Expert Insight: Planning for a Successful Rest of the Year
As you start planning for the rest of the year amid the new normal we all find ourselves in, you may be wondering what you should focus on and how you can leverage the opportunities this time period presents.
We asked 22 experts from within the productivity, goal-setting and personal development space to weigh in with their advice and insight. Read on to see what they had to say.
Click on each question below to jump right to that section.
- Question #1 – What do you think are the top things people should be focusing on as they plan the rest of their year post-quarantine?
- Question #2 – What advice would you give to someone that feels like this period of time has derailed their journey?
- Question #3 – How would you advise people to recognize and leverage the opportunities this current situation has created as they plan the rest of 2020?
- Question #4 – How have you personally adjusted your goals and habits during this time period?
What are the top things people should be focusing on as they plan the rest of their year post-quarantine?
“This is an excellent time to re-assess our life priorities and make sure we spend our time and energy on the things that are most important to us. We may have been operating on an auto-pilot for too long. We should dig deeper and question our “status quo.” Is it time to change something?
This period can also be a great opportunity to invest in ourselves – study something new, develop a new skill, form a new empowering habit, try a new hobby …
And lastly, review your daily schedule and consider adjusting your daily/weekly rituals to support the changes you would like to make in your life. “
Yuval Goren, founder of Success Wizard
“Health, in every form. Our routines were thrown in a washing machine when quarantine began. Once quarantine is over, we’ll need to reshape all of our routines and figure out what the new normal is. In some ways, this is a great opportunity to start fresh. Mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, how can we rebuild our routines in a healthy way? In a way that’s even better than before quarantine began?”
Diana Fitts, Better Than Alive
“Focus on forging your future. Ask yourself, who do you want to become and what experiences do you want to create? Hold that vision in your mind, and use that to pull your forward as you carve your character and shape your future. Focus on personal development. Use this as a chance to hit refresh on your mindset, skillset, and toolset. Focus on humanity and what it means to really be human. Focus on creating unique experiences. Focus on learning. Explore yourself and the world with fresh eyes and a lens on what matters. Learn your top 3 values and live them.”
JD Meier, Sources of Insight
“We shouldn’t be hard on ourselves as this year is like no other. We must all adjust, but that doesn’t mean we should leave our goals behind. You can have the same milestones for your business and personal life, but this time, not hitting them might be due to outer circumstances and that’s okay. The rest can always be achieved next year, together with the goals you set for then.”
Lidiya Kesarovska, Let’s Reach Success
“These are very uncertain and stressful times. The main thing that matters is health. Getting back to a healthy routine and reducing stress is crucial. Good sleep, diet, exercise can help and it depends on every person how they do it. I don’t think it’s wise to focus on other things than your health first.”
Tomas Laurinavicius, Tomas Lau
“The new normal will not be what it was pre-quarantine. This is an unprecedented opportunity to look at everything in our lives and build up our own personal new normal. Looking at every relationship, commitment, project and goal in the light of this should be the first priority. We can change our lives for the better, using the removal of the norm as a catalyst for a better and more deliberate life.”
Laura Ernest, LauraErnest.com
“I think people should be focusing on what they really want to do in their future. If they can plan to work towards something that they truly enjoy, the planning is easier and far more meaningful.”
Sally Leslie, The Leslie Link
“1. Health – Without your health, it is tough to enjoy life. Be sure to eat right and get some exercise as being healthy will not only protect you from COVID-19, but will influence nearly every aspect of your life. 2. Relationships – Building strong healthy relationships is one of the keys to long term happiness. 3. Long term goals – This is a great time to sit back and reflect on your long term goals and to think about what is truly important in your life.“
Don Smith, Personal Growth Channel
“Art lives on constraint and dies of freedom. (Michelangelo said that.) We are experiencing a time of serious constraint. So, if the resources we have right now are ALL that we have, what are we going to do with them? These constraints won’t last forever. We have to use our creativity to make them work for us instead of against us.”
Cathy Hutchison, Your Visual Journey
“Today, people should be focusing on the things they can control. It’s easy to get caught up in thoughts of “what if” – but it just isn’t healthy or productive. Focus on things you have control over, even if they’re tiny little baby steps, and you’ll feel more in control as you plan out the rest of the year.”
