Brain Food for Pioneering Spirits: How can we integrate reflection into our daily routines? Susanne and Jürgen join Dr. Yasemin Yazan to share their own quiet hours, dog walks and flow states — and to explore the difference between planned reflection built into a routine and the unplanned reflection everyday life forces on us…
Note: This session was recorded live in German as part of the Deep Talk Club, so the video above is German-language audio only. What follows is an English translation of the conversation, lightly edited for readability — the back-and-forth between the moderator and participants is preserved, but the original timestamps and speaker names have been left out.
A very good morning to you all. Today we’re talking about reflection in everyday life, and want to engage with the question of how we can integrate reflection into our daily routines. And I’m curious what comes together in this context today. One important aspect I’d like to mention, so we can differentiate here too, is that we’ll have a separate room where we’ll go into very concrete methods of reflection. So today we’re not going too deep into the methods themselves yet, meaning how exactly I carry out this reflection — let’s keep a bit of distance from that for now — and really look at what daily routines I have, and where I tend to do this, morning, evening, and whether I build it into the routine itself or however that might look, so that today we look at it more from a structural angle, so to speak. And I’m curious to reflect together on this and see what comes to mind for you. So, reflection in everyday life — how can we integrate reflection into our daily routines, since over the past days we’ve also talked about how some of this happens consciously or unconsciously? And when it comes to creating this awareness in the area of reflection, it definitely makes sense to also look at how I can develop a kind of routine out of it, or embed it into my routines, so that it can become a routine in itself, and I don’t have to think separately about it only in the moments when it specifically applies, when I feel, from my evaluation, that I need to carry out a reflection — but rather to implement it as part of my life within these routines too. And I think Deep Talk Club is certainly one of the routines we’ve built here — at least for those of you who join regularly, this is certainly already the first example of how we can integrate reflection into our daily routines. Because what we do here every morning from 8 to 9am German time is opening up a reflection room. And Deep Talk, since it happens every day, always at the same time without exception, is a routine that has developed for many of us over, well, 954 rooms by now. So that’s already been quite a while where we can clearly speak of a routine. And everyone who really uses this regularly is already carrying out a form of reflection here within Deep Talk, so to speak. And these or similar examples are basically what this is about. What’s it like for you? Do you have various routines? Where do you build reflection in? As I said, I’ll repeat it again — we won’t explicitly look today at how it’s concretely done, especially this aspect of methods, I’d like to set that aside for now, since we’ll have a separate room specifically to go into what methods there are and how they can be applied or used. And I think we’ll definitely gather various examples there too, where we might pick up one idea or another from each other for ourselves. So, with that, I’d like to warmly invite you to join and bring in and share your experiences here, from your everyday life, from your daily routines — where, at which points, do these reflections happen for you? Have you implemented them at all? Or would this maybe be a new impulse to think about that for the first time? And if you don’t yet have daily routines where you’ve built in reflections as a component, then of course we can also talk about where that might be possible. So maybe consciously think about what would actually still be possible there. And, yes, please join in. And another note for those who maybe haven’t been here in a while, or are joining for the first time today — we record the room the entire time, and anyone who joins automatically agrees that it will be published accordingly. And we have three small room rules: a profile picture you can be recognized by, first and last name, and at least one sentence in your bio. Anyone who doesn’t want that for whatever reason, or can’t speak right now, is of course, as always, also invited to use the chat, so we can pick up on one thing or another over the course of the conversation. And with that, I’ll mute myself for now and see who’d like to start the round with me this morning.
A very good morning, dear Susanne, lovely to have you with us. A very good morning, Yasemin and everyone else. Well, I have to smile a bit, because your room has been part of my daily routine for a long time already. Years ago I decided to take more time for myself, and I introduced my quiet hour, which I usually have between 8 and 9am. And your room was actually a fixed part of that for quite a while too. These days I use it for a lot of things — before I used it for many other things usually, but exactly for this, to simply use the moment of quiet, to reflect, to visualize too. It’s a fixed time of day that I can’t always keep, depending on what appointments I have. But usually I do it so that I have it in the morning between 8 and 9. And otherwise, if I haven’t managed it in the morning, I definitely take the time later in the evening too, to let the day pass in review again, to reflect again, maybe also, as it’s so nicely put, to just linger in nothingness for a bit.
