When I started as an SDR an old mentor advised me to dedicate time to reflection. 

‘‘Reflect on your day, your week, your month, and of course your year. The past is the best way you can guide the future. Make reflection a habit’’. 

Like any good student, I listened and started reflecting. At first, I was bad at it and found it tedious but like anything after I committed for long enough the magic started to happen. 

I started to learn faster, make fewer mistakes, and be more productive. This led to me achieving some of my ‘‘New Year’s Goals’’ like earning more commission or getting a promotion. 

Not only that, it was all happening very very fast. A millennial dream. 

I found reflection was the vehicle to getting what I wanted when I wanted it so in this newsletter, I will share with you how I use reflection to set myself up for success in the future. 

Let’s jump in. 

Step 1: Your North Star 

Before we start you need to know that achieving goals means dedicating time and energy to them (obvious, right?) 

So, if it’s so obvious, why do most people never consider how they divide their time and energy toward their goals? 

Instead, what most people do is write a big long list of goals like 1. buy a house 2. save 50k 3. travel the world and before they know it they have a very unachievable list that isn’t related to where they get the most return for the time and energy. 

So first, we need to figure out HOW you want to divide your time and energy and then we can go set some goals. 

To help me do this I use an ‘‘energy piechart’’. Here’s mine from the start of 2023:

All you need to do is allocate a % of your time to each of the 6 parts of the pie. The biggest allocation is your ‘North Star’ and therefore your number 1 priority in terms of time and energy. 

If you’re struggling, here are 2 questions to ask yourself to figure out your ‘‘current North Star’’: 

• What do I enjoy doing the most? 

• What do I enjoy doing the least? 

Then aim to do more of what you enjoy the most. 

Note - Remember, having a north star doesn’t mean other things aren’t important it just means when it comes to how much time and effort you put into them is less. 

Step 2: Setting Goals: 

Now you know where your energy (and time) is going to be directed you can set appropriate, realistic goals. 

This is where most people go wrong; we set big goals for everything, set ourselves up to fail, feel rubbish about it, and set more crazy goals and the cycle never ends. 

Instead of doing that focus on setting 1-3 goals for each area of your life you want to dedicate energy and time to. 

Make the most challenging goals in the areas you want to give the most time and energy. 

Here’s some of mine for 2023:

Family (35%) 

• Work 9-530pm only 

• Take 45 days vacation 

• Do 1 special day out/trip a month 

Work//Personal Growth (25%)

• 10M impression on Linkedin from my writing 

• Launch a Newsletter 

• Launch 2x profitable revenue streams 

Money (5%) 

• Make enough to pay the bills 

Fun/Hobbies (15%) 

• Visit 5 new countries 

• Watch Newcastle at St James’ Park 

• Go to a Sam Fender gig 

Top Tip - write your North Star goals first and then see if the others are achievable based on that. 

For example, this year I could have said I’ll aim to make £500k but that would have meant me sacrificing my time with family outside of 9-530pm. 

Your North Star is your non-negotiable. 

Top Tip 2 - share your pie chart and goals with someone or multiple people for accountability. Making your goals public means you’re more likely to complete them due to ‘‘commitment bias’’. 

Step 3: Reflect, Optimise and Repeat: 

Now you’ve got your pie-chart set and your goals for each area of your life. 

Essentially, you have a direction for how your year based on what matters to you the most. 

The challenge you’ll face (I’ve faced it a lot) is staying ‘‘on course’’ for the full 12 months. 

This is where regular reflection comes in. Make sure you check in on your progress against your goals and be honest with yourself about where you’re letting things slip. 

The way I do it is to re-score my original pie chart. For example in Q1 this year I’d completely let health and fitness drop so rather than scoring it 10% (my goal for how much of my time I wanted to dedicate towards it) I gave it a 2%. 

I then readjusted my calendar to include time for the gym 3x per week and things picked up from there. 

I’d recommend doing this kind of self-audit of your goals every 3 months at the end of your quarter or if you’re very keen do it monthly. 

The results you’ll see from even one or two runs at this will be huge to your overall happiness but also attainment in the workplace. 

Action Steps: 

Complete your own ‘‘Energy Pie-Chart’’ Set 1-3 Goals for each area Share it with someone for accountability 

Good luck.