Monthly Self-Reflection Strategies

I do this activity before I start working with any client: ⭐ A Life Audit ⭐ Why audit your life? When life feels off-track or overwhelming, it’s rarely about doing more. It’s about hitting pause and asking: What needs to stop, what needs to start, and what’s already working? Here's Why this matters: ✨ Letting go of what drains you isn’t failure, it’s making space for growth. ✨ Small new actions shift your energy, you're not stuck, you’re evolving. ✨ Reinforcing what’s working builds consistency and that’s where stability lives. This is why I guide clients through monthly life audits and one of my favorite tools is the Start- Stop–Continue exercise.  It’s simple but grounding, and I practice it myself every month. 🟢 START – What’s worth trying  This is about choosing intention over inertia. You’re not being asked to change everything, just take one meaningful step. Ask yourself: • What habit supports the version of me I’m becoming? • What have I been postponing that I know would help? • What’s one small step I can take this week? Ideas: – 5-minute morning journaling – Guilt-free workday breaks – Having that overdue, honest conversation 🔴 STOP – What’s draining you.  We carry habits, patterns, and even people… long after they’ve stopped serving us. This part invites honesty and release. Ask yourself: • What habits or behaviours are holding me back? • Where am I losing energy unnecessarily? • What am I saying yes to out of guilt or pressure? Common examples: – Mindless scrolling that ruins sleep – Overcommitting out of FOMO – Comparing your progress to others online 🟡 CONTINUE – What’s working  We often overlook what’s already strong. This part is about reinforcing what’s supporting you. Ask yourself: • What’s nourishing me right now? • What’s giving me peace, confidence, or momentum? • What am I proud of lately? Quick wins might be: – Evening walks – Holding boundaries – Weekly planning 💡How to Use This Practically: • Set aside 20–30 minutes (weekend mornings are great) • Divide a page or phone note into: Stop | Start | Continue • Revisit weekly, monthly, or quarterly This practice is a reset, it puts you back in the driver’s seat of your energy and your choices. Have you tried a personal audit like this before?

Reflection is one of the most powerful tools for growth. Yet, its so easy to overlook. I've always asked myself: What’s working? What isn’t? What can I do better? Make this happen: 1. Block Time: Put an hour on your calendar at the end of each month. Treat it as a non-negotiable meeting with yourself. 2. Ask the Right Questions: I use these prompts: • What were my biggest wins this month? • What challenges did I face, and how did I handle them? • What lessons did I learn? • Where did I spend my time, and was it aligned with my goals? • What do I want to do differently next month? 3. Write It Down: There’s something powerful about putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard). Documenting your thoughts helps clarify them and gives you something to review later. 4. Set Intentions: Based on your reflection, identify 2-3 priorities for the next month. Keep them actionable and specific. Reflection is about learning from your experiences. It’s about stepping back, recalibrating, and moving forward with intention.

Most people go their *entire* life without reflecting. And before they know it, years have gone by and it's too late to change. The most powerful reflection you can do to avoid this fate: The Monthly Review. Grab a pen, crack open a notebook, and answer these 5 questions: The goal of the monthly review: Block 60 minutes to slowly process the month. It's easy to get caught up in the day to day & lose sight of the bigger picture. And after trying 1000+ reflection questions, I chose each question for a specific reason. Let's start with the first: 1. What were my biggest wins & milestones? These are things that you will look back on with pride & fond memories at the end of the year. • Health wins • Business wins • New relationships • Goals accomplished • Fun memories & events Recapping wins & milestones kicks the review off on a positive note. So often, our focus is on the negative. But this questions helps us celebrate all the things going well! And it also creates a "ledger" of wins from the year. From there, you ask a more important question: --- 2. What were my biggest realizations? I used to call this my "biggest losses." But I reframed this—because something is either a win, or it teaches you about the world. And by constantly collecting these realizations, you are always learning. Most of my realizations are about my: • Health • Beliefs • Business • Lack of skills • Relationships By constantly iterating and distilling these lessons, you will level up month after month after month. From here, you go from looking backward to looking at the present: --- 3. What areas am I most satisfied? Least satisfied? Split the page in 2 columns and brain dump bullet points of everything that comes to mind. The goal here is to identify in the present moment what's working and what's not working. From there, you ask another question: --- 4. Based on these areas, what am I going to do more of? Less of? This is the 80/20 rule in action. 20% of your: • Habits • Beliefs • Friends • Actions Are leading to 80% of both your positive *and* negative results. Now you should have 2 lists: • Things to *double down* on that are bringing you the positive results • Things to *stop doing entirely* that are bringing you the negative results Put those lists somewhere you can see them every morning (for me, that's on my bathroom mirror). Now, it's time to think about the future: --- 5. What am I thinking about for the month ahead? This is a quick list of things you're: • Excited about • Thinking about • Uncertain about This turns into a letter to your future self you can read at the end of the month. --- And just like that, the review is complete! The beauty of this process is you can constantly capture these things throughout the month. • Wins & milestones • Realizations & decisions • Things going well & things to improve Then, at the end of the year, you collect these monthly reviews and distill the entire year.