Yes, wonderful, thank you so much. And what’s interesting, which you also touched on, is that usually — you made a distinction there, “usually,” and sometimes it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work every day. That means there are exceptions too, depending on whether other appointments come up or such. But at least you look at these times you’ve set aside for yourself, and probably try to keep them free accordingly, so that it doesn’t become an occasional thing, but usually you stick to it. And for you, if I understood correctly, that’s once in the morning, so to speak, your quiet hour, which you carry out for yourself in different forms and shapes, whether that’s participating in DTC or maybe sometimes really just pure silence. And on the other hand, that in the evening you have, let’s just call it a slot, where you let the day pass in review again. Is there also some kind of specific framework in which you do that, or how do you shape it?
Yes, well, in the evening, for me, it’s that — I have two kids still at home, one teenager and one almost-teenager, and there, within the family, I’ve really clearly defined for myself that I say, okay, now I have time for myself, I’m withdrawing now. When the weather’s nice, I’m outside a lot, I sit in a corner of the garden or hide away somewhere in the house, and then I’m just there for myself. And that’s also a time I really carve out for myself, and then I just listen to music, or with dimmed lighting just wind down a bit, leave the hecticness of everyday life behind, and that’s of course something I’ve firmly anchored. So this evening thing isn’t necessarily always at a fixed time, because that’s not always doable, but where I say, now I just have time for myself — I actually announce that too, I say, okay, I have time for myself now, I want to be by myself for half an hour, and through that I create the framework to really be able to live out this calm.
Yes, wonderful, thank you so much. And you also just mentioned creating this framework, which is certainly important too. On one hand, there are certainly still many more contexts where reflection in everyday life can be implemented, integrated, into daily routines. Feel free to join in too, others, to open up further examples. Maybe there are areas for you like sports, hobbies, I don’t know, brushing your teeth, or others — really daily routines where you use the time to also quite deliberately carry out this reflection accordingly. So we simply have a few more examples accordingly, to bring in this variety here, and yes, to create the framework, or set the framework, so to speak. What constitutes a good framework for you in this context, Susanne?
Yes, a good framework for me personally is that I can be undisturbed. So, as you just said, different frameworks — I also do that sometimes, when it’s too hectic here because visitors from the boys are here or something, or movement is also always very good for the mind, then I grab the dog and go for an hour’s walk through the forest, and I have the opportunity to reflect there too. So I always notice, when I’m very, very tense, very hectic, then I do that, unless it’s really pouring buckets, then I grab the dog, because I notice that once I arrive at the forest, I quite consciously realize how much hecticness I actually have inside me right now, and I can wind down from there. So that’s always the framework for me. So the framework for me has to be about having the calm, that I really create a space. Whether I go into an actual physical room where I’m then alone, which can be quiet, or I go into the forest, or I sit, like right now, on the terrace and enjoy listening to the rain and chatting with you all.
Yes, wonderful, thank you so much. And especially the example with the dog and the walk through the forest is a lovely example for everyone, basically, who’s a pet owner too. That’s one of the possibilities to go into reflection. When we, for example, take the dog for a walk and so on, that happens regularly too. That means, forced, so to speak, not like “oh, maybe not today, I’m too tired” or such. Those are daily routines that lend themselves very, very well, especially in this combination, to use the time for reflection too. Jürgen, a very good morning — what would you like to bring in today?
Hello, good morning, dear Yasemin, hello Susanne, and everyone in the room. First question — can you understand me? That’s always an issue on the weekend.
Yes, we can hear you.
Wonderful. Okay, so I joined the room a bit later and noticed that you’re focusing especially on the subheader today. So my spontaneous contribution to today, to this topic that’s close to my heart, would reference the actual original room title, namely hinged on “everyday life.” But I’ll set that aside for now, in case that becomes a topic. Because for me that’s already a point worth thinking about — “everyday life.” Let me go to the second trigger you set, with the mention of “sport.” And for me, as an actual fixed routine, since I have a fixed sports routine over a very long time span, sport is my time of reflection. Namely, at the latest since I no longer do it competitively, but rather use this time, when I’m moving through nature, sitting on my bike, or in the water, to reflect. So one — we defined this once as, essentially, an inward view. And it’s really been a routine for me because a second component connects very well with it, or is actually almost a prerequisite for my personal reflection, namely that during this phase of physical activity, I get into a flow. That means for me — we already had this topic a while back — that the head hands over the entire control of the body to the body itself. That means, I conclude, that the head has these additional resources, which it would normally use or need for controlling the body, available for reflection instead. And, adding to that, hopefully additional potential, that’s — and I can fully confirm this for myself — the most fruitful time for reflection, if I manage, through shaping the environment, the time in which I carry out this activity, the mood I’m in — those are the essential prerequisites for me to get into this flow and thereby free up a lot of space for reflection. And, as I said, alongside DTC, that’s really my daily ritual, as far as I can always manage it — on par with DTC for me, this phase of looking inward, having inner dialogues, processing how I’m feeling right now, where I stand, and how I can categorize that, in order to then hopefully arrive at a result. That’s my almost-daily routine for reflection. Thank you.
