You can learn from anywhere, and reflection questions designed for developers are no different.
Recently I heard the below four questions on a Podcast by Developer Tea – a podcast for developers designed to fit inside a break.
Listening to their Podcast helped me remember that by taking the time on the weekend, we can better clarify our own situations and solve our toughest problems.
4 reflection Questions for the Weekend
1. What is one thing you’ve changed your mind about in the last 3-5 years? And what do you believe that you think will change in the next years?
Research shows that the brain defaults to a lazier state when we hit 25 to rely on well-paved neural networks instead of developing new ones.
That doesn’t mean we stop learning new things. It just means we tend to rely on our old information more and focus on learning new information less.
Owning a beginner’s mindset and learning to be a lifelong learner helps with overcoming the tendency to stop learning as we age.
2. What is one thing you expect to try and fail at today? What can you identify upstream that might mitigate that mistake?
Facing new challenges and failing is normal. Studies show that failing is an integral part of learning. Embracing the mistakes can help you develop the skills and life you’ve always wanted. When possible, mitigate the mistakes, however, also accept they are an inevitable part of improvement.
An article in Harvard Business Review went further to describe 3 types of failures
- Predicational operations failures-> usually involve deviations from the specification.
- Unavoidable failures -> found in complex systems (unique combinations of needs, people, and problems).
- Intelligent failures -> where good failures occur quickly and on a small scale, providing the most valuable information.
Focus on preventing predicational operation failures, and cultivate intelligent failures.
Need help developing your growth mindset? Check out our guide!
3. What moment can you not afford to miss out on today? What is most likely to take that moment away?
A handful of times each week, ask yourself what you are most looking forward to during the day. See what brings you the most joy. When that moment arrives, practice being fully engrossed at the moment. Studies show that people who practice mindfulness have better physical health, practice empathy, have better mental health, and better overall well-being.
To help grow or get started on your Mindfulness practice, check out this guide!
4. What is something that you’ve been putting off that you can take an action on today?
We are all guilty of procrastination. Because of present bias, people value current rewards (doing nothing) over future rewards (achieving our goals and the rewards that come with it).
Ironically, mindlessly browsing social media doesn’t lead to lifelong satisfaction – but we trick ourselves into thinking that it does. Or that we will work on our goals tomorrow.
What is something you’ve been putting off but are excited for? Make time three times this week to work on that goal you’ve been putting off!
Need help beating procrastination? Check out the below guides!
Key Take-Aways
- Sometimes getting to your goals means stepping back to realign to what you want to be doing
- Having a resilient and learner’s mindset lets you bounce back from failure and move to what you want to be learning
Action Item
Complete the four reflection questions on your next day off. What did you learn from doing the exercise?
