Ten Questions to Help You Reflect at the End of Your Week
One of the things clients bring to me most often is a feeling of stuckness. Often they feel stuck in the day to day; stuck in a way of working they want to change but aren't sure how; stuck in a role that doesn't make them happy anymore or stuck in an organisation they've outgrown. But when you’re stuck, it’s hard to really know why, or how to start changing the situation, even if you ‘know’ what needs to happen.
And so, this stuckness often shows up as procrastination, working less efficiently or effectively, feeling disconnected from work, or demotivation, a loss of confidence, guilt, anxiety, and self-blame. And it tends to create a pattern of overcommitment and pushing through, always waiting for the next quiet period that never quite arrives, to compensate for what you see as ‘not showing up’.
One of the most common things we're told to do to shift this pattern is to plan time for strategic thinking and reflection. But if you managed to protect that time, what would you actually do with it?
Why reflection matters
Taking time to reflect can feel counterproductive when you have so much to do, but actually taking that time is really powerful. It starts to break the cycle of reactive work and that feeling of constant firefighting. And it helps you see what you have actually achieved, rather than only seeing what is still to be done. It helps you consider how you can work more effectively, and it helps you notice the thoughts and feelings that might be keeping you stuck in this cycle in the first place. With that distance, you start to see your work in a more balanced and realistic way, which supports better decision making. And once you’re making time for it at the end of your day or week, you naturally start to bring it into your day to day, it’s easier to pause and think in the moment.
It also helps you learn faster, and helps prevent you repeating the same mistakes again and again. Over time, this builds a growth mindset, and it can rebuild your motivation and your confidence when both have taken a hit. And because reflection helps you process what has happened rather than simply carrying it forward unprocessed, it supports your resilience too.
So if you're short on time, where do you start?
Ten questions to help you start reflecting
Here are ten questions to help you reflect at the end of your day or week. My recommendation is to start small. Give yourself just fifteen minutes, pick a couple of questions to begin with, and make sure you start with the positive!
What have you achieved this week, and what did you do to make this happen?
What are you most proud of this week?
What didn't you get to that you wish you had? What got in the way?
What gave you the most energy this week? What gave you the least?
What have you been avoiding?
What sort of leader have you been this week?
How might you be limiting your team's growth or development?
What work needs your focus or attention right now?
How can you bring more joy to your work?
What can you do differently next week as a result?
You don't need to answer all ten every time. Pick the ones that feel most useful this week, and let the practice build from there. Gradually over time you’ll find questions beyond these ones which help you, and you’ll find a natural rhythm to your practice.