Mica Gonzalez, Mind of Mica
“#1 Getting back on track – resume the pursuit of your dreams and your goals. #2 Recognize the importance of a safety net – it comes to the rescue during times of uncertainty. #3 Focus on building your knowledge-base or skill-base, so that you will be the last one in your company impacted by the next crisis. #4 Reevaluate your Priorities & Values in life. #5 Recognize the importance of creating multiple streams of income – those who had multiple streams were less affected by the shutdown.”
Tom Corley, Rich Habits
“Slow Down, Lean in. Like many others, I have felt waves of fear and anxiety. No-one likes losing their autonomy – it’s one of Dr Karl Albrecht’s 5 universal types of fears. And it’s hard to sit there and wait, feeling powerless and uncertain. And no-one knows how this will end either.
Your personal role in this crisis? Your first priority is to take care of yourself and your family emotionally and financially, as best you can. These are the two biggest challenges we all face right now. And to look out for our neighbours.
Beyond that – and as the lockdowns begin to end – we need to take it slowly, and trust our intuition when making decisions. Allow the end of this strange time to unfold without forcing change or rushing ourselves.”
Emma-Louise Elsey, Fierce Kindness
“Post-quarantine I think people shouldn’t be too quick to rush back into trying to be super-productive. If anything, this period has taught me that it’s okay to take your time over a task and that nothing is truly that urgent.
After this is over, I think it will be important to reflect on what things really matter to us – whether that’s the ability to work from home (at least some of the time) so you can spend more time with your family, or that the world won’t end if you don’t answer emails immediately.
The main focus should be on us, what we want and what makes us content, not just putting our nose to the grindstone in order to make our company money.”
Katy Whitton, Flipping Heck
“Think about what you want to be able to say you accomplished when the new year rolls around. Most people miss the mark or fall short of their intended destination because they neglect putting in the time each day to do what is required to see them through. In summary, clearly identify what you want to accomplish. Break it down into actionable steps. Implement a system (it can be as simple as reminders on your phone) that keeps you focused and taking action on whatever you deem worthy of your time.”
Josh Hinds, Get Motivation
“As you plan for the rest of the year, focus on the things that have the most leverage in your life. Whether it’s pursuing a creative passion, growing a business, or decluttering your home, determine what will make the most difference and get you where you want to go. If you cut out the “fluff,” you’ll be well on your way to a productive end to 2020.”
Sarah Forest, Ponder Trail
“1. Their own happiness and well-being. Regardless of when this quarantine ends your mental health is the most important asset you have. Focus on staying happy and positive as you plan out the rest of the year, make sure to include things you enjoy. Dwelling on negativity will only hurt you and your productivity. 2. Contingencies. Have a plan for what you’re going to do if the quarantine ends tomorrow and if it ends in 6 months.”
Alex Lefkowitz, The Productive You
“Plan for flexibility; plan to let things emerge and take shape rather than to force them to fit any specific or concrete vision. Stay clear on your “why,” let the “what” and “how” take care of themselves.”
Sharon Podobnik Peterson, LinkedIn
Advice for people who feel like this period of time has derailed their journey
By now we have already realized that the most constant thing this year is
change. We also learned that our safety and well-being cannot be taken for granted.Yes, this year turned out to be different than what we planned for. We lost time, and money and possibly our job. And we are limited by rules and restrictions. Life is different now.
* Start a gratitude Journal and write down every day what are you thankful and grateful for.
* Learn to accept the new reality and the fact we sometimes have limited control.
* Review your most meaningful goals and aspirations, and create a new revised plan for the second half of the year and beyond.
Yuval Goren, founder of Success Wizard
“Don’t impose the past on the future. Carry the good forward, but let some things go and embrace change. Take a fresh look around at what the world needs and what you love to do. Get creative. Imagination is more powerful than knowledge, as Einstein said.“
JD Meier, Sources of Insight
“People who see their life’s journey as a straight line will often feel that their life has been derailed when something doesn’t go as planned. As far as the current world situation goes, no one planned for this pandemic to happen. However, life isn’t a straight line. It includes detours, U-turns, and dead ends. See these as an opportunity to learn new things; gain perspective; recharge; become more resourceful; reevaluate your goals and your strategies for achieving them; and test your mettle.
You could even come out at the end of this pandemic more resilient, adaptable, and creative than you are now. That is, you could use this time as an opportunity to become a better version of yourself.”
Marelisa Fábrega, Daring to Live Fully
“Like with everything else in life, this unique situation separated people into 2 groups. The first one chose to have a negative mindset, to blame, to complain, to fear, to wonder what’s next, to lose hope. The other group, however, might have started with negativity in the beginning, but quickly realized that won’t help them in any way. Instead, they started seeing opportunities for growth where others see hopelessness and crisis.
