Productive Reflection

Productive Reflection involves the active review of your experiences, critiquing them with the "witness self", and taking mental notes for future reference. Writing/journalling can also be very helpful with this practice!

Why is Productive Reflection Important?

Productive Reflection allows us to learn through our own experiences and improve on/develop our social/emotional awareness and skills.

How do I practice Productive Reflection?

• DESCRIBE

  • The concrete experience - What happened? What went right/wrong?

• REFLECT

  • On the experience, yourself, and others involved in the situation - How did you feel; where did you feel it in your body? How might others have felt? How did it compare to other experiences?

• LEARN

  • Coming to growth mindset conclusions - Why might have this unfolded the way it did? What would have happened if I did or reacted to something differently? What could be the reason for this outcome?

• IMPLEMENTATION

  • Planning and trying out what you have learned - If the experience was negative, what could I do next time in a similar situation? What skills might I need to develop? If the experience was positive, how can I ensure a similar outcome next time?
    

When should I practice Productive Reflection, what should I reflect on?

You can practice this any time, with any situation, internal/external event, or experience - particularly those where emotions (of you or others involved) ran high!

If you’re interested in diving deeper with a guided practice of this process - click here to check out our self-led course on how to effectively reflect on and manage your emotions with everyday occurrences and ongoing situations.

Share with us in the comments below what your experiences have been of using reflection!

4-Step Productive Reflection Process