Experience of Keeping a Reflective Journal - Essay Example

Reflective Journal Name Institution Reflective Journal 6:00 am Wednesday 1st July 2015 Shall I exercise? I had gone for a physical checkup two days earlier because I was feeling lethargic. I learned that I had to increase my levels of physical activity because I was overweight and at risk of heart disease. I realized that I may not live long enough if I do not check on my weight, exercise and maintain a healthy diet. I purposed to begin exercising after the checkup. I woke up at 5:00 am feeling lethargic and wondered if I should exercise. The exercise had to be fun, light-to-moderate and for a duration of 30 minutes. I decided to put my aerobics video and dance in the living room for twenty minutes. Alternatives: Omit exercise and prepare for work Lose weight using body wraps Find suitable a gym in the neighborhood Rating-10 because I felt rejuvenated and excited. I should have created an exercise journal indicating the duration and type of exercise for each day. I should also have purchased sports shoes on the day of the checkup instead of using old running shoes. Waking up at 5am to exercise is a challenge for me. I will use the journal to identify the most appropriate times for exercise. I also need to meet a trained physical therapist to develop a customize exercise program. 5:30am Tuesday 14th July 2015 Do I get out of bed immediately the alarm sounds (or do I try an extra few minutes) I woke up tired because I had slept late the previous night working on my school assignments. I felt I could sleep for a few more minutes because I did not have morning classes. I also had night shift at work. I was still tired and thought I could sleep a bit longer since I did not have anything urgent that morning. I decided to try an extra 20 minutes. Alternatives: Get out of bed immediately Sleep for 2 more hours Meditate in bed Rating - 7. I was still tired from sleeping 20 more minutes in the morning. I should have slept earlier the previous night if I had worked on my assignments during the day rather than procrastinate. Procrastination affected my sleeping habit. I need to manage my time more effectively. I need to address my procrastination because lack of adequate sleep will affect my sleep and performance at work and in school. I should also schedule my assignments during the day so that I sleep for a maximum of 6 hours daily. 6:24 pm Monday 22nd June 2015 Shall I try to finish my assignment today? The assignment was due the following day at 12pm. I did not have enough time to complete the assignment the following day because I had an early morning shift at work. It was important that I completed the assignment on time so that I could print and forward it to the lecturer. Handing the assignment on time was important because the school fines students for handing in their work after a deadline. I did not want to lower my grades because of failing to submit my work on time. I decided to finish my assignment that night so that it would be ready for printing in the morning. Alternatives: Go to bed early and work on the assignment before my morning shift Submit my assignment as it is Ask the lecturer for an extension of the deadline Rating - 9 I should have created a schedule to guide my evening hours. The schedule would allocate time for assignment, house chores and sleep. It is important to schedule my assignments by creating small but manageable tasks. These tasks would be completed daily until the assignments are completed. This approach would improve my time management skills and make me more organized. 9:00am Monday 6 July 2015 Do I book an appointment with my manager to discuss workload? I felt overwhelmed with the current workload and wanted to discuss ways of resolving this problem with my manager I could not manage the current workload, which comprised of my own work and the work of my colleague who was on medical leave. I felt overwhelmed and unable to manage my work, school, and family responsibilities. I decided to book an appointment with the manager to discuss my workload Alternatives: Manage the current workload without informing the supervisor of my challenges Request human resources department to recruit an intern to share my workload Rating - 8 I should have presented information about my work hours and challenges with managing my colleague’s workload. I should also have presented the manager with a solution such as recruiting an unpaid/paid intern to share my workload. Managing two different job descriptions is very tough. It needs resilience and time management skills. 2:00pm Monday 29th June 2015 Do I see my doctor for the eye ache I have had for the last three weeks? My eye has been aching and causing headaches for the past three weeks. Aspirin does not provide relief. I decided to see my doctor at 3pm for an eye checkup. Alternatives: Visit the ophthalmologist Continue taking aspirin Research natural alternatives for pain management Rating - 7 The doctor could not identify the cause of the eye problem. She prescribed steroids and requested a follow-up after 10 days. I should have consulted two more physicians to help identify the cause of the eye problem rather than rely on the diagnosis of one doctor. I should seek diagnosis from multiple physicians because some doctors may not diagnose a health problem accurately. Multiple diagnoses may reveal the actual problem. 9:30am Thursday 11th June 2015. Should I apply for a promotion? I feel overqualified for my job position. I am not challenged by my position. My academic qualifications make me a suitable candidate for supervisory position at my job. This position would give me greater responsibility and freedom to manage my school work and family responsibilities. I applied for a promotion. Alternatives: Apply next year for a promotion Be content with my current job Look for a similar job in another company Rating - 6 I should have carried out more research on the job so that I could assess my skills more critically. I also should have discussed this decision with my family. Applying for a job promotion is unnerving because politics is a significant factor that influences the selection of individuals to particular posts. Job politics require that I network with my colleagues and managers, attend work functions and seek leadership positions so that I am visible to senior managers. 2:00pm Friday 17th June 2015 Should I apply for a job at a rival company? I saw an ideal job posting at a rival company that I found worth considering. I have been looking for better job opportunities including a promotion at work and higher paying jobs in other companies. I also satisfied the criteria for the job. I did not apply for the job. Alternatives Apply for the job Start my own business Rating - 8 I should have carried out further research on the job and how shifting to a rival company would have affected my relationships with colleagues It would be challenging to work for a rival company since I am loyal to my employer. 4:00pm Saturday 13th June 2015 Is it safe to pull out of the car park onto the busy road? I needed to pull out of the car park in a seamless manner. There was insufficient room to move around the car park and enter the busy road. The road was too busy and I would have risked an accident with that maneuver. I did not pull out of the car park onto the busy road. Alternatives: Pull out onto the busy road Wait for the car infront to move so I have room to maneuver. Request my nephew to watch the road while I pull out of the parking lot. Rating -7 I should have considered my ability to maneuver the limited space in the parking lot. I should also have considered the risks I posed to pedestrians and drivers on the busy road. 2pm Sunday 5th July 2015 Will I stop to fill my car with gasoline? The indicator in my car showed that the fuel tank was running low and I had to refill it quickly. I was scheduled to travel on Monday morning and I did not think it was wise to search for fuel that morning. I needed to refuel my car after church on Sunday. I decided to stop and fill my car at the gas station on my way home from church Alternatives: Head straight home from church Fill my car with gasoline on Monday morning Do not fill the car with any gasoline until the fuel tank runs empty. Rating -10 I could have dropped my children home then drove to the gas station to fill it so that I would not inconvenience the kids. Alternatively, I should have fueled the car on Friday or Saturday morning. I should schedule my gas station visits so that I can monitor my fuel expenses. I also need to monitor my driving skills because my fuel expenses have increased threefold in the last two years. When should I retire? I need to set up a retirement plan so that my future is secured. I have been saving my money and investing in stocks. However, I do not have any savings for retirement. I need to invest in a retirement fund to ensure that I have some source of income after retirement. I decided to retire at 55 years Alternatives; Do not have any retirement age Retire at 65 years Ignore retirement investments Decision - 8 I should have considered my income and any sources of funds that I could allocate to the retirement fund. I should also examine current legislation on the retirement age. I should talk with adults above 55 years to gain insight into their reasons for retirement and their views on retiring at 55 years. Read More