Why Reflecting on Your Progress Is Important for Success

by Daniya Gulzar

4th-Year Student in Human Resources Management

Whether in your academic or professional life, reflecting on your progress can be key in making your aspirations come true. Reflecting can mean many things and is unique to each individual but setting new objectives can be extremely effective. Exploring various avenues of reflection will help you determine which method works best for you.

The ways to reflect

• On paper

Write down your objectives and revisit them from time to time to assess your progress. For example, when starting a summer job or an internship, create a list of things you would like to accomplish. At the end of the term, taking stock will be much easier.

• Digitally

There is no shortage of online resources that can help you set goals and monitor your progress. Websites like Goalscape can help you visualize and set goals; you can also use it on a mobile app.

The importance of reflecting

• Purpose

Reflecting on your progress gives you a sense of purpose, especially once your goal is achieved, as this leads in turn to happiness and productivity.

• Improvement

Learning from an unachieved goal means identifying the gap between where you are and where you want to be. It gives you an idea of what you need to do to improve in the future.

• Effectiveness

Taking the time out of your schedule to set objectives can be extremely beneficial in the long run, as it will allow you to better plan your tasks and find the best and most effective ways to complete them.

Goal setting is one of the many ways that can help you reflect on your progress in your professional and personal life. This reflection exercise in turn can help you achieve success and a richer sense of fulfillment and purpose.