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Reflections

Build a meaningful reflection practice to understand your patterns and growth.

What are Reflections?​

Reflections in Cadence are longer-form thoughts about your days, weeks, or specific patterns. Unlike quick activity notes, reflections are:

  • Synthesized insights: Pulling together patterns from multiple activities
  • Meaningful: Focused on understanding, growth, and awareness
  • Periodic: Typically weekly, but can be daily or monthly

Why Reflect?​

Reflection is a powerful practice:

  • Self-awareness: Understand your patterns and rhythms
  • Pattern recognition: Notice what's working and what isn't
  • Course correction: Adjust habits based on insights
  • Gratitude: Recognize positives and progress
  • Documentation: Build a journal of your journey

Regular reflection transforms raw data into wisdom about your life.

The Reflection Screen​

Weekly Cadence View​

The Reflection screen shows your week at a glance:

  • 7-day grid: See the whole week visually
  • Color-coded: Activities shown as colored blocks
  • Pattern spotting: Quickly identify rhythms and gaps
  • Time totals: See total time per activity
  • Access notes: Tap any activity to see your notes

This view makes patterns immediately visible!

  • Swipe between weeks: Move forward/backward through time
  • Calendar picker: Jump to any week
  • Today: Return to current week
  • Activity filtering: Focus on specific activity types (coming soon!)

Creating Reflections​

Manual Reflections​

Write your own reflections:

  1. Review your week in the Reflection view
  2. Notice patterns, highlights, challenges
  3. Tap "Add Reflection"
  4. Write your thoughts
  5. Save!

Prompts to guide you:

  • What went well this week?
  • What was challenging?
  • What patterns do I notice?
  • What do I want to change?
  • What am I grateful for?

Reflection Practices​

Daily Reflection (5 minutes)​

End of each day:

  1. Review your timeline
  2. Add notes to activities if you haven't
  3. Quick reflection prompt:
    • Went well: What was good today?
    • Challenging: What was difficult?
    • Learned: One insight or lesson?

Reflection Frameworks​

The 3-2-1 Method​

A simple, powerful framework:

  • 3 things that went well
  • 2 things that were challenging
  • 1 thing to focus on next week

Works great for weekly reflections!

The 4 Quadrants​

Organize reflections by area:

  • Work/Professional: Projects, meetings, productivity
  • Health/Physical: Exercise, sleep, nutrition
  • Relationships/Social: Family, friends, community
  • Personal/Creative: Hobbies, learning, growth

The Energy Audit​

Reflect on energy patterns:

  • What gave me energy? (Do more of this!)
  • What drained my energy? (Minimize or eliminate)
  • When was I in flow? (Protect this time)
  • When did I struggle? (Why? Can I change it?)

The Gratitude Lens​

Focus on positives:

  • Big wins: Major accomplishments
  • Small joys: Everyday pleasures
  • People: Who supported or inspired you?
  • Learnings: What did you discover?

Building a Reflection Habit​

Start Small​

Don't overwhelm yourself:

  • Week 1-2: Just review your timeline weekly, no writing
  • Week 3-4: Add 3-2-1 reflections (takes 5 minutes)

Make it Easy​

Remove friction:

  • Set a reminder: Same time every week
  • Keep it short: 10-15 minutes is plenty
  • No perfection: Rough thoughts are valuable

Find Your Rhythm​

Experiment to find what works:

  • Day: Sunday evening? Monday morning? Friday afternoon?
  • Duration: 5 minutes? 20 minutes?
  • Format: Free-form writing? Structured prompts?
  • Frequency: Weekly? Bi-weekly? Monthly?

Benefits of Regular Reflection​

Increased Self-Awareness​

Reflection helps you:

  • Notice patterns you'd otherwise miss
  • Understand what makes you thrive
  • Identify energy drains and time sinks
  • Recognize your natural rhythms

Better Decision Making​

With awareness comes better choices:

  • Say no to activities that don't serve you
  • Say yes to more of what energizes you
  • Adjust your schedule based on energy patterns
  • Protect time for what matters most

Documented Growth​

Build a journal of your journey:

  • See how far you've come
  • Recognize progress and wins
  • Learn from past challenges
  • Appreciate your evolution

Gratitude and Positivity​

Regular reflection practice:

  • Shifts focus to positives
  • Builds appreciation
  • Reduces rumination
  • Improves well-being

Advanced Techniques​

Theme Weeks​

Track specific themes:

  • Energy week: Focus on energy levels in notes
  • Gratitude week: Add gratitude to every activity
  • Productivity week: Track deep work and distractions
  • Connection week: Notice social interactions

Then reflect on the theme!

Pattern Experiments​

Test hypotheses:

Hypothesis: "I'm more productive when I exercise in the morning"

  1. Track: Log activities and add notes about productivity
  2. Experiment: Try morning exercise for 2 weeks
  3. Decide: Keep the change or try something else

Seasonal Reviews​

Quarterly deep reflections:

  • Review 12-13 weeks of data
  • Identify major themes and shifts
  • Set intentions for next quarter
  • Celebrate significant progress

Privacy of Reflections​

Reflections are private and secure:

  • End-to-end encrypted: Like notes
  • Only you can access: Even Cadence employees can't read them
  • Backed up safely: Cloud-stored with encryption
  • Delete anytime: Full control over your data

Sharing Reflections (Future)​

Coming soon:

  • Export reflections: Save as PDF or text
  • Share selectively: Choose specific reflections to share
  • Reflection prompts: Community-sourced reflection frameworks
  • Accountability partners: Share progress with trusted friends

Example Reflection​

Sample weekly reflection:

Week of Oct 6-12, 2025

This week felt more balanced than last. I managed to exercise 4 times (up from 2!), and I notice I have more energy on days I work out in the morning. Work was busy but productive - I protected two 2-hour deep work blocks each day which made a huge difference.

Challenging: I didn't spend much time on creative projects. Only one hour of reading. I want to protect weekend mornings for this.

Grateful for: The team lunch on Wednesday - great conversation and connection. Also grateful I'm building more consistent exercise habits.

Next week: Keep morning exercise going, and block Saturday 9-11am for creative time. Maybe try that new coffee shop for a change of scenery.

Tips for Meaningful Reflections​

  1. Be honest: Reflect on reality, not the ideal
  2. Balance perspective: Notice good AND challenging
  3. Look for patterns: What repeats week to week?
  4. Stay curious: Ask "why?" about your patterns
  5. Take action: Use insights to make small changes
  6. Be patient: Patterns emerge over time
  7. Celebrate wins: Notice and appreciate progress

Reflection isn't about perfection - it's about awareness, growth, and living more intentionally!