Know thyself: five questions worth an honest answer
“Know thyself” has been carved into temple walls for a couple of thousand years, which tells us two things. It matters, and people keep forgetting to do it. Here are five questions that make the idea practical. Answer them honestly. Nobody is marking.
1. When do you do your best thinking?
Time of day, place, with people or alone. Then compare it with when you actually schedule your hardest work. The gap between the two is often where the week goes missing.
2. What drains you faster than it should?
Not what you dislike, but what costs you more energy than it logically should. That is usually a clue that something you value is being trodden on.
3. What do people come to you for?
The things others seek you out for are often strengths you have stopped noticing, because they feel easy to you.
4. What story do you tell when things go wrong?
“I always…”, “People never…”. Stories are useful, right up until they start making decisions for you.
5. What would you do more of if nobody was watching?
This one tends to reveal what you value underneath what you think you should value.
What to do with your answers
Pick the answer that surprised you most and make one small change around it this week: move a task, protect an hour, say no once. Self knowledge only earns its keep when it changes a Tuesday.
Want to go further?
Dr Tom Hitchcock runs a Know Thyself workshop at the GOAT PowerHour on Wednesday 14 October. It is free, online and there is no sales pitch.