Yes, wonderful, thank you so much. And something else we can look at again is this aspect of daily routine, or general routine. Routine, ultimately, means that I do it at regular intervals. Routine doesn’t theoretically have to mean it’s daily — it could just as well mean it happens, say, three times a week or similar. That means we can maybe look here again at whether there are further distinctions too. Something like walking the dog happens regularly anyway — if I personally do it every day, then it might be embedded in my daily routine too. But does that mean that reflection actually happens on every single walk with the dog? So just because the framework is there doesn’t mean I actually use it for reflection. So maybe we can look at that again too, also with physical activities etc. This flow you mentioned, I find that really important, Jürgen, lovely that you built that bridge back to the rooms we already had, in the context of flow. I find that great, I’m glad, I hadn’t immediately thought of that. And your question, your opening question regarding the room title “Reflection in Everyday Life,” to look more closely at the term “everyday life” itself — I wouldn’t have thought of that idea at all, so I find that really exciting, and I’d like to open that door too. Maybe it’s quite interesting to look at this in the sense of an expansion, and see where it might lead us too. Because often it’s exactly the aspects we ourselves might not even think of that then open up entirely new possibilities in the sense of reflection. So, a warm invitation to look a bit further into that too. Susanne, Jürgen, would you like to add something here?
Go ahead, Jürgen. Yes, now let me go back to the original trigger you set me with the header, with “everyday life.” And please don’t restrain me if this goes past the subtitle. But I think it’s a really essential junction, and as so often, I latched onto the terminology, so to speak, onto “everyday life.” That was the trigger, and what popped up in me was — back in the day there used to be a so-called weekday suit or a Sunday suit, an everyday dress or a Sunday dress, as it was called, that you’d wear on Sunday to go to church, and in the afternoon to grandma’s for coffee and cake. And transferred to our topic, reflection in everyday life — if I really go by the header, emphasis on “everyday,” that would mean, well, some reflection comes along, triggered by some stimulus and influence, a perception I pick up on, and I say, sorry, but today is Wednesday, come back on Sunday. Mind you, dear all, I’m clinging to the term “everyday life” here, I really don’t know why. But as funny as this whole thing is, when I thought about it, behind every joke there’s something serious, and in this case I built a bridge to our room yesterday, dear Yasemin, when Marc gave that example, that the partner drops a bombshell on the partner and confronts us with the fact, the relationship is over, and, so, now there’s room and time for reflection. And that’s when I asked myself, are there really such everyday reflections, or are there specials, very specific specials, like a suit I only take out of the closet when it’s Sunday. And I asked myself what actually happens there. And first, I think, there’s a categorization. Namely a categorization of classification and distinction. Something now, I’ll stick with Marc’s example, is brought to me — as opposed to, imposed on me without my consent — as opposed to me, from within myself, for example out of frustration or a certain desire, starting to reflect. That’s the first distinction for me, which I think is really essential for the type and progression of the reflection, that I make this distinction. Externally determined or self-determined. And the second thing that happens, I make an evaluation. Along the lines of, is the roof on fire, or has a rice sack toppled over in Beijing. Meaning, does the problem need urgent solving through reflection, or can I no longer — consciously, I mean — do I need to reflect on this, or can I shelve it for certain specials, certain hours I set aside for it. And the third area, and now we approach your subtitle, I think — what then happens is actually checking my own readiness. Do I have time for this reflection right now? Do I have the resources, meaning, to put it a bit casually, is my head even free for this reflection? And do I possibly also have other people I’d like to include in this, and want to ask for communication, for help? The reason I went into this at such length is that, in the end, a decision actually comes, in my view. It’s now a matter of an everyday reflection, and that means, for me, in this terminological sense, I now have to solve it. I now have to think about it, because the roof is on fire, so to speak. Because there’s possibly danger imminent. Or I come to the decision, well, good that I noticed it, that I perceived it, but for that I really need to reserve a slot, like Susanne does and like I do too, saying, it’s not normal, but once I’m back on the bike, then I really go deep inside myself and engage with it. That was, sorry if that took a bit too long, but the actual original first spark on your room title, on the first line, mind you. Thank you for listening.
