How to Stick to Your Goals in a Time of Pandemic

Things are quite messy around the world nowadays. The COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting our life, not to mention our goals and plans. But we don't have to give it all up. Here are a few ideas I hope that may be help you stick to your goals in a time of pandemic like this.

1. Change your strategy, not your goal.

If your goal's accomplishment depends on things or conditions no longer available after the breakout, first try to adjust your goal strategy, but keep your goal intact.

For example, I have a goal to run a half marathon this year. I was off to a very good start with my weekly runs in first two months, but now it's very hard to stick to my original training plan. Instead of simply giving up on the goal itself, I've decided to change my strategy. Now I can use daily full body workouts plus ping pong practice to replace my running routines. Of course it won't be the same. But if the situation turns better after a few months, at least I'll have maintained my fitness level and it shouldn't be too hard to resume my running schedule. You may try something similar with your goals.

2. Shift the timeline of your schedule or plans.

I have another goal of traveling to New York and China in first half of 2020. Obviously things like that look quite impossible at this point. But there's still hope and I don't have to abandon my travel goals. Instead, I can adjust my timeline and shift my priorities a little so that I can still take the trips in the later part of the year. At that time, things may get better and traveling may be okay again. So I can still stick to my goal, but just need a change of plans.

3. Keep on keeping on and hope for the best.

No one knows for sure when this is going to be over. It's quite unprecedented in history, surely in my lifetime. However, whatever goal you may have, giving it up at this point just leaves too much on the table. If what you do for your goal at the moment has not been affected too much by the pandemic, simply keep doing what you are doing, and see how things go. Even if it turns out that you won't be able to eventually reach your goal, at least you will have tried and gone through the process. You'll have learned, grown, and enjoyed the journey, which is also if not more important than achieving the goal itself.