The growth seekers are all entrepreneurs who kept creating and selling and providing value to their audience instead of wondering how to cut spending. All aspiring side hustlers who launched their project despite the economic instability. All individuals who used the extra free time given to us to wake up early and have a strong start of the day, to read powerful books and listen to motivational podcasts, to nurture their relationships and take care of their mental and physical health.
No outer factor can ever slow down your journey. Only your own beliefs have the power to do that. And luckily, we can believe anything we want.”
Lidiya Kesarovska, Let’s Reach Success
“This shall pass. The only constant is change and this is a grand change on a global scale. We must evaluate our economy, career, relationships. Things must become more sustainable, transparent, and efficient. For people who were off the track, now is the time to come up with a new action plan, for people who were going towards the desired direction, now is the time to slow down and reflect. Other than that, life goes on. Check-in with your old friends, relatives and family.”
Tomas Laurinavicius, Tomas Lau
“‘Man plans, and God laughs.’ (Yiddish proverb) None of our plans were a sure thing. We have to approach this not as a roadblock, but rather a curve beyond which we can’t see. The best way to continue on a journey for which you cannot see the end is to do what you can where you are. So that means making the most of every day, and working toward your goals. If you can’t work on the goal you want to, work on the goal you can.”
Laura Ernest, LauraErnest.com
“Change is inevitable. The pandemic has literally forced people into their homes and into their minds. They might feel that their plans and dreams have been scuppered. But it is just a bend in the road. Keep going, believe in yourself, and be more open to change.”
Sally Leslie, The Leslie Link
“I’ve been derailed many times over the years, and there’s something I’ve noticed. Any time my plans don’t work out, something new and usually even better takes its place. When a forest burns down, it looks black and desolate for a while. Then the rain and sun comes, and over time it starts to regrow, often stronger and better than ever now that all the dead stuff is gone. Life is like that too. It may take awhile, but look for those tiny little tips of green poking out in your life, and you’ll know that it’ll be ok. Tony Horton once said, “Do your best and forget the rest.” I think that is amazing advice.”
Don Smith, Personal Growth Channel
“There is this great Chinese proverb that says: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” Don’t beat yourself up with “should have.” Just start today and move forward. You only have now. Make a choice and use now wisely.”
Cathy Hutchison, Your Visual Journey
“Start again. Set new goals. Don’t wait until this is over before you realign and reset. Every day is a great day to begin again.”
Mica Gonzalez, Mind of Mica
“They’re right. But post-shutdown, what are you going to do about it? Raise the white flag or get back up and keep fighting for your dreams and goals. Successful people become successful because they learn how to pivot. They make changes that get them back on track.”
Tom Corley, Rich Habits
“Use this time to discover who you really are!
This crisis is an opportunity for you to get to know yourself more deeply – seeing how you respond to difficulty. What will you learn about your character and who you are?
And here are 4 things for you to think about – or journal around:
1) Observe who you are during these difficult times. Ask, “What am I doing differently to others?” This isn’t about comparison, but about using others as a kind of baseline, and saying I see others doing _______ and I am different here, here and here.
2) What’s working – and what’s not? Ask yourself, “Which of my qualities are helping me handle this situation well, and which qualities or traits are working ‘against’ me?”
3) What capabilities have you discovered? Ask yourself, “What capabilities am I finding inside of myself?” In particular look for capabilities you’d forgotten – or didn’t know you had!
4) Finally, how could you use this time to develop your character? Ask yourself, “What’s important to me? What are my values? What do I stand for? What would I fight for?”
By using this challenging time to observe yourself – you will come out with a clearer picture of your limitations, strengths and character. It’s powerful and exciting stuff.“
Emma-Louise Elsey, Fierce Kindness
“Your journey hasn’t been derailed by this quarantine, it’s merely been put on pause for a short while. You can use this time to really focus in on your goals and figure out exactly what it is you want and the steps you’ll need to take to get there.
Too often we set ourselves challenges which are completely unachievable, not right for us, or will serve no real purpose. Use this pause to reflect on what your true goals are, and what you’ll need to put in place to attain them.”