Yes, wonderful, thank you so much. And this also makes clear, in contrast to routines, where I can implement it quite firmly if I want, so we’re in a planned area, or a plannable area, while the other is situational and context-dependent in everyday life. That means surprises can come up here. It doesn’t have to be anything serious, doesn’t have to be anything bad. Those can be very different situations, in all sorts of directions. And there I definitely have the option to quite consciously decide, or make the decision, do I want to reflect on this now, or does it also have time, for example, to be set aside for Friday or Sunday or whatever, to be considered then. And that can, of course, be connected with urgencies too — you already touched on this aspect — connected with urgencies. Let’s take a conflict situation, say in a team at work. We’re in the middle of working on a project, for example, and a conflict situation arises. It could well be the case that, due to the urgency of the project, because we’re right before a deadline, or we’re already over time, or whatever, it’s actually necessary not to look at, or maybe set aside sensitivities for the moment, in order to then process that, for example, in a slot after the project, right after the project, either together or alone, first alone, then together, or however. That’s also a form of reflection that then takes place accordingly, in order to then draw lessons learned from it too, for example. So that would be an example where it can sometimes be necessary, not because it’s not important, but because a different prioritization is made in the moment, and it’s postponed, because at that moment, say, finishing a project has priority, with the deadline behind it. But that doesn’t mean the other thing is less important — it’s more a matter of the distinction between urgency, so to speak, and the corresponding prioritization.
Yes, wonderful, thank you so much. Susanne, would you maybe like to follow up on this too?
Yes, I’ve been listening to this a bit with my thoughts wandering, because these different time windows, let’s say, I’ve also carried out for many years in a team, where I’d say, okay, we had our team meeting once a week, and during the week, if a topic came up, okay, let’s save that for that day, and we’d note it down, bring it in there, or, as I said, we’d prioritize the whole thing and see, do I need to deal with this right now, or can I really push it. I do that in private life too — there’s private everyday life, business everyday life. It’s the same there. Besides the routine for myself, I of course also have the routine with my family, with my boys. We have fixed times for breakfast during the week, because they still have to go to school. We have fixed times — not quite so fixed, but it’s still that we, the kids too, place great value on a shared dinner. That’s where conversations happen too, where topics come up. So, in the private sphere, where I say, okay, let’s clarify this now, or let’s clarify it later. We also had, for a very long time, when there were six of us — I have four children in total — and when all four kids were still at home, we’d have a family council at regular intervals, for exactly such topics, as Jürgen said, when it’s burning, of course an immediate crisis meeting followed. Or you’d say, well, there’s a topic here, we need to reflect together and find solutions. We’d then convene a family council. Such things exist too, of course. There I agree with you, Yasemin, it’s not that you always have something daily, like walking the dog or such, and that reflection always happens there too. Sometimes it’s also a routine where I sometimes classify it that way, or just say, then I’m in a state of nothingness. So then I don’t need to reflect, then I sometimes also just don’t need to think. I have the dog, who usually runs ahead of me and sets the path, and I follow him. And he finds the way back home too, roughly. So it doesn’t always have to be the case that reflection happens during such a routine. But it’s really important, and I definitely agree with Jürgen there, to also prioritize and say, okay, do I absolutely need to do this now, is this urgently necessary, or can it also be pushed to another time. So I think you really have to weigh that up, and sometimes it’s also unplanned, that suddenly something comes along, someone shows up with a piece of information around the corner. And then this daily routine suddenly gets thrown off completely. That’s of course possible in everyday life too. And that’s not just private, but also in business everyday life. That’s a routine too. I have regular appointments where I drive to clients, and suddenly a client comes and says, “so, we’re terminating the contract.” Then that’s a new routine too. Then reflection has to happen there too, and you have to look at it. That’s of course also somewhat forced reflection, or voluntary reflection. I find that very aptly put — we have to look at what actually comes our way there. Is it forced now? Do I have to? Can I? That’s also again something that’s brought to us, but I can also decide. Do I want to? Do I have to? Is that necessary? And then the question, now or later. So I think there’s no rule of thumb or standard rule that determines this, but it’s really very, very individual.
