Friday Thought Space: Relax, Reflect, Innovate

Hey everyone, it’s Friday! We did it—another week down! And if you're anything like me, you’re eyeing that pint of ice cream you promised yourself you'd save for the weekend. Well, good news—the weekend has arrived! But before you dive into your Netflix binge, let’s chat about something that could make next week a tad smoother. No, I’m not talking about hitting the lottery. I’m talking about reflection and ideation. (Don’t worry, those words aren’t as intimidating as they sound—I’ll break them down for you.)

Reflection: More than just looking in the mirror!

Reflection isn’t just what happens when you accidentally catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror after a long day and wonder why you chose that shirt. No, reflection is actually a mental exercise that can do wonders for your sanity and productivity.

Reflection (noun): Reflecting on your week is a powerful exercise, offering you the chance to pause and ask yourself meaningful questions. Consider starting with, "What in the world just happened?" or "How do I feel about that?" These questions aren't just about recounting events; they're about understanding how those events align with your intentions and plans. Ask yourself, "Is this what I intended to happen?" and "Does this align with the goals I've set?"

There's no need to dissect every thought or action in detail. Instead, trust that the act of reflection will naturally bring the most significant moments to the surface—those actions, meetings, interactions, and thoughts that had the most impact. Use this time as an opportunity to check in with yourself, ensuring you're on track and in tune with your deeper intentions.

Questions for Reflection:

• What stood out to me this week?
• How did I respond to the unexpected?
• What successes or challenges did I encounter, and how do they align with my goals?
• Am I staying true to my intentions, or is it time to recalibrate?

Why Bother?

• Your ability to be self aware will improve: Reflecting on your actions, thoughts, and feelings throughout the week helps you better understand your strengths, weaknesses, and triggers. This heightened self-awareness can lead to more informed decision-making and better interactions with others.
• You'll ensure your habits, routines and and action are aligned with your goals: Weekly reflection provides an opportunity to assess your progress towards your goals. You can celebrate small wins, re-evaluate your objectives, and adjust your plans for the coming week to stay on track.
• Motivation is an inside job: Recognizing your achievements and growth over the week can boost your motivation and confidence. This positive reinforcement can energize you for the challenges and opportunities in the upcoming week.

Ideation: Summoning The Think Tank in Your Head

Ideation is the creative process of generating, developing, and communicating new ideas. These ideas can be related to anything - personal or professional. Improving my health and fitness routines to creating a new streamlined process at work. Ideation involves a sort of "self brainstorming" , thinking critically, and exploring possibilities, often resulting in new and innovative thoughts, behaviors, ideas and actions.

Why Ideate?

1. Problem Solving: That issue you had on Wednesday? Maybe there’s a better way to tackle it next time.

2. Innovation: Great ideas don’t just pop up randomly (well, sometimes they do, but we can’t count on that). You need to create space for them to appear.

3. Planning Ahead: You’re not just winging it through life, are you? (It’s okay if you are. We all do sometimes.)

Pro Tip: After your reflection, take another 10-15 minutes to brainstorm ideas for next week. These don’t have to be grand or perfect—just put something down on paper (or the notes app, or a napkin… whatever’s handy).

With all the things going on in our lives - why care about this practice?

I know that by Friday we all want to veg out - but before you do—engaging in reflection and ideation at the end of your week has some serious perks:

• Reducing Stress and Anxiety: You’re not carrying the weight of this week’s chaos into next week.
• Increasing Productivity: You’re setting yourself up for success by creating a meaningful a game plan for the upcoming week.
• Personal Growth: By consistently evaluating and improving, you’re basically becoming the superhero version of yourself.
• Building resilience and Promoting a Growth Mindset: This helps cultivate a growth mindset, transform weekly challenges into stepping stones toward next weeks' successes. This helps eliminates time spent in self-doubt and second guessing ourselves.

So- before you dig into that pizza, take a moment to reflect and brainstorm. You'll feel more prepared, more in control, and who knows—you might just come up with your next big idea. And if not, well, at least you'll have a solid reason for finishing the whole pie.

Happy Friday, everyone! Now go reflect, ideate, and then reward yourself with a well-deserved binge-watch session.

David Burden is a specialist in learning and organizational development, dedicated to driving both personal and organizational success.

#Reflection #Ideation #Productivity #FridayNightThoughts #creativity #FridayNightThoughts #SelfImprovement