Katy Whitton, Flipping Heck
“Life is always going to have ups and downs and unexpected turn of events. You can’t help that. What you can control, however, is how you respond to those events. Can you control that the pandemic happened? No. So don’t waste your time worrying and thinking about it. You can’t change that. Instead, think about what you can learn from it and what you can do from it. What can you do differently? How can you pivot? What opportunities are there waiting for you to grab? Often you will find that negative events can also have positive results and outcomes, if you look for them. Yes, it may have “derailed” your journey, but it’s only a true derailment if you quit. And that’s your choice. What matters now is not that the pandemic happened, but what you focus on and the actions you take now from it.”
Thomas R. Harris, The Exceptional Skills
“It’s never too late to get back on track. Life happens. Even the best of us can get off track. The difference maker will be your ability to get back on track sooner rather than later.”
Josh Hinds, Get Motivation
“The best way to get back on track is to take a look at your priorities and goals for the rest of the year. Identify key tasks, and make a plan of action. Then, work at it each and every day with dedication and focus. Small steps add up quickly, so keep that in mind as you go.”
Sarah Forest, Ponder Trail
“Don’t wait for opportunity. Create it. With every misfortune comes an equivalent seed of opportunity. Write your thoughts in a journal to clear your head and keep your focus. Use positive journals prompts to facilitate the process.”
Alex Lefkowitz, The Productive You
“Ask yourself, ‘what’s the best part of this derailment?’ Did it help you to solidify your purpose or priorities? Did it help you to see a new way of doing things? Then ask yourself, ‘is this really a derailment, or does it just feel like one because you haven’t reached your rigid timeline or measures of success?'”
Sharon Podobnik Peterson, LinkedIn
“We’re all in it together. It’s important to remember that. Don’t get disheartened. This new normal is an immense opportunity as everyone is being forced to rethink how they go about with their lives.”
Sai Blackbyrn, Sai.Coach
How to recognize and leverage the opportunities this current situation has created as you plan the rest of 2020
Ask yourself these questions:
* What did I enjoy doing while staying at home?
* What did I learn about myself?
* Are there any new goals I would like to pursue this year?
* What can I do differently from now on to improve my wellbeing?
* What is one new idea I want to commit myself to?
Yuval Goren, founder of Success Wizard
“During quarantine, we’ve seen all of the places where our society is broken. More so than ever, we need game changers that are willing to take risks to invent new products and services and find ways to support our communities. We need good people doing good work and there are a lot of areas of our society that are looking for that right now.”
Diana Fitts, Better Than Alive
“Follow your growth. There is always opportunity to grow better in new ways that open new doors.”
JD Meier, Sources of Insight
One of my favorite way to open my eyes for all the amazing opportunities this situation has brought to us is by seeing how successful people are using it to their advantage.
I enjoy following the work of many bloggers and business owners, who are releasing new products and helping their audience in more ways and who have adjusted their business model and now offer new services so they can target a different or wider audience.
It’s fun to see how physical businesses found creative ways to take their brand online, how social media influencers are creating only content that their followers will find useful in these uncertain times, how parents think of all kinds of activities for their kids during social isolation, and how fitness enthusiasts thought of a countless number of exercises that can be done at home to achieve the same or even better result than before.
You can create your own version of any of the techniques you find online. The best thing is that once you get into the mindset of noticing and leveraging opportunities, you’ll start creating many more on your way to success.
Lidiya Kesarovska, Let’s Reach Success
“Like every crisis, we have infinite ways to grow and come out of this stronger. Working from home, food delivery, shopping, education, entertainment, sports, travel and many more industries, niches and every day essentials have a room for improvement. There’s always room for innovation, empathy, sustainability and better experience.
Look at your interests and strengths and build a quick prototype. Test it out and launch. During crisis things move faster. Businesses with purpose will win. If you don’t come up with a winning idea first time, try again.
One more thing, we don’t know what the future holds so it’s wise to use this extra time at home to learn new skills. Steve Jobs famously said, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.”
Tomas Laurinavicius, Tomas Lau
“Every single one of us has a list of things we’d like to do “someday” or “when I have time”. Now is the time to take that list out and look at everything on it. Evaluate each item and see if it is something you still want to do. If you still want to do it, can you do it with the time and materials on hand? How much would it take to get the materials? Then decide what you are going to finish off that list.”
Laura Ernest, LauraErnest.com
“Sit down somewhere quietly and write out the things they are currently doing or thinking about, that they didn’t before. Then write a new list with ideas on how they can use their new thoughts and practices in the future.”
Sally Leslie, The Leslie Link
“Many of us have the opportunity to reflect during this period. I’d suggest taking this opportunity to think about the direction your life is heading, and make some adjustments. It’s also a good time to work on your skills, try taking some online courses that will get you farther along in your career.”
