Most instructional designers work in busy offices in which they are required to complete their work as quickly and efficiently as possible amidst a multitude of distractions. This work environment precludes opportunities for reflection, a term which traditionally denotes and connotes a contemplative mode of thought that thrives in conditions of solitude, dispassion, and slowness. The influential work of Dewey and Schon has increased general awareness of the pedagogical importance of reflection, but it has also led to a new conception of reflection as being aligned with action, whether in the form of structured problem solving or intuitive split-second decision-making. In this article, the author suggests the importance of reflection, in its original sense, for instructional designers and explores the implications of instructional designers' general inability to engage in reflective thought for ID practice, pedagogy, and the politics of the field as a whole.