| "By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third, by experience, which is the bitterest." Confucius
A great way to understand how we often approach the trade-off between practice and reflection is through the following three step scenario.
The goal is simple - solve five maths puzzles as accurately as possible:
Step 1: Familiarise yourself with the task by practicing with 5 maths puzzles (different to the ones you’ll be tested on)
Step 2: Prepare for 3 minutes by either practicing more puzzles OR reflecting on the puzzles you just solved - ultimately, you want to maximise your accuracy when tested
Step 3: Complete 5 maths puzzles and receive your score
What would you do in step 2? Practice, or reflect?
-
If your response was in line with the age-old adage, “practice makes perfect,” you’re with the majority of people. However, this study presented this exact scenario and found while participants typically ought for additional practice, those who reflected, performed better.
Now, those familiar with the scientific method may realise that this could simply be because the type of people who chose to reflect were already better at solving the problem. While that’s strong critical thinking, it’s unlikely to the case. I’ll soon explain why.
—
Reflection, the process in which we consciously ponder our actions and experiences, can yield more marginal returns than an extra bout of practice (1). That’s essentially to say that stopping to think about how to improve our process, can be more effective than spending that time practicing.
A great example is athletes (2) - where flaws in their process can cost relegation, losing important games or underperforming in crucial moments. Athletes often spend time reflecting on training sessions and games to understand ways they can improve, as opposed to spending that time completing more practice.
And there’s strong evidence in support of their approach. A field study examined participants undergoing training to take calls for technology-related enquiries. During the six-week course, participants were randomly assigned to complete 15 minutes of additional training at the end of the day, or reflect on the day as a whole. Those who reflected showed a 21.9% increase in performance.
When different participants were brought into a lab to replicate the “reflection effect” and strengthen causal claims, the effect held strong (1). Those who reflected outperformed those who took a break from the task, or who completed more practice.
There are often pockets of time where we can reflect on recent events.
Bored waiting for the bus? Why not write down some lessons learned from the days prior. Or what you like about your morning routine. Or even, what actions you’ve done in line with your values in the last 7 days.
Got 10 minutes at the end of the workday and it’s not worth starting a new task? Why not write out a note on how you can improve on your day at work? Or, think about your 3 most valuable tasks you completed that day.
Additionally, a quick reflection can help us move past “stumbles” and “fumbles” in the day. Meeting didn’t go to plan? You could note down a few points on what didn’t go well and how you’d approach the situation next time - once that’s noted down you can forget about it until your next meeting (where it might be worth a re-read).
Don’t expect immediate “game-changing” effects. That 21.9% increase mentioned above occurred from 6 weeks of reflection every working day! Nonetheless, what this illustrates is there are so many ways to reflect and so many spots to fit it into your day - regularly thinking about our process is vital to improving it!
There are points in our life where reflection can extended reflection can be quite helpful. At the end of the year, it can be helpful to reflect on how we achieved our goals, why we may have fallen short and what we can do to improve our systems to get there. At the end of a big project it might be helpful to reflect on each phase to improve your processes for the next one. When you’re moving jobs it might be effective thinking about the best attributes of the culture, leadership and environment you worked in (as well as the worst?). These are just a few examples of the many transitions in our lives that can be aided with reflection.
Journaling is a simple technique that can be completed at any time and almost anywhere, whether that be digitally on our phone or with a paper and pen. All you need to do is ask yourself simple questions.
Five that I have found particularly helpful are the following, curtesy of Rowan Kunz:
My key learnings from interactions I’ve had with people, books, podcasts and websites
How I lived out my values
Limiting beliefs I had and my new beliefs
Celebrations and gratitude
What I could improve on and do better in the future
These questions help us interact better with others, challenge our assumptions and think back over the day; the mistakes you made, the things you achieved and the people you learned from.
I find this strategy to be most effective at the end of the day when I can look back on the day as a whole, but it may work better at the start of the day, when your mind is clear (looking back on the previous day) or in the middle of the day, so you apply what you’ve learned in the rest of your day. The key is you find where it fits into your existing routines! Struggling to make the behaviour a habit? Check out my article on behaviour change here!
---
Reflection is a powerful tool for behaviour change. While we continually accumulate experience throughout our lives, the time we spend intentionally reflecting is often what brings novel insights on how and why, we should change our habits and behaviours.
Learning by Thinking: How Reflection Can Spur Progress Along the Learning Curve
Reflective learning in sport: a case study of a senior level triathlete