Don Smith, Personal Growth Channel
“For me, journaling is a big part of noticing what matters. It reveals where to place my focus. If you don’t have a journaling practice, I encourage you to start one–even if it is only 5 minutes a day. The act of pausing and unloading your brain can produce surprising results in helping you notice where you are, where you want to go, and the steps you need to get there. This world is full of demands and distractions. Journaling presses pause on them and creates space to discover what matters most to your beautiful unique self right now.”
Cathy Hutchison, Your Visual Journey
“If you are blessed with privilege this season – privilege of time, of resources, of anything, really – use it to empower others with less. This means being aware of the ways you can uplift your own life, change your own habits, so that you might be able to leave a valuable mark even for just a small community in your network.”
Mica Gonzalez, Mind of Mica
There is ALWAYS opportunity – even when things get bleak. It’s just up to us to start to think creatively – in our areas of expertise – without panicking :). The biggest questions we keep asking ourselves to help recognize opportunity are: 1) Given what we do, how can we be of service RIGHT NOW, and 2) What are people in our community most struggling with that we can help address?
So, instead of looking completely outside the box of my business – helping new life coaches develop their own business skills – we thought about aspects of what we do that are really relevant now and brought those forward. For instance: Given that everyone is now online, we offered first a free “how to sell online” course for coaches who can’t afford help, and then a “pay-what-you-can” bigger program for those who wanted to go further, without breaking their budget. It allowed us to serve our community in a bigger way and still keep meeting our own payroll. Restaurants in many areas are doing something similar – instead of just offering takeout, many are also offering additional grocery-store provisions like bread, cookie dough or toilet paper. They are still in their overall area of expertise in terms of feeding people, but are thinking creatively about the 2 questions I outlined above – how they can be of service, and what can they do to address a big struggle? (Toilet paper being – of course – a huge one! :)).
Christie Mims, Coach Pony
“Distance Learning will now take a giant leap forward. The importance of written communication skills has been highlighted by this shutdown. Those who recognize this and pivot to improve their writing skills, will be more valuable, post shutdown. This should be a light bulb moment for everyone – physical meetings are key to maintaining and improving your most important relationships – out of sight, out of mind, is real.“
Tom Corley, Rich Habits
“People have said you should take this time to learn a new skill or to get tasks done that they have been putting off and sure, that’s great but you don’t have to force yourself into doing anything. Maybe you’ve been putting off a task because deep-down you realise it’s not worth your time, effort or energy; maybe you haven’t learned a new language because you know you’ll never use it.
Use this time as an opportunity to laser-focus in on what you really want, what will be of the biggest benefit to you and how you will achieve it. That way as we ease out of our current situation you’ll have a clear road-map of exactly what you want to achieve and how you’re going to get there.“
Katy Whitton, Flipping Heck
“As a general rule I think people underestimate the opportunity we all have to become “expert” in a given topic (career or otherwise). If a person will give 20 minutes a day, consistently to a worthwhile topic or area of study in time they’ll gain mastery of that subject. Depending on the topic chosen it can literally pay untold dividends. Imagine the positive impact it would have on a person that dedicated themselves to absorbing everything they could on leadership.“
Josh Hinds, Get Motivation
“This is an opportunity to let go of the things that are causing you the most stress: need for control, need for a particular type of success, anxiety, forcing things, etc.”
Sharon Podobnik Peterson, LinkedIn
“Leveraging the internet is going to be more important than ever before, for yourself and your business (if you have one). There are going to be fundamental shifts about how people are going to go about their lives. Not everyone is savvy enough to navigate these shifts. That presents a big information gap. Value is created where an information gap exists.”
Sai Blackbyrn, Sai.Coach
“The disruption we’ve faced in 2020 has given us an opportunity to assess what is truly important to us. All the stuff that doesn’t matter is stripped away, and we are left to see what goals and ideals are meaningful.
You might realize that your career isn’t as important as you imagined, and your family is what matters the most to you. Perhaps you’ll find yourself craving experiences instead of possessions, and you’ll be inspired to broaden your horizons by traveling more and tasting what life has to offer.
Take the discomfort, loss, and isolation of quarantine to think about what you want to experience when you get the chance. Then start to plan for it as much as possible by saving money, doing your research, and mentally orienting yourself toward your new goal.”
Shelby Abrahamsen, Little Coffee Fox
How have you personally adjusted your goals and habits during this time period?
