Performance reviews are a fact of life for most NHS managers and can often feel like a tick-box exercise. But research shows reviews are great for goal setting, self-reflection and awareness, building resilience and boosting your motivation and confidence. They can also give you the chance to ‘reset’ and provide you with fresh clarity and direction.

So why not make a meaningful quarterly personal review a regular feature of your self-development?

Grab a notebook and make a repeat date with yourself to work through the questions below. You can use them to set your course for the next few months, and to celebrate what’s gone before. Keeping notes will give you a record of your progress. These questions are effective in both a work and more general ‘life’ context, and you can use them as talking points with your teams too.

For each prompt, write down your answers, as well as any patterns you notice, what you want to let go of, and which elements you want to maintain or develop over your next quarter.

Let’s start on a high! What have you done brilliantly this quarter?

Sometimes it’s difficult to remember all the things we’ve aced; it’s so much easier to remember the stuff you didn’t nail. But dig deep. There’s amazing stuff there; I know it! Don’t shy away from this. It’s not showing off, it’s celebrating. Stuck? If your friends were answering, what would they say?

What’s stopping you from being your brilliant self every day? What, if anything, gets in the way of you working on and achieving your hopes, goals and dreams?

Are these blockers and barriers external or internal? External could look like money, time, geography, circumstances, lack of knowledge or not having the right tools or equipment. Internal would be things like mindset, confidence, self-judgment, fear, worry about what others think or procrastination. How can you begin to move past them?

It’s a cliché to say that we’re better together, but we can achieve goals more quickly when we ask for help. Although we often enjoy being asked for and giving help, we’re usually not so great at asking for it. Help from others could be just what you need to move through those barriers you’ve just listed. Ask yourself:

What really matters for you at the moment? Take a moment to list all the areas where you are currently putting your energy (good or bad). Now make a list of where you’d like to be putting your energy (you may have this before using the ‘wheel of life’ — find out more here.

Once you’re clear on where you want and don’t want to spend your precious, limited energy and focus, make a plan for how you can focus your energy on those areas over the next quarter.

Boundaries can be essential in helping us maintain our values, achieve our priorities and meet our needs. Only we can embed and maintain those boundaries. Think about where you’ve set good boundaries, and where you need to review them.

Start with your values. What’s important to you? What matters? In an ideal world, what would you not compromise on? You need to communicate your boundaries so people know what they are. Who do you need to tell?

How can you keep these boundaries? If they’re new, or boundaries you currently struggle with, how can you protect them? This might include blocking out diary time, removing or time-limiting apps on your phone, or setting reminders. Finally, think about how you will know if you’ve successfully kept your boundaries.

This is the REALLY important bit. Based on your insights, start to formulate a plan or some ideas and principles that you want to take into the next quarter. Then set a date for your next review. This will help you focus for your next review, and move you closer to achieving your personal and professional aims.