Did you know you can hit our goals sooner (and spend more time in flow state) by conducting our own personal retrospectives?
It's true! Here's a quick rundown of what a retrospective is, and how to conduct your own.
Retrospectives are:
Used in Agile software development
A time for team to pause after an iteration to reflect on their way of working and how to become more efficient & effective
Done in spirit of continuous improvement
A practice that can transfer to other areas of work and life
A practice that requires objectivity to be accurate and effective
Retrospectives are useful not just at work, but in our personal lives and careers as well. Remember, you're a whole, dynamic person, so it's good to look at your day-to-day life holistically.
One way to begin doing that is to understand that self-evaluation is crucial to your success.
There are two common ways folks utilize their personal retrospectives:
As a goal-setting and productivity tool. Retrospectives help us measure our work and effort, evaluate outcomes, identify errors, and come away with plans that help us hit our goals faster and with more ease.
(My fave) As a whole-person, "my-worth-isn’t-tied-to-my-accomplishments, I'm-not-on-this-Earth-to-earn-my-keep-I'm-here-to-thrive" tool. Retros help us evaluate where we are and how we feel vs. where we want to be and how we want to feel. From there, we can process our emotions, chart next steps, reevaluate, or pick a whole new direction as needed, ensuring we’re managing our minds and energy in the way that’s best for us overall.
We hear about self-evaluation and “strategic thinking” but no one tells us where to start.
Truth is, it’s pretty simple and can be done in just a few min a day/week.
So, here are some prompts and tips to help you build your strategy muscles:
Prompts & Questions:
What 3 things can I celebrate today?
What 1 thing do I need more of today?
What made me smile this week?
What was frustrating this week?
What am I nervous about?
What 3 measurable things did I do to get closer to my goal this week?
What 3 things didn’t get me closer?
Best Practice Tips:
Journal/voice record yourself just a few min a day/week using prompts like the above.
Be a compassionate, objective observer. No blaming yourself or others. Just data collection to help chart next steps.
If something makes you frustrated, happy, nervous, etc. get curious about why.
Be as specific as possible.
Instead of “it didn’t work” or “they didn’t cooperate” try, “I got stumped with xyz”.
So take a beat. Check in with yourself. Collect your data. Chart your next steps… And set “future you” up for success without sacrificing your health or happiness.
That’s strategic thinking, baby!
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