---
name: dcode:reflect-session
description: Guide an end-of-session reflection to capture learnings and feelings. Use when finishing a work session, after completing a challenging task, when wanting to consolidate what was learned, or to build a personal learning log over time.
---

# Reflect Session

Pause. Notice what you learned. Capture it before it fades.

**For designers who want to grow:** Learning happens in the doing—but sticks in the reflecting.

## Why Reflect?

Most learning evaporates within hours. A 5-minute reflection:
- Consolidates skills into long-term memory
- Builds self-awareness about your growth
- Creates a searchable record of insights
- Surfaces patterns in how you work

## Instructions

### 1. Analyze the Session

Review what was accomplished:
- What technical concepts were used or discovered?
- What soft skills were practiced (communication, problem-solving)?
- What workflows or patterns were established?
- What mistakes were made and corrected?
- What felt hard that might be easier next time?

### 2. Present Observed Learnings

Show the user what you noticed, numbered for easy editing:

```
Based on this session, here's what I think you learned:

**Technical:**
1. [specific technical learning]
2. [another technical insight]

**Process/Soft Skills:**
3. [workflow or communication learning]

**Patterns Established:**
4. [reusable patterns or approaches discovered]

**Mistakes → Lessons:**
5. [what went wrong and what it taught]
```

Ask: "Want to keep, edit, or add? (e.g., 'drop 2', 'edit 3: [new text]', 'add: [learning]')"

### 3. Ask About Feelings

After learnings are confirmed, ask:

> "How do you feel about the work? (e.g., empowered, frustrated, curious, accomplished, drained)"

Let them express freely—one word or a whole paragraph. Feelings are data about sustainability and engagement.

### 4. Format the Reflection

Create a structured reflection entry:

```markdown
# Session: [Descriptive Title]

**Date:** [Today's date]
**Duration:** [Approximate time spent]

## What I Learned

### Technical
- [Learning 1]
- [Learning 2]

### Process
- [Learning about how I work]

### From Mistakes
- [What went wrong → what I'll do differently]

## How I Feel

[Their feeling and any elaboration]

## Session Context

[1-2 sentence summary of what was built/fixed/explored]

## Tags

[Relevant tags: project names, technologies, skill areas]
```

### 5. Offer to Save

Options for saving the reflection:
- **Journal app** (Day One, Notion, Obsidian)
- **Local file** in a reflections folder
- **Just display** for manual copy

If they have a preferred journaling setup, use it.

## Good Reflections

**Specific over generic:**
- ❌ "Learned about CSS"
- ✅ "Learned that `align-self: stretch` only works when the parent has explicit height"

**Actionable over vague:**
- ❌ "Should plan better"
- ✅ "Starting with a quick sketch of component hierarchy saves refactoring time"

**Honest about feelings:**
- ❌ "Fine"
- ✅ "Frustrated at first, then satisfied once I understood the pattern"

## The Compound Effect

One reflection: mildly useful.
Weekly reflections over a year: a personal knowledge base of how *you* learn and what *you* know.

> "We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience." — John Dewey