setting goals in a pandemic

Setting Goals During a Pandemic

January 5, 2021

If 2020 taught us anything, it taught us how to be patient and flexible. So, when we go into the frame of mind for setting goals for this year, we need to remember that even with our goals, we need to be patient and flexible. 

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Why You Should Set Goals This Year

Since setting goals for this year is still debatable, I want to remind you why it’s important to set goals in the first place. According to Leslie Riopel, MSc., “setting goals helps trigger new behaviors, helps guides your focus, and helps you sustain that momentum in life.” 

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Think of setting goals as you would a to-do list. When you create a to-do list and actually use it, you are more prone to stay on task and get things done. Your goals create a to-do list for an extended period of time. They help you stay on task and accomplish your dreams and desires. So even when you don’t know what to expect, as in life during a pandemic, it is still important to set goals. Because we are in a pandemic, it’s even more important to make sure you are patient with yourself and flexible with when and how you will accomplish those goals. 

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How to Make your 2021 Goals SMART, Yet Flexible

After 2020, we can just throw away the old way of looking at the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) in SMART Goals. From now on, or until things in the world are more under control, the T in SMART will stand for timely, yet flexible. I mean, some of us are still waiting on packages to arrive that we ordered in October/November for Christmas gifts, even the United States Postal Service is being flexible on their time frames.

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You want to set a time frame around your goals, with the understanding that elements, out of your control, may alter that deadline. Make sure you highlight that ‘elements out of your control part.’ As much as possible, you still want to try your best to set a time frame that will help you to be successful, and stick to it. The last thing you want to do is give yourself a time frame that will not work for you. However, going back to the out of your control aspect, when things out of your control take place that alters your time frame, take a deep breath. See how this additional time may be beneficial to you achieving your goals instead of getting upset that things are not working when you wanted them to. That’s where the flexibility comes in. Try to see the positives in these sticky situations and use them as learning curves for future goals. It may also be helpful to set your deadlines for times in advance. For example, if you know you want to accomplish a goal by August 1st, set your deadline for July 1st or July 15th. That way, if those outside elements occur, you are still meeting your overall deadline. This is something you should do even when we are not in the midst of a pandemic because life happens!

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Be Patient and Give Yourself Grace

Although you want to still set goals with a time-bound and stick to them, you still need to be patient with yourself and give yourself grace.  We are living in a time that did not come with a handbook on how to deal with and handle all of the stressors. That means we don’t always know how our bodies will respond mentally, physically, and emotionally. The last thing we need to do during this time is to be hard on ourselves when our goals and plans don’t go as we hoped. Some people thrived during the changes of 2020, many people were simply trying to cope with all of the changes. Your way of responding depends on your personality type. As a loner, I did reasonably well with all of the changes and was able to tackle several of my goals. Noticed that I said several and not all. The year still brought upon stress and a lot of unknowns that got in the way of accomplishing goals. If you are someone who needs to be around people and thrive in social settings, 2020 was not a year for you to be motivated and you should give yourself grace for merely surviving, that is the most important goal of our lives after all. 

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To keep yourself motivated, remember the reason you set that goal in the first place. Think of the joys you have from those memories and the joys that will come once you start working towards, and finally accomplishing that goal. Think of the life you will have once that goal is accomplished and how that goal may put you on the path to an even more fulfilling life. 

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Pandemic or not, we must continue to live and do what makes our souls happy. That is why it’s important for me to still have goals for 2021. This is my life, I didn’t write the story of my life, but I was given the tools to shift and shape my life for greatness. Even while living through a pandemic. I know that God is still in control, so I try to think of how would He want me to handle this period of life, what would He want me to do, am I still pleasing Him and living the life He has written for me? COVID-19 is not the first “plague” and it won’t be the last. There are plagues and disasters all throughout The Bible, and God has a purpose even for this one. So, you should continue to live, with purpose in spite of a pandemic.

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xoxo Tish

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P.S. Some days you just have to create your own sunshine. – unknown

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