Pause, reflect & plan: 5 steps to find clarity when you feel lost

As the year draws to a close, with shorter days, darker nights, and holiday festivities, it also becomes time for conversations in the workplace surrounding performance reviews.

I used to work in HR myself. I used to design performance review processes, which meant I used to be that person chasing managers and employees to get their performance reviews done before the deadline. But over the years, I’ve realised something important: performance reviews in the workplace are equally as important as self-performance reviews.

Of course, it’s important to make sure someone’s performance is on track towards company goals and objectives, that they’re aligned with their job responsibilities, and have space to talk about their development and career growth. But when I became a freelancer, I realised I still needed some form of performance review to encourage me to reflect on the last few months and plan, because ultimately, more focus, drive and priority of my mental health, would achieve positive results for everyone affected by my performance in the workplace.

I decided to call my self-performance review “Pause – Reflect – Plan”.

It’s a 5-step process that you can use for both your personal and/or your professional life, to encourage you to think about your past achievements and challenges, as well as explore the main lessons you learned from the last 12 months. It’ll help you plan what you want to achieve for the next 12 months and, as a result, help you feel more confident on your path.

The beauty of this process is that it’s simple enough to do it as many times as you like throughout the year.

Step 1: Review Your Goals

Start this process by reviewing your goals, both personal and professional. Think about what you have achieved and what you have not, then note down where you have focused your energy. If you have yet to set any goals, focus on your achievements and the milestones you did reach.

Step 2: Reflect and Learn

Think about what you have learned from various experiences throughout the past 12 months. Consider all the achievements that have made you proud, times that you were happiest, and explore the challenges you faced.

Step 3: Set Your Vision

Begin to look forward and build a vision for the next 6-12 months. Think about what you want the next few months to look and feel like. Create a few powerful words that will describe this to encourage you to keep them at the forefront of your mind. What will you focus on first? What are your top 3 priorities?

Step 4: Write Down Your Goals

Take your vision to the next level by writing down your goals. Focus on the areas of your life that you need to think about, for example, career, health, romantic relationships, family and friends, hobbies, money, community, personal growth/spirituality, and environment (where you live). For each area, think of a positive goal, either something you want to stop doing, e.g. spending money on coffees or things you want to start doing, e.g saving £50 each month. Make your goals as specific as possible.

Step 5: Write an Action Plan

The final step is about taking the very first step! Goals can sometimes be a bit daunting, such as ‘finding a new job.’ So breaking them down into smaller, actionable chunks makes them easier to follow.

Think of the first action that will take you closer to each of your goals. These actions should be specific and measurable. Make them achievable in a 15 to 30-minute window to fit in a busy day, and feel encouraged to be consistent with them.

Realistically, your action plan should be short-term, looking into the next 2 to 4 weeks. There is so much that can happen in life and throw you off track, which is why adaptability is necessary.

And just like that, you’ve managed to do something for yourself that’s meaningful and positive in the space of an hour. With a focus on your personal goals and more self-reflection, your mindset will remain in a state of adaptation, optimism, and seeking opportunities and lessons that are important for any workplace.

Sharing your reflections and future goals with colleagues or friends will encourage you to stay accountable. You may even open the conversation for self-evaluations on work performance.

Additional Resources

You can use this resource here to identify your values and discover what matters to you:  Know Your Drivers

You can also use this resource here to write up your ideal future vision and set yourself a goal, or direction, to follow: Visualising the Future You Want