6 Reasons Regular Self-Reflection Can Improve Your Work Performance
Posted April 22nd, 2020
Taking time to reflect can significantly improve your work performance. Initially, this can seem surprising. However, looking back is a common mechanism for learning and growth. Since self-reflection is essentially time spent examining the past, it can have similar results.
If you want to know why you should spend time reflecting, here are six reasons that self-reflection is worthwhile.
1. Hindsight Is 20/20
As the saying goes, hindsight is 20/20. At times, you can’t fully understand the ramifications of your actions until a scenario entirely plays out. As a result, if you don’t spend time reflecting, you might overlook a powerful lesson that you can embrace to improve your performance.
2. Cement Lessons Learned
Even if you do see the lesson in an experience, that doesn’t mean you should spend time contemplating it. By giving it additional attention, you are cementing it in your memory. You can analyze it completely, ensuring you consider every potential use and perspective. It increases the likelihood that it’ll stick with you, and that’s valuable.
3. Understand Your Emotions
An emotional response is somewhat automatic. At times, we aren’t fully aware of why you felt a certain way at a particular moment, just that you did. But, with self-reflection, you can solve that mystery. You can consider what influenced your emotions, including past events that you might not initially connect to your current situation.
In the end, you gain a deeper understanding of why you feel a certain way, and that’s a powerful insight. By knowing why you reacted a certain way, you can keep your emotions under control. That can be beneficial, particularly if your reactions ever hinder your performance.
4. Boost Confidence
While a mistake can harm your confidence, it’s possible to come out ahead if you spend time reflecting on the incident. Once you understand what went wrong and why, you can avoid that misstep in the future. You increase your odds of spotting the signs of trouble earlier, allowing you to take a different path. And that can actually make you feel more confident in your capabilities, leading to a boost in performance.
5. Spot Damaging Patterns
During self-reflection, you can take a moment to identify patterns that may be holding you back. This could involve how you react to certain situations, whether you unconsciously rely on the same approach or anything else that may lead to a less than ideal performance. Once identified, it’s easier to improve, as you are more aware of the issue than you were previously.
6. Let Go
Bad experiences tend to stick with you. Negativity bias can be a factor, but so is a lack of self-reflection. By taking time to examine what occurred objectively, you can remove the emotional context and consider the situation for what it actually was. This may help you acknowledge certain realities that make moving on possible.
Contact Bayside Solutions to Learn More
Ultimately, self-reflection is beneficial to your performance. If you’d like to learn more, the staff at Bayside Solutions can help. Contact us today and see how our performance management expertise can benefit you.