“I’ve refocused on strength in mind, body, emotions, and spirit. And, I’m using this as a chance to hit refresh on my mindset, skillset, and toolset.”
JD Meier, Sources of Insight
“One of the first things I did was to stop feeding my brain negativity and anything that was making me anxious. That mostly meant the news as they focus on the attention-grabbing updates, which are mostly the scary and shocking facts and the hopeless future predictions. Whatever we feed our brain, it seeks more of it and gives us proof of exactly that around us, so it’s no wonder we feel overwhelmed and stressed if we’re exposed to the media every day.
Once I stopped that, I was in control of the information I consumed, so I focused on feeding my mind with positivity through the things I read about and listen to, the work I do, and the people I socialize with. I soon became calm and could focus on my projects, enjoy my days, get more done, and support those who have a tough time.“
Lidiya Kesarovska, Let’s Reach Success
“I am using time that formerly had been given to commuting to walk my neighborhood. The fresh air and sun has been great for my health, as well as the regular exercise.
I am allowing myself more down time to relax and do things like watch television and play video games. This time is coming from the various weekly activities that are no longer available.
I am learning to talk about things that seem trivial. A recent in-passing mention of sleeping issues taught me that many people are also having increased sleeping issues at this point. I researched and learned some additional strategies to help; but more importantly, I am learning to accept that I don’t sleep as well some nights, and give myself some slack the next day.
I am learning to ask for help. With the whole family at home (and having lots of free time) I ask them to do things I would normally do, like cooking and cleaning, while I continue to work from home.
I am setting aside dedicated time to work on the goals and projects that can move forward. These longer time periods (2-3 hours instead of the snatched hour here and there pre-quarantine) are yielding great strides to getting projects done.“
Laura Ernest, LauraErnest.com
“I’m in a weird spot where I supposedly have more time with a lack of commute and social commitments, but the current economic climate has increased the demands of my day job. So, I’ve made the very practical decision to carve out the first hour of every day and six hours across each weekend to pursue the things I’m passionate about. That’s 11 hours a week to get as far as I can on my goals and dreams. Plus, there really is something to starting the day doing something that lights me up inside. It carries me through the rest of the day smiling.“
Cathy Hutchison, Your Visual Journey
“In quarantine, I’ve been even more mindful of my boundaries. It’s easy to get caught up in thoughts of wanting to work 24/7, especially when stuck at home, but that just isn’t sustainable. I’ve implemented a lot of steps to make sure my boundaries are in place, because I know that when I take care of me, I can take care of my business, of other people, and of everything else in my life.“
Mica Gonzalez, Mind of Mica
“My habits have been taking wild swings left and right, but I have set some ground rules for myself: 1) 10 minute mediation in the morning to try and start the day calm 2) Taking a long walk *almost* every day so I do not become a mole person and 3) Ending work early as much as possible. I’m in the lucky minority of having a growing business in these times, so my workload has increased, but I’m still facing the same anxiety everyone else is so I’m trying to view this time as a time of rest and to give myself permission to take it.“
Christie Mims, Coach Pony
“I find myself more in line with my goals than before. I am able to focus on who I am being as I pursue my goals, rather than what I’m doing to reach my goals. I am able to be more easily in control of my time and energy and recognize what it would feel like if I more often said “no” to invitations and requests on my time and energy that I don’t actually want to go to anyway.“
Sharon Podobnik Peterson, LinkedIn
“I was expecting to have little to no changes in my life during this pandemic. I have no kids, my spouse and I already worked from home and we could continue working, both of us are healthy, we already cook from home, and we are already a couple of home bodies. However, despite being well-adjusted for a quarantine, everything has been different.
There are days where I feel completely unable to handle the world and days when I feel full of energy and potential. Some days I can’t achieve my basic tasks and habits. Depression bubbles have been common and totally unpredictable for both me and my husband, and it totally disrupts our lives when they hit.
In the beginning, we both tried our best to work through it and just be productive. Then it quickly became apparent that this approach would do nothing but grind us down to nothing. So both of us have become much more flexible. I have found that I am much more productive when I remove the pressure to get things done. Each day I listen to my needs — if I’m feeling okay, I’ll work as much as I can toward my goals. When I’m having a tough mental health day, I’ll give myself space and promise that I’ll try again another day. This method has created an unorthodox schedule, but it has worked wonders for both mental health and productivity.“
Shelby Abrahamsen, Little Coffee Fox
