How An End Of The Week Reflection Can Help You Reach Your Goals

Someone once told me that the older we get the faster time seems to go. Now, I have no idea if this is scientifically true in any way, but I definitely agree! Once you get into a routine, weeks and months just start to fly by. Because of this, it makes it more challenging for us to stay on top of our goals. It is too easy to let a week go by without taking the time to accomplish some of those important tasks that will get us closer to our goals. One way to help with this is by using an End Of Week Reflection. This will help keep you on pace for your goals!

Check out the 6 ways an End Of Week Reflection can help accomplish your goals:

1. Hold yourself accountable

One of the largest ways keeping records of your week can help you reach your goals is that it gives you a way to hold yourself accountable. You will not want to write in your weekly reflection that you did NOTHING towards your goals. This small level of accountability is often all you need to keep yourself taking action. It gives you a clear way to see if you are taking the necessary actions or not. It will also help you keep track of time better! Lots of times we don't realize that we have been putting off an activity for an entire week or month, but, by keeping a record like this, you will be able to make sure weeks will not go by without you not taking action.

2. Reflecting on accomplishments boosts confidence

Often times, even when we do take large action steps towards our goals, we still have this feeling that we didn't do enough. It is way too easy to focus on what we didn't accomplish, rather than what we did! Taking a couple of minutes during your end of week reflection to write out all you accomplished over the previous week can help you change your focus and realize that you DID do a lot! Helping you to feel more satisfied and accomplished with your week. This can help to boost your confidence to want to take on larger challenges the following week!

3. Helps you find opportunities

One of my favorite questions is, what can I start doing every day for 10 minutes that will improve my life? Often times when I ask myself questions like this, I start to realize the opportunities I have! By sitting down every week and simply asking, "how can I improve this week?" you can start to realize the many opportunities you have available to you.

4. Gives you a clearer plan for the coming week

One of the large reasons weeks can so easily go by without us taking time to work towards our goals is because we are trying to do too much. When planning out our week, it is easy to start writing a HUGE list of tasks and goals. Unfortunately, this long list often causes stress and fewer tasks to get accomplished. When planning your week, pick ONE goal that will take priority. If you could only accomplish ONE goal this week, what would it be? What would have the largest impact? 

Pick your most impactful goal for the week, and then schedule when you will work on it. Ideally, try to accomplish this early in the week... can you accomplish it on Monday? Focusing on one priority like this will help you get clarity on what you should be focusing on, and increases the chances that you are taking impactful actions every week towards your goals.

5. Instills continues improvement

If you focus every week on ways to improve, it will start to become a habit. Without even realizing it, you will start to be more aware of opportunities for ways you can improve. Like most things, it is difficult to get the habit started, but once you do, it will pick up momentum. Your mindset will begin to shift as you start to realize the many opportunities available.

6. Gives you records to look back on

As I have mentioned many times, one of my favorite parts of journaling is having the ability to look back on my previous journal entries. By having these weekly reflections, it gives me data to look back on. If I do not accomplish one of my goals by my deadline, I can look back on my end of week reflections and find what I did wrong. I can look back at what actions I had been doing, and use these to create a new, better strategy going forward.

It is quick and easy! There is no excuse!

A final reason to keep an end of week reflection is that it is SO easy! It only takes a few minutes each week and can have HUGE long-term benefits. If you need help developing an end of week reflection, checkout the GoalCrazy 90 Day Planner which has the end of week reflections built-in. Or, you can download a FREE printable end of week reflection below. Use these as tools to hold yourself accountable to take action towards your goals EVERY WEEK! Also, see how an End Of Month Reflection can help too! Check it out here.