5 powerful reflection questions for daily practice

Embark on a journey of personal growth and self-discovery through the power of a daily reflective practice.

I encourage all my clients to start a journal at the beginning of our coaching relationship.

Writing down thoughts during the coaching conversation is an excellent tool for increasing self-awareness, recording progress during coaching, and amplifying what happens during the live coaching sessions in between sessions.

But you don't have to have an ongoing coaching relationship to start a reflective practice.

Reflective journaling offers remarkable benefits, whether in a coaching partnership or exploring on your own. You can start one today.

What are reflective questions?

Reflective questions are prompts designed to encourage deep introspection and self-analysis. The questions invite you to look inward, explore your thoughts and feelings, and critically examine experiences.

If you engage regularly with specific reflection questions, you move beyond surface-level thinking to uncover deeper insights about your motivations, behaviours, and emotions.

Reflective questions help you learn from your past, understand your present, and shape your future actions with greater intention.

What are the benefits of reflective journaling?

1. Increase your self-awareness

   Reflecting and journaling help you better understand yourself, your values and what's important to you. It's a dedicated space for your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. It allows you to explore what's happening inside, gain insights and discover patterns and themes in your life.

2. Regulate your emotions

   A reflective practice helps you recognise, process and understand your feelings in different situations. This, in turn, will give you the basis for regulating your emotions and responding differently in the future.

   Research shows that self-aware leaders can better recognise the impact of their emotions on others.

3. Writing can be therapeutic.

   Writing is "me-time". It is an opportunity to express and release built-up feelings, emotions, and thoughts. It's a space to process and learn from your day.

Here are two sets of reflection questions you can use, depending on whether you like to journal in the evening and/or the morning (or both!).

Start your day: Morning reflection questions for intention setting

1. How am I feeling right now? What do I need to be at my best today?

2. What is my intention for today?

3. What are my top 3 priorities for today?

4. What are my strengths, and how can I leverage them today?

5. What will I do for self-care and my well-being today?

End your day: Evening reflection questions for evaluation and growth

1. What were my accomplishments today? (no matter how small!)

2. What am I grateful for today? (no matter how small!)

3. What challenges did I face, and how did I handle them?

4. What did I do well in managing my energy, time and priorities?

5. What can I do differently or improve upon tomorrow?

Of course, adapt the questions to your practice.

In any case, ask more 'What' questions than 'How' questions. 'What' questions increase productive self-insight and decrease unproductive rumination. Read this article to know what self-awareness is and why 'What' questions are so important.

Further reading:

https://hbr.org/2018/01/what-self-awareness-really-is-and-how-to-cultivate-it

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