Weekly Retro | #9
This has been a somewhat busy week and before I knew it, it’s already the weekend. It’s not just any weekend though, because Monday is Memorial Day, a holiday for the entire country to celebrate those who serve our country. Before going off to enjoy the three day weekend bliss, here are a few things I’d like to share about this past week.
Medium articles
I don’t know about you but I love clicking through articles in the recommended section on Medium. I come across many writers and awesome articles all the time just wondering around from article to article. One post that stood out to me this week was written by Nazanin Delam on making dreams a reality by overcoming fear. I have always liked the idea of retro, a meeting held by agile teams to look back at the end of a development period to reflect on the process and identify areas for improvement. In Nazanin’s post, she talks about a weekly practice that she relies on to develop emotional intelligence and pin-point moments of fear that are hidden opportunities for professional growth. It’s a simple activity that entails writing down your reflections and answers to a few questions at the end of each work week. I think it’s a brilliant way to consciously look back at the week and reflect, using the moments just before the official start of the weekend.
Here I share some of my own reflection of the past week based on the prompts in Nazanin’s post.
What did I do well this week ?
I did well as a team lead by being available to support my team after committing to a new project. I also proactively asked for feedback at my own one-on-one with my manager since I’ve only just stepped into the lead role.
What can I improve on?
More detailed communication to everyone on the team on updates, keeping in mind that people are working on different days so what’s been announced to one person may not carry over as clearly to a different person.
Were there moments that I felt unconfident or scared? Why?
I conducted a few interviews and had one myself so it was a week full of learning a lot about others and learning a lot about myself. I went to a Women Who Code event where I ran into an acquaintance and I was definitely nervous about walking across the room to say hi. I am generally more on the introverted side so networking in general can be energy draining.
How can I do better next week?
I missed a few personal goals this week and I’m working on not having this happen again. A more realistic scheduling on my end would most definitely help but I admit it’s hard when I’m interested in doing several different things.
Sales and promotions
As with many other holidays, there are a lot of sales and discount codes on social media because of Memorial Day. Inevitably I started scrolling through Instagram stories and posts about the “good deals” and “best $15 white tee” until I came across Blondes & Bagels’ blog post where she mentioned textiles making up a big percentage of landfill. Don’t get me wrong, I too love a good deal and enjoy shopping but I’m someone that needs to be reminded of how much I already own. While I can’t quite commit to a 30 piece capsule wardrobe, I agree that overconsumption is an issue that most of us aren’t consciously aware of because there is so much consumerism in plain sight and online. Perhaps an app that let’s you do inventory of your belongings and runs analysis on cost per wear based on personalized data would help talk us out of the habit of putting things in the cart every time there’s a sale going on?
Work In Progress is a platform hosted by two twin sisters passionate about transitions in work and life. Our “Weekly Retro” series features interesting tidbits we come across each week and would like to share with everyone.
