Every month I review my goals and reflect on my progress, practices, and mindset. Looking back, I note that in 7 of the 9 last months, I was pretty disappointed in myself. There were always lots that wasn't going to plan. Everything always took longer to finish than I’d expected.
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But I also do a quarterly review. I ask myself ~the same questions as in the monthly reflections, but over a longer time horizon. Looking back now, I see that in 3 of the 4 last quarters, I’d been thrilled (and surprised) by how much I’d achieved and how well things were going!
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One common pattern each quarter: “3 months ago, I wasn’t even thinking about XYZ, but now I’ve done XYZ++!”
It’s odd that my quarterly reflections are so consistently bright, while my monthly reflections are so consistently glum. I’m not sure how to explain this contradiction!
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Many rightly asked: so why do the monthly reviews? Unfortunately, they also yield useful insights! e.g. I might reflect that I'm spending too much time on "duty," and I'll plan some changes to try in the next month. I think it's the evaluative, KPI-ish stance I need to drop.
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I'd love to know what questions you're using if you don't mind sharing.
I think questions are super important to focus on the right area and I'm always on the lookout for good questions. 🙂