Yes, absolutely. And so situations always get re-evaluated, so to speak, especially the unplanned ones, where a decision may then be made. With the other ones, with routines, I can also more in a planned way say, do I now want to go into reflection, yes, no, and plan and shape the whole thing accordingly. How important do you find these everyday routines where reflection is, so to speak, planned in advance? So there’s always the one thing, which is whenever you need it, regardless of whether it comes from outside or whether I have the feeling, it’s time again, now I’m allowed to tidy up again or something. Those can be various triggers that bring us to say, now I’m allowed to withdraw, now I’m allowed to create a bit of mental order again or something. There we quite consciously go into reflecting. That would be this planned area — then there’s the one that’s planned, but not as a routine, but planned as, I actively trigger it. Whereas with routines, it’s a bit more about building in a kind of mechanism, so to speak, to keep creating this framework or this space for reflection again and again?
Go ahead, Jürgen. Yes, that triggers something in me that I hadn’t really seen, or paid attention to, for a long time — that there are two points I find really important, connected with reflection, both for the planned and for this imposed, or not-left-to-me-as-a-degree-of-freedom, reflection. Namely, first, preparation for a reflection. Do I need preparation, do I first need to gear up mentally, methodically — but I caught this at the beginning, we don’t want to go into that topic today — but doesn’t this reflection also have at least the claim, or even the necessity, of being prepared? That’s one thing. And the other position, the counterpart, doesn’t reflection also have a claim to being followed up on afterward? Meaning, let me summarize, to build a connection to other rooms again, what’s actually the noise effect of this reflection for me now? What have I learned from it? So the two positions that, basically, form the wrapper, the bracket, around the actual original process of reflection, this going inward, that’s what you just triggered in me, and I’ll put it as a question in the room now. Am I the only one who sees it that way, or do you all see it the same way? Thank you. Susanne, would you like to go first?
I just have to, sorry, someone’s at my door. All good. Yes, I’m totally with you on this, that if we say reflection is the process and the result of it, what’s the outcome quantity? In this context, in my view, it also needs a follow-up, in the sense of, what are the lessons learned, for example? Because otherwise, well, you brought up this flow example so nicely earlier, maybe we can look at that more closely, because otherwise I might be in a flow. I might know this, when we’re out and about, we’re in flow, and thoughts swirl through our head and so on. We’re in a kind of reflection there, sure. But if it’s not then, in the sense of “what do I do with this now,” quite deliberately, that something is also derived from it, then we’re somewhat just in this perceiving, letting various thoughts pass through our head and so on. That’s not bad in itself, but only the moment we start to order it, structure it, draw conclusions from it, do we also have a corresponding result. Something like lessons learned, or, for example, to make decisions, so a basis for decision-making, for example, because we also talked about decisions yesterday, I believe. So I’m totally with you on that. Jürgen, would you like to add something?
No, actually not really. I might have a remark or two about flow. How this flow feels for me, or what the benefit of it is, but I don’t want to interrupt this logical chain we currently have going toward reflection because of that. But then, if Susanne doesn’t want to add anything more, I’d be glad to say something about that too. Otherwise, over to you, dear Susanne.
I just understood that Susanne can’t speak right now. Otherwise, give a sign again, Susanne, and we’ll know. Otherwise I’ll just continue for now. So we can look at this aspect of flow again, Jürgen, and this other aspect. I asked earlier — how important is it, in your view, to also build such fixed, planned times, or the implementation of reflections, planned reflections, into routines, so to speak? What relevance does that have from your perspective? Maybe we can look at that too.
