can turn each day’s lessons into a habit for years.
Think Time is a daily ritual of spending 5-15 minutes at the end of each day reflecting on how the day went. Where did you win? Where did you fail? What can you learn? How can you take today’s lessons into tomorrow to continually grow? You can do it at the end of the workday, on your commute home, before bed, or whenever you’d like. Just try to make it a consistent time so you build a habit. I personally do it before leaving work, around 4:30, and use a set of questions to help me appreciate the day’s gifts and focus on where I want to improve. My current list:
- Where did I fail today, and what did I learn from it?
- Who did I appreciate today? If no one, who can I appreciate before I go home?
- Who inspired me today?
- What did I do today that scared me?
As an example of using these to enforce habits, the question “who inspired me today?” was added after I realized my natural reaction to others’ successes is to be jealous. To help break that reflex, I try to purposely frame that jealousy into inspiration at the day’s reflection.
Think Time is also a great way to help others in their career by coaching them on a set of questions they can ask themselves each day to create healthy habits, change mindsets, and always appreciate personal growth. Hopefully you have success with Think Time as well, and we’d love to know your favorite daily reflection questions or thought points in the comments.