Do you end your week feeling like WTF did I do all week? Startup life is full of those moments.  You’ve got a million priorities but you know focus is the only way to win. I've messed this up a lot and saw the direct impact on team morale & company output. Here’s a simple set of rituals I follow to hold myself accountable (it’s not perfect but it works) Sharing for all my founder friends, early stage builders, and anyone who wants to ship more of the right stuff. >> MONTHLY RITUAL Start with monthly to set up the BIG priorities. Schedule in calendar 1 hour on the last day of the month for reflection & planning 1/ Reflect on the last month in writing: what did I do well / what am I proud of? What could I have done better? What did I learn? How can I do better next month? 2/ Grade myself on goals (letter A, B, C, D, F with description) 3/ Read previous month's goals & reflections to identify any themes 4/ Set goals for the next month (3 personal & 3 Pocus) >> DAILY RITUAL 1/ Block first 3 hours of day for "heads down work" (if only get 1 hour, that's okay, better than nothing!) In those 3 hours, ONLY work on initiatives that move the needle on the top 3 Pocus goals 2/ If an issue/project/idea is not in the top 3 goals (which in startups, something will come up throughout the day!), spend as close to 0 time on it. Tell your team this is not a priority right now, so will pick it up later. 3/ At the end of the day, group my to dos by goal. If in the goal, block time the next morning to work on it. If not, send an email or slack reminder to myself to pick it back up next month. What do you do to hold yourself accountable to creating focus?

If you want to be an indispensable Leader, this is what you must do every month - Great leaders don’t just drive results. They pause to reflect. On how they got those results. At what cost. And whether they’re still the right person for the role they’re in. In a world obsessed with OKRs and KPIs, self-reflection is underrated. But it’s the only way leaders grow before they’re forced to. Here’s a simple habit to get started: Every month, quarter, and year ask yourself these 3 deep questions. 🔁 Monthly (Alignment & Energy) - Did I act like a doer, manager, or owner? - Did I spend my time on what truly matters to my role? - What gave me energy this month, and what drained me? 📊Quarterly (Impact & Ownership) - What process did I improve, and what changed because of it? - Did I elevate the standards or just maintain them? - What leadership mistake did I make, and what did I learn from it? 📅 Yearly (Legacy & Evolution) - If someone else was in my role, what would they have done better? - How did I live the culture I expect from others? - If this was my last year here, what would I want to be remembered for? [Bonus] Did I prepare my next line of leaders well enough to replace me? Reflection isn’t a break from leadership. It is leadership.

When was the last time you asked yourself: ‘What’s really working and what isn’t?’ Most professionals don’t. They keep moving from one task to the next, mistaking busyness for progress. But here’s the truth I’ve seen in 10+ years of coaching: 👉 Your career doesn’t stall because of lack of effort. 👉 It stalls because of lack of reflection. That’s why I use a structured self-reflection framework every week and I teach my clients to do the same. 🟢 My Reflection Framework 1. Core Purpose Questions (Weekly) ✔ Am I still excited about my end goal? ✔ What did I do this week that moved me closer? ✔ Which activities pulled me away? 2. Growth & Learning Check (Bi-weekly) ✔ What new skills am I building? ✔ Have I challenged my assumptions lately? ✔ Who can I learn from right now? 3. Action & Adjustment (Monthly) ✔ Are my daily habits supporting my vision? ✔ What’s working well that I should double down on? ✔ What’s one thing I need to stop doing? 4. Impact & Connection (Quarterly) ✔ How am I helping others while pursuing my goals? ✔ Who are the key people supporting me? ✔ Which relationships need more attention? 5. Vision Alignment (Every 6 Months) ✔ Does my current path still excite me? ✔ Have my priorities changed? ✔ Do I need to adjust my timeline? I keep these questions in my phone’s notes app. Every week, I revisit them. Every month, I review patterns. Every quarter, I reset my focus. And over the last 3 years, this single habit has helped me: ✨ Stay aligned with my vision ✨ Catch blind spots early ✨ Celebrate progress (even the small wins) ✨ Avoid drifting when things got busy 👉 So, when was the last time you asked yourself the hard questions? P.S. If you want more updated insights, practical strategies, and frameworks like this to stay aligned and accelerate your career. 👉 Join my Career Spotlight Group (link in comments). #Goal #PersonalGrowth #Clarity