Jürgen. Well, I think you know, dear Yasemin, I’ve already said this several times, that this whole topic of reflection, thinking, and toward acting is a topic close to my heart, due to my fundamental convictions about how I define myself. So I’ll answer your question clearly by saying, if anything has the relevance to find a place as a routine, then for me it’s this reflection, that I become clear about myself. Because only once I’m clear about myself, who I am and what I currently am, and how I am in relation to, or together with, others — I’ll exaggerate a bit now — do I remain fit for survival. And so, again, the fundamental goal of setting really clear guidelines for routines, whether in terms of timing, environment, possibly also including others who support me with this — that’s also a topic in itself — that’s a really essential, yes, I can say it that way, a purpose of life for me. And now, even though this will probably be the topic for the next room, I’ll say — the method I most often choose for this is intelligent, hopefully intelligent, self-talk. There might sometimes be reasons for postponing it or preventing it — that’s in the nature of any routine, I think. That’s the most obvious disruptive factor and risk factor of a routine, that it gets interrupted. But what shouldn’t be interrupted is this will to keep picking the routine back up again and again. Thank you.
Yes, that just triggered another really exciting impulse for me too, with your remarks, with “who am I, what am I, and how am I with others,” then I remain fit for survival. And especially this point, remaining fit for survival, opened up an impulse for me to bring in this aspect of emotionality. Because that’s exactly where the difference between the human species and other creatures lies, perhaps. Because fitness for survival, what our brain does with all the cocktails, biochemical cocktails, that get released when we take in stimuli from outside, is to react emotionally, immediately making comparisons. That’s also a kind of reflection that gets carried out, in fractions of a second, but against the backdrop of stored information, evaluating: does this threaten my existence? Yes, no. And the moment we go into reflection, conscious reflection, planned, unplanned, and so on — but at least going into a conscious reflection — we lift the whole thing from the purely emotional level of assessing fitness for survival to a cognitive level of fitness for survival. So that was the impulse that came up for me. And I find that quite exciting here. And that makes clear the relevance that reflection and the capacity for reflection have here, in the sense of not just reacting, but also — and here we come back toward the concept of education — establishing self-empowerment through self-efficacy, through elevating something to the cognitive level in that moment, without wanting to say that the other is something negative or such. So no judgment here, but it’s a different level. And exactly this level, this level of consciousness in this context, is what distinguishes us from other creatures, if you look closely. And I find that quite exciting here. Jürgen, would you like to follow up on that too?
Yes, very gladly, because you keep making an enormous contribution, especially with a contribution like your last one, in terms of knowledge and insight, dear Yasemin. And that’s a point that, for me — I don’t want to dodge, but I’ll say it again — maybe belongs more in the area of methodology, this methodology-DTC field. Namely, being able to make exactly this distinction, that my reflection runs more or less unconsciously, or emotionally — let me say not unconsciously, please strike that, rather emotionally — because our brain hands us a very specific pattern to find a solution relatively quickly. That means the result gets reached after a quick reflection based on emotions, or — and this is your contribution — being aware of the fact that I might be tempted to react emotionally very quickly, which is occasionally quite useful too, I don’t want to put that on trial. Being fully aware of this fact, then telling myself, stop, take time, think, possibly gather information, go inward, check, doubt, make a decision, and then take responsibility for it. Those are, for me, two quite different levels of reflection, which, in my view, also require quite different approaches. But quite essentially — I’ll repeat myself once more — everyone should know that these two levels exist. Thank you.
Yes, great, thank you so much. And then I’d like to use the last few minutes, if you’re okay with it, to also pick up this flow aspect that you wanted to add something to, before we then slowly move into the closing round.
Yes, I think I can maybe just repeat and reinforce again what this flow does to me. And I know from many conversations with sports buddies of mine that there are considerable differences in how they define it when they’re in flow. But what’s the same for everyone, from my experience, is this phrase, then it just runs by itself. And what runs there is, as I said, the body, the physique, tapping into its energy, normally to a not-inconsiderable extent from our mind, from our mental activity, because that’s where the coordination function sits. And once this body starts — and now we’re at a keyword of today — through training and through trained, repeatedly practiced routine, once this body functions on its own and relieves our mind of this energy it normally consumes, then I have this additional potential, and I always say, I notice this myself, sure, I notice it myself when it starts to run, you can feel it, so, sorry, I notice it. Especially with swimming, for example — everything around me falls away, and then this machine, the body, runs, possibly for three hours or four hours, completely on its own. So, and I notice that I can engage with things, just from the environment alone, that I normally, in calm and concentration, couldn’t possibly engage with. But mind you, that’s my flow. That’s not necessarily Yasemin’s flow, or Susanne’s, or anyone else’s here in the room. This is explicitly my flow.
