Personal Self Reflection Template [Free Download PDF/Docx]

Below I am sharing my weekly reflection template which I am using for over 5 years. I've built this personal reflection template and iterated on it multiple times over 5+ years. This originated out of the desire to live a more reflected personal and professional life and to grow as a person over time.

Personal and professional growth compounds over time. A small improvement each week, prompted by a template you return to, adds up to a different life over years. This has been a guiding north star for me, most importantly in the dark and challenging times. Guiding me through many years of living abroad, loneliness, work challenges and other topics worth reflecting on.

I am a big believer in Carol Dweck's research on the "growth mindset" and for me personally, a weekly reflection was a big step towards ensuring I am growing consistently as a person, building my character and most importantly reflecting on my failures, lessons learned the hard way and how I can change myself to not repeat making the same mistakes.

Stoicism has guided me through life in many ways and it is a big part of what I consider my personal life philosophy. I've read many books about philosophy and stoicism specifically, including Rolf Dobelli's "The Art of the Good Life" and readings from Seneca and Marcus Aurelius. I built this template on stoic principles. Earlier versions leaned on them less. If you want to see how the template evolved, get in touch and I will add the older versions here.

Download the personal self reflection template for free:

Weekly Reflection Template (Word)DOCX ↓ Weekly Reflection Template (PDF)PDF ↓

Below you find the text from the downloadable self reflection template in case you prefer to read it without downloading:

Weekly Reflection: CW #

Date: xx.xx.2025

Place: xx

Short summary of the week

---Your reflective thoughts here---

Did I experience anger? envy? lust? Why did the week’s events upset me? What could have I done to avoid getting upset?

---Your reflective thoughts here---

What failures have you overcome? Where can you improve? What has disturbed my inner peace?

---Your reflective thoughts here---

3 things I am grateful for

1. ---Your reflective thoughts here---

What goals did I achieve?

Professional life

1. ---Your reflective thoughts here---

Private life

1. ---Your reflective thoughts here---

State of mind and thoughts

---Your reflective thoughts here---

Stoic Inspirations

“Keep away from low company.” - Seneca

Stoic mental checklist

The two checklists below are my working notes on the framework William B. Irvine sets out in "A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy". The questions are his; running them weekly is mine. If they resonate, read the book rather than my summary of it.

Are we practicing the psychological techniques the Stoics recommended?

Do we periodically engage in negative visualization?

Do we take time to distinguish between those things over which we have no control at all, and those over which we have some but not complete control?

Are we careful to internalize our goals? 

Have we refrained from dwelling on the past and instead focused our attention on the future?

Have we consciously practiced acts of self denial?

Stoic progress checklist

How do we judge our progress as Stoics?

Have my relations with other people changed?
According to Epictetus, our feelings aren’t hurt when others tell us that we know nothing or that we are “mindless fools” about things external to us.

Have I stopped blaming, censuring, and praising others?
According to Epictetus, we will stop boasting about ourselves and how much we know; and we will blame ourselves, not external circumstances, when our desires are thwarted. If we have made progress as a stoic, we will come to regard ourselves not as a friend whose desires must be satisfied but “as an enemy lying in wait”.

Has practicing Stoicism affected my dream life?
According to Zeno, as we make progress in our practice, we will stop having dreams in which we take pleasure in disgraceful things.

Does my philosophy of life consist of actions rather than words?
According to Epictetus, what matters most is our ability to live in accordance with stoic principles. 

Has my emotional life changed? Am I experiencing fewer negative emotions?

We will also find that we are spending less time than we used to wishing things could be different, and more time enjoying things as they are. We might discover that our practice of Stoicism has made us susceptible to little outbursts of joy: we will, out of the blue, feel delighted to be the person we are, living the life we are living, in the universe we happen to inhabit.

William B. Irvine, A Guide to the Good Life

Stoic techniques to start practicing

1. Negative visualization. Picture losing what you have, so you stop taking it for granted.
2. Practice the trichotomy of control. Separate things you have no control over, complete control over, and some but not complete control over. Instead of making winning the tennis match your goal, make it your goal to prepare for the match as well as you can.
3. Do things that cause mental and physical discomfort. Voluntary discomfort now makes involuntary discomfort easier to carry later.