Questions we should ask ourselves.
1.
If I am not happy, what is the point of everything that I am doing?
Long-term happiness should be at the center of everything that we do. If we are losing happiness by getting something else, I don’t think that’s worth it.
2.
What part of this situation is under my control?
We should only worry about things which are in our control. There’s no point thinking or worrying about things we can’t control. This question helps us to focus on the right part in any situation.
3.
People will tell stories about me at my funeral. What chapter am I writing today?
In other words, what things are you working on today that will play a pivotal role in your life’s goals?
4.
What are my actions moving me closer to?
Where am I going with my current actions and habits? It’s good to keep track of where we are headed.
5.
Does the amount of attention I’m giving, match its importance?
Our attention span is limited. So, it would be better if we pay our attention to important things.
6.
What is one small thing I could do today that would make a meaningful impact on my future?
Doing small right things everyday compounds to big things of tomorrow.
7.
Questions to ask before speaking: Does this need to be said? by me? right now?
It’s better to think before speaking, as we can’t take back our words.
8.
Has the most important thing changed? Am I chasing an outdated target?
It’s good to recalibrate our goals and destinations, they behave like a moving target.
9.
A year from now, what would I wish I had spent time on today?
Thinking today as the past of tomorrow helps in deciding what we should spend time on today.
10.
What advice would I give to myself 5 years ago?
This makes us think about what we actually wanted today and what we were working on in the past.
11.
What is my short-term goal? What is my long-term goal?
It’s good to keep in mind what we want in the short term and long term.
12.
What do I actually want from my life?
Surprisingly, many people don’t know or haven’t thought about what they actually want from their life. We must know what our goals are and how we want to live our lives.
13.
Am I working or spending time with the right people?
Right peer group is crucial for our overall growth. Definition of “right” here, depends on person to person. But I think people who have similar goals as you are the right kind of people.
14.
If I want to be on track to achieve X in 10 years, what do I need to do today?
Deciding today’s action items keeping in mind our long-term goals is a good strategy.
15.
Am I working at the right level? Do I need to zoom in or zoom out?
Controlling things from the top and letting others handle the nitty gritty details enables us to keep the overall goal in mind. Sometimes, we also need to deep dive in little details though.
16.
What is the biggest limiting factor in my goal?
Asking this question helps to identify things to focus on.
17.
Does this activity fill me with energy or drain me of energy?
We should avoid things that suck energy out of us, unless they are very important for us. Asking this question prevent ourselves from doing
18.
What is a mistake I seem to repeat every time? What can I do to prevent it this time?
Acknowledging our limitations and keeping them in mind always helps.
19.
If it fails, where does it fail?
Asking this question forces us to think about weak points of our strategy.
20.
Who can I collaborate with to make this easier?
Taking help from the right people is a good thing. We can’t do all the things.
I think we should ask ourselves these questions frequently. These questions are from my collection of questions which I collected from James Clear’s 3-2-1 newsletter, which is an awesome newsletter by the way.