5 Reflective Questions to Think Through Every Day ||
I was thinking about hard questions the other day. You know, those questions people ask you where you can't give a right answer or an automatic answer. And I said to myself, "I have to create a blog post that gives people important questions they need to ask and answer themselves every day." (Something a little out of my usual blogging comfort zone).When you do this exercise, I promise that your productivity will be better than had you not taken the time to answer these questions.
I encourage you to write out your answers every day on a notepad, planner, or whiteboard. Something where you're physically writing with your hand, and I don't want you to think about them. You'll be fine-tuning how you're spending your time when you do. And be specific.
Question number one: what do I need to do today to move the needle toward my goals and desires?
You do many things every day, and some things move you toward your goals while others pull you away from them. Be intentional with what you do every day. Leave nothing to chance.
Question number two: what do I need to stop doing?
Now that you've identified what you need to do today write down what you need to stop doing. Very few things are neutral, and they are either helping or hindering you.
Question number three: who do I need to pay more attention to, and who do I need to distance myself from?
There are two parts to this question. Some people that you see on social media, listen to their podcasts, watch their videos, or that you know personally, you need to spend more time with these people. These are people that are where you want to be.
The other half of this question is, Who do I need to distance myself from? Note: there are no limits to this answer. Hopefully, the list doesn't include your spouse, and I hope that your spouse is very encouraging. This list could be family members, friends you've had since nursery school, college buddies, coworkers, etc.
If anyone is telling you to slow down, don't work so hard, and don't have such big goals, you need to distance yourself from these people.
Question number four: who is going to hold me accountable?
You need to have someone in your life who will hold you accountable every day. For me, this is my wife. If you're not married, it could be a good friend whom you text or FaceTime every day to share your goals and tell how your day went.
Question number five: what are the consequences or penalties when I fail?
Notice I wrote when you fail. You will fail. It doesn't matter how good or successful you are; you will fail. It's part of life. You're a human being, and there are things you're going to fail at. So when this happens, what are the consequences? If there are no consequences, you might not care when you fail. But if there are consequences, you're more likely to follow through.
Will you commit to answering these five questions every day?
Additional Resources on Reflection and Planning:
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