Last month, I watched a high-performing CEO friend transform from overwhelmed to unstoppable. Her secret? She showed me her "sacred six" - monthly rituals that changed everything. "I was drowning in success," she told me. "Until I realized that peak performance isn't about doing more. It's about intentional pauses that make everything else more powerful." Here are the 6 Non-Negotiables that top performers schedule every month: 1/ Reflection Day A day to pause and evaluate your wins, mistakes, and patterns so you can make intentional, smarter moves going forward. Why It Matters: • Tracks progress and surfaces hidden blocks • Builds self-awareness and better decision-making 2/ Digital Detox Day Step away from screens to reset your brain, reduce noise, and reconnect with the present moment without constant digital interruption. Why It Matters: • Calms the nervous system and reduces burnout • Boosts mental clarity and creative thinking 3/ Learning Day Block time to actively learn something new, books, podcasts, or courses, to fuel your growth and stay ahead in your field. Why It Matters: • Keeps your skills sharp and evolving • Sparks innovation and fresh ideas 4/ Connection Day Invest in meaningful conversations with mentors, peers, or loved ones, relationships that nourish both your personal and professional growth. Why It Matters: • Strengthens your support network • Increases emotional resilience and perspective 5/ Vision Reset Day Step back to check if your actions match your long-term goals. It's a zoom-out moment to realign with what truly matters. Why It Matters: • Prevents wasted effort on low-impact tasks • Keeps you focused on the big picture 6/ Creative Play Day Engage in a passion or playful activity with zero pressure, a space where creativity flows and mental energy gets replenished. Why It Matters: • Fuels innovation and problem-solving • Restores joy and mental flexibility

The 30-minute ritual that keeps my life on track every month At the end of each month, I hit pause — not to dwell, but to realign. Just 20–30 minutes. Three simple questions. One powerful reset. Here’s what I ask myself: 1. What actually matters to me right now — and are my big goals still aligned with that? Life changes. So should your goals. This question pressure-tests your priorities and makes sure you’re still climbing the right mountain. 2. Are my daily habits and systems helping me move toward those goals? Even great goals mean nothing without aligned action. If your systems aren’t creating momentum, it’s time for a tune-up. 3. What do I need to let go of to move forward more effectively? Sometimes, growth means subtracting — not adding. That could be a draining habit, a distraction, or even a relationship that no longer supports your direction. I write everything down. Because clarity comes when thoughts hit paper. It’s a simple monthly check-in, but it keeps me intentional, grounded, and focused on what truly matters. Direction matters more than speed. Take time to adjust your compass. StockGro Linkedln

As we reach the midpoint of 2025, it's a perfect time for self-reflection and goal reassessment, be it personal, professional, financial, or health-related. Just like mid-year reviews at work, asking yourself key questions can realign your focus. Here are 10 questions to guide your reflection: 1. Celebrate significant accomplishments and milestones. What are you most proud of? 2. Reflect on challenges faced. How did you overcome them, and what lessons did you learn? 3. Identify what went well that you want to sustain or enhance. How did you prep for this achievement? 4. Are your current goals still meaningful and relevant? 5. Envision success by year-end, both personally and professionally. What barriers do you need to remove? 6. Assess alignment with your long-term vision. What adjustments are necessary? 7. Check your energy levels. What boosts and drains your energy? 8. Prioritize your physical and mental well-being. What can you say “No” to? 9. What are 1-3 actionable steps for the upcoming week, month, and quarter? 10. When will you schedule your next check-in to stay accountable? With 6 months remaining, it's time to focus on meeting your goals or devising a plan for success. #wrightpeoplesolutions #timeforreflection #thoughtful #mindfulness

𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 🙌 Yet another month is almost over, taking us well into the 2nd half of the year! You might be looking back and thinking, "Have I achieved my goals? Did I hit my targets?" 🎯 --- May I instead, offer a different set of questions, inspired by Bronnie Ware. She was a nurse who worked in the palliative care unit for many years and as she spent time with her patients who were dying, she saw 5 common regrets: 1️⃣ 𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗜’𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗲. ❓Ask: How have I lived true to myself this past month? 👉 Too often we work to gain approval of others, or to meet expectations that we forget who we really are. 2️⃣ 𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱. ❓Ask: How have I rested and taken time for myself this past month? 👉 Too often we tie our identity to how hard we work, and forget that health is the baseline that keeps us going. 3️⃣ 𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗜’𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀. ❓Ask: How have I expressed my feelings this past month? 👉 Too often we swallow our feelings, for fear of judgement or from thinking we don't matter. You matter and you deserve to be heard. 4️⃣ 𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀. ❓Ask: How have I actively reached out to connect/stay in touch with friends this past month? 👉 Too often we think friends are always going to be around, until we discover it's too late. 5️⃣  𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝘆𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗿. ❓Ask: How have I allowed myself to laugh and experience joy this past month? 👉 Too often we pursue success at the expense of happiness. We forget that being happy from the inside is worth more than any accolades we have. --- It may feel confronting to start the week or this upcoming month with these questions, and maybe a tinge of guilt or regret will start to emerge. Then it might be tempting, to get into normal patterns, and shrug it off, distract yourself or deny it. But that is because the swirl and hustle of life can get to us. The need to do what everyone does, the need to keep moving, the need to wear a mask. Instead, take the opportunity to lean into these questions, and allow the emotions to sit for a while. Regrets, per se, are not bad things. They serve as reminders as to what really matters in life: 👯 Relationships 💎 Authenticity 🤗 Happiness This Monday could be a new opportunity to embrace that which matters. 𝗜𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆. ❓ You with me? 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄: 👉 What are you choosing? 👉 Which regret did you relate to? #regrets #happiness #courage #authenticity