Reflective Practice for Improved Goal Setting

 In Blog

As 2024 is about to come to a close, this is a wonderful time to reflect on where you have been and where you want to set your sights for 2025.

Reflective practice is a healthy practice, not only at the end of the year, but regularly throughout the year. I have had the honor of witnessing many of my clients build a reflective practice, and ultimately gain tremendous insight and learning through the process.

There are many benefits of reflective practice including increasing one’s self-awareness, enhancing deeper thinking, realizing continuous learning, and creating accountability.

Let’s consider accountability.

Did you set personal or professional goals at the beginning of 2024? If yes, what do you notice about progress made?

In my experience, I have worked with many people who set goals every year, but often don’t follow through with them. One reason is that they didn’t create any accountability tools, and as such, move forward without considering or taking action towards their goals.

When we build in regular reflection, we tend to notice what we might otherwise miss. Consider for example, if you used the below questions as your guide on a regular (daily, weekly, monthly) basis:

  • What’s working?
  • What’s not?
  • What progress have I made (towards my goals)?
  • Where do I want to focus my energy?

What might change in helping you stay focused on your goals? My experience shows that you will likely make further progress and hold yourself accountable. Or, you may notice that the goal is no longer serving you, and thus you decide to reset your goals to something more meaningful, realistic, and achievable.

When you consider your goals for 2025, hopefully reflecting on 2024 will be helpful.

If you have achieved some, most or all of your goals – take time to celebrate! This focus can help set you up with the motivation to achieve your goals in the coming year.

As you set out to commit to goals for 2025:

  • Consider what you truly want to accomplish and why…and, what are the desired results you hope to achieve.
  • Think about what habits will help you achieve your goals? Or, what habits might you look to “let go of” in order to be able to achieve your goals. Another way to consider this is to recognize what might keep you from achieving your goals. By acknowledging this, you can make a plan to try to overcome these obstacles/barriers.
  • Decide how you will measure the results.
  • Determine what actions will be needed to ensure you achieve your goals and create a written action plan.
  • Decide what type of reflective practice will be most helpful for you.

What has helped you to stay focused on your goals in the past? I partner with individuals, teams and organizations to support them in achieving optimal results. Looking for support as you build your goals, or an accountability partner in helping you take action? Let’s connect.

Wishing you all the best in 2025.

“The more reflective you are, the more effective you are.”  – Hall and Simeral