The term "retrospective" may be familiar to many, especially those with a corporate background or who have had great mentors or coaches. But for those who have not been exposed, a retrospective is an opportunity to reflect on your past work and identify areas for improvement, ultimately optimizing future processes and enhancing your overall performance.
When working with my coaching clients, I often guide them through a retrospective focused on their business activities. Here’s how the framework works:
- Continue (Green): What is going well? This might include activities that drive revenue, attract new clients, align with their mission and values, or foster positive changes within the business.
- Stop (Red): What is causing problems? Consider time wasters, ineffective strategies, unnecessary meetings, or anything that leads to negative emotions or financial losses.
- Start (Yellow): What can be done differently or requires more attention? This could involve implementing new processes, hiring new team members or vendors, or refining budgeting practices.
This tool is beneficial for business owners, team leaders, sales professionals, and solo entrepreneurs because it helps you determine how to use your time, energy, and resources more effectively.
But what if this business principle could also apply to your everyday life?
In my experience, my clients often find that their work and personal lives intertwine, and their work-life balance plays a factor. If you're reading this, you probably know exactly what I mean. Our personal lives affect how we perform at work, how we lead, and how we collaborate with teammates. Therefore, I will also encourage my clients to conduct a personal self-retrospective of their lives.
I ask them to evaluate their daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly activities to decide what to Start, Stop, or Continue. I sometimes refer to this as the Red, Green, and Yellow light system for personal reflection. For example, if you’re staying up until 1:00 a.m. every night and need to get up at 6:00 a.m., that likely isn't effective, and you should consider a “Yellow light” on that habit to find a better bedtime. Conversely, if you're consistently going to the gym four days a week and feel good about it, even after weighing the costs and time, that should be a “Green light.” On the other hand, if you find yourself consuming 2-3 glasses of wine or bourbon each day, leading to weight gain, poor sleep, and difficulty waking up in the morning, that's something to “Red light” as it is not serving your well-being.
Sometimes, whether in business or life, we must slow down to evaluate our processes and habits to identify opportunities for improvement and efficiency. I encourage you to conduct your own personal self-retrospective.
Here’s how to get started:
- Decide how often you will conduct your retrospective (weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly).
- Perform this exercise for both your business and personal life.
- WRITE IT DOWN. Use a sheet of paper, a whiteboard, or open a Google Doc to create three columns for your evaluation.
- Take action on each line item in each column. Set goals and create plans based on your reflections.
By committing to this practice, you can make meaningful changes both personally and professionally.
Coach Alexandra Murray
Transformational Career Coach
Unleash You Coaching