Why do we avoid weekly reflection?
Notion Creators Weekly #23
👋🏼 Welcome new readers!
Thanks so much for being here; this newsletter shares links and resources to achieve more by doing less. 😎
tl;dr
✍🏼 Why we avoid reflection, and building a practice. 👇🏼
🗓 I’m hosting Atomic Journaling in Notion, a free webinar May 13Th. Learn more about it here!
🎙 We had an awesome time talking about weekly planning last week, watch the recap.
📜 The Manifest Planner Notion template is out!
📖 Check out Indistractable by Nir Eyal for a actionable ways to sharpen your focus.
🤔 Why do we avoid reflection?
“Reflection is the nursery of intentionality. It grants us the protected mental environment we need to reclaim some much-needed perspective and begin to ask why.” – Ryder Carroll, The Bullet Journal Method
Now that we’re past the January rush of resolutions, goal-setting, and ambitious plans, I started thinking: what if applied the same energy for reflecting on the past year?
There’s an obvious reason: reflection isn’t nearly as sexy as goal-setting. Why? Selling goals means selling a better future self. Looking backwards means coming to terms with failure, loss, aging,
That’s also why reflection may actually be more important than planning or goal-setting.
If you’ve read Ryder Carroll’s The Bullet Journal Method, there’s a wealth of actionable takeaways, on everything from how to write entries, to using symbols to easily find content..
Carroll’s book has almost as much to say about reflection, and just how critical a role it plays in planning, actions, and working toward goals.
Here are just a few notes on the benefits of journaling, from Carroll’s book:
Journaling acts as a bridge between your actions and beliefs
Journaling builds a habit of introspection, defining what’s important or not important
It builds intentionality – the power of the mind to direct itself to that which it finds meaningful
Cultivating self-awareness starts with the simple act of checking in with yourself
Journaling helps us capture, order and examine our experience
3 Biggest Challenges and How to Move Past Them
Often, the same challenges come up that prevent us from building a habit of reflection. Here are a few, along with ways to move past them.
I don’t have time.
We plan to reflect at the end of the day, but before we know it, we’re working past our deadline and other things come up.
Try: Block out a 15 minute space in your calendar at the end of the day or week, and set a reminder or notification leading up to it. The gentle reminder gives a little nudge to wrap up other tasks and start getting into reflection mode.
I’d rather be doing actual work.
Reflection can seem unproductive, until we think through the benefits: identify areas of improvement to work smarter.
Try: Write a little reminder to yourself (wherever you reflect) that outlines your “why” around reflection.
I’m too tired to reflect at the end of the day
If you’re using your time effectively, that can also lead to depleting your energy.
Try: Move locations. There are countless studies out there that show if you go outside, or even move to a different room, the mental reset is enough to revitalize energy levels. Not a lot, but enough to reflect mindfully.
One Last Note on Reflection
A big part of reflection is analyzing where you fell short, where you failed, or where you could improve. This can quickly lead to a toxic level of self-criticism.
Remember: Even though you’re looking to get better, it’s critical to celebrate the wins, however small.
Part of why I love Ryder Carroll’s The Bullet Journal Method so much is the constant framing of journaling as a habit for personal growth.
“Study the good in your life. Achievement is empty without appreciation. If you can’t appreciate your hard work, what’s the point?” – Ryder Carroll, in The Bullet Journal Method
OTHER NEWS
The Manifest Weekly Planner is Out!
I built this with one question in mind: What if you had every important action in Notion one click away? Notion’s new databases completely changed how I use it as a workspace.
If you’re a college student or outside the U.S. send me an email for a discount code just for you.
Sidenote: if you’re already a Manifest OS user, and want to check it out, email me. 😉
🎥 Weekly Planning Webinar Recap
Notion Sessions: Master Weekly Planning & Reflection
It was awesome to be able to dive into weekly planning using the new planner; I’ve said it before but Notion’s new database features are such a game changer when it comes to building a super minimal workspace.
If you’re curious about the Manifest Weekly Planner, or want to get some inspiration for how to use database views to organize your workspace, check out this video. Did I mention I love databases? 😍
✍🏼 Upcoming Event: Atomic Journaling in Notion | May 13th 2:30 PM EDT
Journaling in Notion is…different.
In this session, we’re diving into how structuring your Journal with tags and relations (to areas like projects, goals, or months) can turn your journal into an actionable system for reflection.
Also, If you have something better than “atomic journaling,” I’d love to hear it. 😅
Books to Check Out
Indistractable, by Nir Eyal
It’s been a while since I read Indistractable, but I’ve come back to it over the past few weeks.
Balancing family, content creation, and client work means there’s external triggers coming from every direction, and without clear systems for managing these, days can quickly get absorbed by tasks, events, or distractions that are not directly related to my goals.
Here are some notes to ponder:
We act in response to triggers, which can be internal or external.
External triggers are “cues in our environment that tell us what to do next, like…prompts to check out emails, news alerts, or phone calls.”
Triggers prompt both either distraction or traction.
Distraction stops you from achieving your goals.
Traction leads you closer to your goals.
For a behavior to occur, three things must be present: motivation, ability, and a trigger. (Fogg Behavior Model)
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