I rarely have time to stop and reflect. Like hundreds of other working mums I tend to leg it from the school gate, to my desk at work, to swimming lessons, to the football pitch, on a daily basis with very little time to reflect on the decisions I have made. I have to make decisions quickly to ensure the decision gets made (if that makes sense!).
I was recently allowed the luxury of a three hour train journey to Manchester to visit a client. With an organised inbox, I allowed myself an hour to just sit and watch the world go by.
Trust me, to get to this position was difficult. A total of five different people were looking after my children in that short twenty four hour period. I have used a lot of ‘child care vouchers’ to get here, but it is so worth it. That one hour was the best one of the day. I reflected on conversations I had recently had with colleagues. I decided how to handle a difficult email. I made up my mind about whether or not to take annual leave for school sports day (this was a tricky decision!). I was able to review each member of my wonderful Business Services team and think about their development. None of my thoughts felt rushed and I allowed my thoughts to flow. I trusted my mind to put the thoughts into my head that I needed to deal with. My subconscious led the way. I felt revitalised and not bogged down by the thoughts I felt guilty for not having.
I have vowed to do this again and not wait for the next train journey! Just a few minutes each day of ‘reflection’ time will give me the chance to clear my mind and make or review good business decisions. I will then have the chance to review any business decisions I have made recently which will in turn help me to make even better decisions in the future.
So if you see me staring into space, please know I am not bored/ disinterested/ lazy – I am just taking five minutes of reflection to achieve better things next time!
