Goal Setting Tips During a Pandemic

Why Goal Setting Needs to Shift During a Pandemic

This time last year we all thought COVID-19 would be but a distant memory in 2022, but then Omicron happened. Most of us set goals each year and take stock of our goal achievements for the past year at the end of a year. Whether you see this as a reflective process or strictly goal setting, we want you to be kind to yourself always, but especially in 2022.

Many of us are fatigued on many levels, physically because dealing with a pandemic and day-to-day tasks just take more time, emotionally the last two years have been taxing even if you or your loved ones didn’t get COVID because of masks, social distancing, school closures, remote work, financially we have been thrown a curveball with inflation, and our lifestyles have been affected to a small degree for some and a very large degree for others. Please give yourself credit for coming through the last two years with your life seemingly intact.

Success & Goal-Setting Need to Be Re-Evaluated

Goal setting and success look different to everyone, but a quick scroll through Instagram or Facebook will show you how much goals have changed over the last two years. Hobbies, family, and home seem to be a lot more important to everyone. With so much change afoot it is paramount to take into account that we aren’t living in the same world we inhabited in 2019, goals and productivity can look very different when the future seems suspended on some levels. So, we have come at goal setting, success, and evaluating our lives from a different perspective that we hope helps you find more enjoyment and satisfaction in 2022!

Don’t Get into the Comparison Trap

If you want to put yourself into an emotional deep dive quick, just start comparing your life, goals, and prior successes with what life looks like today. That is a road that goes nowhere good. Many psychologists are recommending working on short-term goals more than long-range planning these days. You can still have long-range goals, but be loving with yourself and flexible because we are living in extraordinary circumstances where the rules that applied before to our lives aren’t as relevant anymore. long-term goal-setting requires that you are able to estimate risks and make calculated decisions, but when life is still so unpredictable, this is not possible for many people.

How to Set Achievable Goals During a Pandemic

In the face of ever-changing circumstances, it is important to re-evaluate goals and release any pressure by breaking your goals down into doable smaller goals. The following questions can help you find your internal motivation for setting your 2022 goals:

1. How would I like my life to be different than it is today?
2. What changes would need to happen to have these changes become a reality?
3. Are these goals possible given my current circumstances and our current global situation?
4. If you had to rate your readiness to make these changes on a scale of 1-10, where would you currently assess your readiness?
5. What is your most important goal for you to focus on right now that would create the largest happiness impact?
6. How would achieving this goal make a difference in your life?
7. What are the mini-steps to achieving this goal?
8. What are the impediments to achieving this goal? What could get in the way of making progress on this goal?
9. How can you be most loving to yourself and overcome any impediments to achieving this goal?
10. On a 1-10 scale, how much of a positive impact would achieving this goal have on your life?

Setting goals in 2022 takes us being very honest with ourselves about what we can and cannot control in life. So, flexibility in goal setting is really important. Taking baby steps towards any of your goals and giving yourself credit is always important but especially important at this time in all our lives.

Making Goal-Setting Relevant in 2022

Probably more than ever it’s important to start with self-reflection in setting goals these days. You need to know where you are now and where you want to go in order to get there. Self-reflection and self-awareness is key these days in setting relevant goals that are achievable. Looking at your life from the perspective of what gives you joy and what takes joy away, keeps the process really simple. We recommend writing this exercise down to be able to refer back to it from time to time. Identifying what gives you joy lets you know the most important things that you can do to improve your life and value the outcome!

Your “why” is what will always be what gets you through to fulfilling your goals. It is never the what but how big of “why” you have that will carry you through the though the tough spots.

Setting Goals in Every Area of Your Life

It’s important to look at goals in all areas of your life, not just career goals. We have realized in the last two years how important personal connection through deep relationships is and all goals have an impact on your purpose. It’s very important to set professional. personal, relationship goals, spiritual, and what is fun that feeds your soul. Making sure your goals are integral to the person you want to be, makes them holistic and the backbone of your life, giving your life both purpose and impact!

Make your goals visible! Some people use 3 x 5 cards and have them placed around the house. We bought a wipe-off board for our refrigerator and have listed our main goals there, so we see them every time we open our refrigerator or pass through the kitchen. Imprinting your goals on your mind on a regular basis is very important. Make sure your goals are measurable, relevant, and achievable.

Making sure your goals are relevant to what your life looks like today, will have you motivated to achieve your goals. Above all else be sure to be kind and loving to yourself in working on your goals. More unexpected things come up these days than they did in the past, so make sure that your goals are adaptable in case circumstances change. Having a plan B is not a bad idea these days when it comes to achieving goals that mean a lot to you. We wish you the very best that 2022 can offer.

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