There’s no denying that the COVID pandemic has been, and will continue to be, a terrible event. The coronavirus has killed more than a million people worldwide so far. Countless businesses have shuttered and many will never reopen. We’re isolated from loved ones, our kids are struggling with remote school, and we’re worried about our health and the health of our loved ones. This year just hasn’t gone according to plan.
I know how exhausting and scary this year has been.
There may have been times when you struggled just to get through the day, barely able to think about the next day—let alone look down the road to the future. I get how hard it is to focus on your long-term goals and good time management when you’re overwhelmed and COVID has you isolated from your support system.
That doesn’t mean you’ve forgotten about those goals. Maybe you even beat yourself up about how—on top of everything else that’s falling through the cracks—you’re not making progress on your long-term goals. I know that this is something a lot of my clients have been dealing with. They’re constantly struggling with productivity and good time management and may feel a lot of shame about that.
Here’s something else I know: This year has been a burden, but it has also been a gift.
It’s forced us to really examine our priorities and maybe rearrange them. It’s made us appreciate things we used to take for granted. It has drawn a line through our lives, splitting them into two new halves: “before” and “after.” There’s a way of seeing that fracture as an opportunity.
We’re in brand new territory. In the “before” time, you had certain goals that you were striving for, and a plan to reach them. But this year hasn’t gone according to plan, right?
So it only makes sense that you would need a new plan…. and maybe entirely new goals.
Your COVID goals may not reflect where you are now and what you want to achieve. Maybe your “before” goals involved expanding your business, but now you’re more interested in pivoting to a new field or spending more time with family. Maybe you’re just not that excited about certain goals anymore. Or perhaps you came up with a brilliant new idea that you are really excited about.
The pandemic and COVID upended all of our lives. It threw everyone off track and there was no way to prepare for what would happen. Your time management struggles and productivity challenges are normal! Don’t beat yourself up for falling behind, or trying to claw your way back on track with your pre-pandemic goals. Instead, I want to urge you to re-imagine your goals and make sure they actually align with your current priorities (Maybe when you sit down to do this, you’ll realize that your long-term goals haven’t changed—great! As long as you know what you’re working toward).
Here’s the takeaway:
You’re not obligated to stick to a plan that you made before the pandemic began. You’ve grown and changed during this experience, and your goals should reflect that growth and change. One of the brightest silver linings of this tough year is that we’ve all had to get really good at prioritizing. Use what you’ve learned about what you value most when you’re setting those goals moving forward.
Wherever you are with your goals right now, I hope you’re excited about making real, measurable progress. It’s time to get out of that “Groundhog Day” loop where you feel like you’ll never actually move forward or improve your productivity and time management skills. So I want to invite you to join me for Time Matters Boot Camp 90-Day Virtual Program as I coach you through the steps to finally take control of your time (even now!) and build the life you crave. Click here for more information and to register!
Gratefully,
Sarah
Time Matters Boot Camp 90-Day Virtual Program
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