The Power of Reflection

What matters more: reflection or action? Studies show that past a point, reflection outweighs action. In today’s fast-paced world, productivity is often viewed as a measure of efficiency. In our rush, we often forget to reflect, and forget our why and how.

Interestingly, research shows that this focus on doing can actually be counter-productive. What are we sacrificing when we rush through assignments? How much are we really learning vs. losing?

Here's a summary of a post from one of my teammates on the science behind reflection.

• Experiential learning is that which we gain from completing similar tasks over and over again.
• Deliberate learning, on the other hand, involves an additional step. Not only do you accumulate experience by completing tasks multiple times, but you also take time to reflect on those experiences (Di Stefano et al., 2014). This is where the truly valuable learning comes in.
• Studies have found that, once we have gathered a certain amount of experience, the benefit of continuing to perform similar tasks is far inferior to that of pairing that experience with efforts to analyze and reflect on it

How does one actually reflect? There are a few perspectives.

1. Constructivist – Consider Impact
   This perspective emphasizes growth through personal understanding of purpose.

2. Psychoanalytic – Consider the self
   Like the constructivist perspective, the psychoanalytic perspective emphasizes self-reflection, particularly self-exploration.

3. Situative – Consider the context
   Thinking about how one contributes to projects as part of a community.

4. Critical-cultural – Challenge the status quo
   Challenging what you've been taught and thinking about diverse perspectives.

5. Enactivist – Consider the whole
   Finally, the enactivist perspective views reflection as a holistic process: between their biological, psychological, and cultural selves.

What else has to happen for proper reflection?

1. Reflection must occur as soon as possible after the experience in question
2. Employees need an uninterrupted period of time to reflect
3. Employees must be viewed as autonomous beings

This is the most important step. For employers, this means treating their subordinates as individuals rather than as cogs in the machine, so to speak. They have to be recognized as people with opinions and thoughts so that they are allowed the space to truly reflect on what they’ve learned, thinking about ways they can better contribute to the goals of the company.

Read the full article below, and take some time this weekend to reflect and reset on your own. :)

https://www.lifeintelligence.io/blog/dont-just-do-the-power-of-reflection-at-work