Whether the year felt like it flew by or seemed like it took forever, it’s essential to take the time to reflect on your journey – both from a personal perspective and also when it comes to your career.
In its simplest sense, self-reflection is the capacity for humans to exercise introspection and learn more about their fundamental nature and essence. It also plays a vital role in personal growth. Therefore, when practised often, it can be incredibly empowering and have significant wellness benefits.
Therefore, the same rule applies in a work capacity no matter where you are in your career journey.
Related: How to prioritise mental health in and outside the office
Reflecting on your work-life forces you to pause and take the time to recall your highs and lows during the year. Since the World Health Organisation declared COVID-19 a pandemic three years ago, our access to information on the internet and the use of technology has amplified as people work from home. Very often, we forget to slow down.
Self-reflection for our working lives isn’t just for employees who are unhappy in their current roles. Everyone should assess their lives from time to time to determine what works well and isn’t.
That way, we can take stock of what we are grateful for, what brings us career satisfaction, and what aspects we can improve on going forward into the new year.
10 questions to help you reflect on work
Here are some big-picture questions to consider and reflect upon, as many of us prepare to step back from our jobs for the year-end break.
You may not have an answer for every question, but they can remind you where you’re currently at and where you see yourself in the coming 12 months.
Before you start, remember to be honest with yourself and type or write down your answers so you keep a record and can review them again.
- In the last 12 months, what were your 3 best work experiences? Be as specific as you can – which project, team, role, and activities?
- What were your 3 worst work experiences? Again, be specific.
- What were 3 essential elements of your job in the last 12 months that made it a success and, in turn, made you satisfied? Can you easily list more than 3?
- What were 3 elements of your job in the last 12 months that hindered or impeded success and in turn, made you unsatisfied? Can you list more than 3?
- What 5 skills, talents, and pursuits would you like to develop or attain in the next 12 months?
- What can you talk about non-stop in a work capacity? Does it energise you every day or only sometimes? Is what you identified as your passion, or is it something completely different?
- What’s one thing you didn’t achieve in the last 12 months? What was the reason it didn’t happen? Would you do anything to change the outcome? If so, how?
- If you knew you couldn’t fail, what’s something you want to achieve in the next 12 months?
- How would you rate your role currently out of 100%? What’s stopping you from being at 100%? Are there any obstacles in the way? What factors would increase that percentage? What percentage did you land on if those elements were added?
- If there were no limitations, what experiences, skills, activities, and responsibilities would you would like to have in the future? List 12 answers.
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