Looking Back to Learn

Written by Dr. Holly Ward, PhD

How to use the power of reflection to integrate lessons learned.

In both our personal and professional lives, it is essential to take time to pause and reflect on our experiences in order to learn and grow from them. When we consistently rush past this step to move on to the next thing on our list, we create a cycle in which our focus is only on what we have not completed. Whether we are looking at daily tasks or intricate projects, always looking forward and never looking back is an unfortunate habit that can have detrimental effects on our productivity, well-being, and happiness over time. Incorporating time to reflect on our experiences provides an important moment in which we can celebrate our successes and synthesize lessons learned; then we can carry that wisdom forward as we move on to the next To Do. 

The notion of acknowledging our accomplishments, big or small, is extremely impactful to our success. When we look only at the things we have not yet completed, that list in our mind weighs us down with immense pressure. That heaviness diminishes our innovation, creativity, and, ultimately, our motivation. It may seem paradoxical, but in fact, slowing down and taking time to reflect can drastically benefit your long-term productivity rather than “saving time” by blindly bulldozing through task after task.

When we take time to reflect, we give ourselves time to learn from our experiences and build on them. Reflection is in itself a very valuable aspect of learning. 

“We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflection on experience. Reliving of an experience leads to making connections between information and feelings produced by the experience.”

(Dewey, 1933, p. 78)

Working in a professional manner demands a continuous process of reflection: looking at our practices, ideas, and actions, then evaluating their effectiveness in order to make improvements both personally and professionally. 

Reflective actions, which are “those intellectual and affective activities in which individuals engage to explore their experiences in order to lead to a new understanding and appreciation’’ (Boud, Keogh & Walker, 1985, p. 19), are therefore an essential part of any professional role. Doing these “intellectual and affective activities” helps us to develop a sense of what has been achieved, what is likely to be achieved, and what could be done better. 

Reflective practice involves thoughtfully considering our own experiences in applying knowledge to practice (Schon, 1996). It requires us to look further, to examine ourselves, and become someone “choosing to make visible and open to examination all that one believes, knows, and does” (Vaines, 1997, p. 210). And despite what you may think, the quality of the learning is dependent not on the quality of the experience, but on the quality of the process of reflection (Smith & Betts, 2000).

The quality of the learning is dependent not on the quality of the experience, but on the quality of the process of reflection.

There are myriad benefits to taking time for ourselves to undergo the process of reflection: it can give us energy to continue our work and tap into our creative and innovative spaces. When we make time for ourselves to think and reflect, we enrich our lives as we begin to see the value of each experience. What we accomplish then becomes an avenue for how we can better move forward. 

Reflection on past, current, and future action takes practice. It requires a shift in mindset. Remembering the rewards you stand to gain can help you make this shift as you understand the value of the reflective process:

• Reflection lightens our load.
  When we fall into the trap of focusing only on the never-ending To Do List, we create a negative mindset in which no goals are accomplished: there are only uncompleted tasks to attend to. All that negative energy becomes a weight. It hinders our ability to move forward and takes away the value of our experiences and what we have accomplished. 

• Reflection increases motivation.
  As a goal-orientated society, we love being able to cross things off our To Do List. But we seem to only measure success with big achievements. Pausing to reflect on all our achievements and acknowledging even our smallest successes can act as fuel to keep us pushing forward. By developing a more positive attitude about our tasks, we become more aligned with our goals and gain more mental energy. 

• Reflection helps us learn and adapt.
  Some experiences are very difficult and can cause us to struggle. With every obstacle you overcome, take a moment to take it all in and reflect. Use the opportunity to learn from you mistakes or practices that were less successful than you’d hoped. By doing so, you can effectively accomplish more and tackle new projects with your new, earned wisdom. 

• Reflection builds confidence.
  Pausing and taking note of what you are good at and praising yourself for what you have accomplished can give you a serious confidence boost. You are more likely to continue doing what you are good at when you are aware of those gifts, right? And taking the time to reflect allows you to see you and all the valuable experiences that combine to make you into the unique, extraordinary human you are today.

Pausing to think and reflect on all that we have done gives us a chance to celebrate, to see ourselves more richly, to grow, and to keep moving forward in a meaningful way.