Yes, wonderful, thank you so much. Susanne, I understand you’re basically back. I don’t know how much you were able to follow of our impulses and thoughts. Is there something from your side you’d like to add, or where you’d like to follow up?
I haven’t — well, I did catch Jürgen’s last contribution just now. Unfortunately I had to briefly help out a neighbor just now — there we are again with forced engagement. I can only agree with what Jürgen says. It always has to be looked at individually. We can only tell from our own everyday life, how we deal with it, what routines we live, and what that does for us, what effects it has for us. And I’d never presume to use that as the standard for everything. So I can’t elaborate further on that right now. Jürgen already described that very, very well, at least what I caught. And that already says it clearly enough. And, as I said, there’s just no standard solution or standard prescription. Everyone has to develop that for themselves. Everyone has to test that for themselves too. Those are things that, over time, like Jürgen has too, you try something, and if you find it doesn’t really deliver, you change it, and that’s something too — it’s not set in stone, we can always adjust it, depending on what’s needed at the moment, or do I need to change something now or not. So I’d say, Jürgen, you already put that very, very well into words, and quite thoroughly too, with the flow. That’s of course a really important aspect too, but that’s not what today was really set up for. And so I can only say, for myself, I’m completely in agreement there.
Yes, wonderful, thank you so much. Yes, then I’d say, dear all, let’s move into today’s closing round, to pick up on the highlights again, so to speak, at least the ones you followed, from these points. And tomorrow continues with the digital campfire, where it’s also about me bringing in some very concrete examples of reflection in daily routines, to then get into exchange with you all on this topic again. So you’re all very warmly invited to join again tomorrow at 8am too. Susanne, is there something specific you’d like to highlight in the overall context of today’s room, as a closing word for today’s room?
Yes, as I just experienced myself, I voluntarily took the time to dive back into this routine, into your room, but then of course was forced to spontaneously take care of something else, and that’s how it is in everyday life too, private or business — flexibility is definitely required, even with routines, which of course shouldn’t be a rigid corset, but really individually adapted to our everyday life.
Yes, wonderful, thank you so much. Jürgen. Yes, first I’d like to thank Susanne for standing by me on stage for this topic. Heartfelt thanks for your contributions. One thing I’d like to point out, maybe trivial for many, but still worth highlighting — we focused flow on sports. It’s quite obvious, and there’s another example for me too, where I can get into a flow. Or look at artists, virtuosos, who, detached from sports, get absorbed, get into a flow, when they sit at the piano or in front of the easel. I think that’s worth mentioning, because I’ve also had the experience that flow is very often associated with this physical, purely bodily or athletic thing. And, heartfelt thanks, dear Yasemin, for your moderation, as always. And it’s not least because of that a confirmation, too, that this room has become a routine for me, and certainly for many others by now. Thanks again, and have a lovely weekend.
Yes, wonderful, thank you so much to you all too. Really wonderful, the flow again today here in the room, and the results and insights we’ve brought about together through this dialogue — and completely unplanned. So the planned part, basically, is that this framework gets set. That’s a lovely example too, I think, here, that the framework is set, the time is fixed, and the room title, and then in dialogue, what emerges emerges through dialogue, and we don’t exactly know where we’ll end up. And a lovely example of what results and insights can be derived from a topic through reflection and the capacity for reflection. And that then also happens in this form, in an exchange, in a shared — not alone, but this dialogue is also a very specific form here too. The forms, types, methods and so on we’ll go into separately and specifically, because I think that really needs its own room here, especially to be able to give a lot of impulses through this exchange and to be able to try out one or another for yourself, and discover the variety possible here. And it was mentioned several times today, in various contexts, that it’s something very, very individual, and the more colorful the bouquet is that’s on offer here afterward — as I said, we’ll pick that up separately — the better we’ll be able to pick out exactly the flower that suits us. I’m already looking forward to that. Tomorrow, as I said, continues first with the digital campfire — I’d like to bring in a few examples of reflection in our daily routines, to then get into exchange with you all. So you’re all very warmly invited to join tomorrow morning at 8 again. And I’m curious where the room will lead us tomorrow. With that, I wish you well. Until tomorrow at 8. Ciao!
