Getting Ready to Achieve Your Goals in a Post-Lockdown World
The coronavirus pandemic has put so much of our lives on hold. Summer vacations cancelled, graduations cancelled or done online, birthdays and other celebrations all postponed, or celebrated in a way that you are likely to have never imagined. Weddings cancelled and all of our lives taking a much more digital turn. With a little extra time on your hands, you might have been making plans and setting goals for all of the things that you could do with the time at home.
The goals that you may have set for yourselves could have related to mastering something new, working on a new skill, or helping to get into the best shape ever. You may have chosen something related to your career or your personal life. Goals focused on personal or professional growth and excellence are important. But with lockdown restrictions easing slightly, how can you make sure that you keep going with your goals, and stick to what you have planned? Here are some things to think about as we go forward and navigate a post-lockdown world.
Keep intentions
It is important to stick to the intentions that you have had with your goals. This is especially important if you have some goals or intentions that may seem unnecessary or even a little trivial at a time like this. If you are working from home, then you’ll be likely to know how important having a routine will be. Having a routine is important because they help to direct us to move forwards and onwards, and we know what will be coming next.
Prioritise activities that are achievable and familiar
It can be easy to use the time that we have had in lockdown or isolation, to learn something new. This can be something that is quite frustrating, though, as it can lead to some annoyance or frustrations if there are goals that feel out of reach. For example, you may have had a goal this year to get on the dating scene and try out some of the best dating apps. Lockdown may have scuppered those plans completely. But if you have that as a priority, then you can start to look into that now.
Learning something new can be a little exasperating because we may struggle to do some of the basic steps. When you’re on your own or teaching yourself, it can be easy to give up if you don’t master something immediately. But the key is to not give up. Having a focus at a time like this is important, no matter what goal you have had.
Consider a new career path
Lockdowns and working from home have made many of us look at our existing job or career and realize that we feel completely unfilled and unsatisfied. Maybe you now want something that pays a little more, that gives you a better work/life balance, has more sociable working hours, is a little closer (or further!) from home, or perhaps you want something that is a bit more challenging; something to really get your teeth into. It can be hard to make that leap to something new, but sometimes it takes something as big and as significant as a global pandemic to realize that you do not want to be stuck in the same dead-end, unfulfilling job for the rest of your working life.
Lots of educational institutes are now offering online courses and boot camps in all sorts of subjects, including a project management course. This can be a great way to get your foot onto a whole new career path. It might not be an immediate jump into a new job, but it is certainly a big step forwards towards a new post-pandemic world for you! If going full force into education is too much for you, look to see if there are any part-time options that you can follow. The post-lockdown world is absolutely your oyster!
Be patient
If you want to learn something new, then you need to be ready and prepared that it might not happen as fast as you would like. There are a number of options that help at the moment, such as collective learning, with many opportunities now based online. So if you want to have a little help along the way then joining a group online for a class could help with some of the frustrations that come along with having to be patient with yourself. It is a good idea to avoid going back to something that you have had trouble with in the past, as it can be negative for your mindset at a time like this.
Start small
You might find it a little tempting to use this time that you have to start some large projects that you have been avoiding for a while. There might be a book that you have wanted to read, or a huge renovation that you have wanted to do in your home. You might want to do something like writing a book! But in actual fact, things that could take a while, and be more of a long-term plan, could distract from work and family commitments. Throw that in with a global pandemic and you could find that you might not be very productive after all. In this case, you should aim to start small with your plans. Think of starting to read a smaller or easier book, or a small DIY project at home, rather than a renovation, for example.
In all of this lockdown, it is important to note that some people will find it hard to give up on their plans. This can be very true for young people who will want to get things done, in order to not have their life on hold. So as such, when things get stopped and cancelled, it can be normal to feel like you’re upset, scared, and even a little depressed. So acknowledge that in yourself if that is the case, seek help and advice, and use this time to get back to feeling like your normal self.
