It’s a tough time for all of us - that’s for sure. Adapting to working from home & not being able to go out is something most of us didn’t expect even a week ago. Now, we have a lot more time to think, reflect, and get tasks and errands done, some of which we were putting off for months.
But why not really use this time to our advantage? We all have goals and dreams that would be GREAT to tackle during this time. Maybe you have a class you’ve been meaning to take, a skill you’ve wanted to learn, or a book you’ve been aiming to get to. After all, it’ll only be a matter of time (inshAllah) when all this blows over and we’re back to our busy lives!
So how do you decide effectively what you want to get done during this time? How can you set realistic goals that make sense, are logical, and possible to work towards while staying at home?
1. Think About What You Want On Your List
This is easier said than done and can take a while. Think about WHAT you want to accomplish. If you have a previously written bucket list or New Years Resolution, now is a great time to bring that out.
If you don’t have a list you wrote down from before, imagine the day you’re finally going back to daily life. What do you want to have accomplished by then? Sometimes imagining the “deadline” helps think about what you want done. In a few months, do you want to have your website launched? Maybe you want to get through all the cleaning before Ramadan. Do you want to redecorate your home office? Thinking about the end goal is great for deciding what’s important for you to tackle.
A great tip is to imagine what your goal will “feel” like once you’ve accomplished it. What does it “look” like? Who benefits from it? Do you feel prouder of yourself if you’ve accomplished it?
2. Make Sure Your Goals Are Written Positively
It’s important to envision our goals in a way that makes us feel positive. For example, a goal listed as “Stop making a mess everywhere you go” is something that doesn’t reflect positively and make you feel excited to work towards it. It can also make you feel like what you’re currently doing is wrong, and backfire because you’ll feel unmotivated.
Try thinking: “keep your workspace decluttered so you’re more productive” instead, to promote positive thinking. Remember, how we speak to ourselves matters, even when goal setting.
3. Break It Out
One of the most important things to keep in mind when making a list of goals is *time*. Breaking out the goals in intervals makes your list easy to visualize and compartmentalize. Have goals for the month, the week, and then wheel it back to the day.
For example, let’s say your goal was to launch your website by mid April. Here's an example of how we'd break it out -
Why is this helpful? By having small goals, it’s easier for us to get them done and cross them out. Having a big picture goal can seem overwhelming. Sometimes it’s difficult to imagine where to get started if the goal seems too grand. By breaking it down, you’re allowing yourself to pinpoint where to start.
4. Tell a Friend - They’ll Hold You Accountable!
Having a friend hold you accountable is EXTREMELY beneficial. It helps you have someone to answer to and talk to when you run into any sort of obstacle. Telling a friend or family member is great because it also might motivate them to make a goal for themselves and have you hold them accountable! You guys could be productive together during the quarantine.
Have daily check ins, either in the morning or at the end of the day, about goals, progress, and what you guys could do better. You can even make a shared schedule or to-do list in which you can go through it and cross things that were done for both of your goals.
It’s always great to go through these kinds of things with someone else! It keeps you motivated in the long run.
5. Write it Down
In case you prefer to keep a specific goal to yourself, it helps to write it down! This is because whenever you look back at your note or journal, you’ll come across your goal and be reminded of it. When we write things down in a “to-do” list, we’re more inclined to get to them because we want to cross it off our list.
Try to describe your goal in detail. Instead of saying “I want to make a website”, be more specific. Say something like “I want to sign up myblog.com on ________, build my navigation, theme, and first blog post by April 19th.” By being detailed, you increase your chances of tackling your goals.
That’s all for now, ladies! We hope these 5 tips help you in creating your list of goals during this quarantine!
Remember to stay safe, be positive, and tell yourself all this is temporary. By the will of God, this will all pass and we’ll be back to normal life before we know it. This ample time won’t come again - so let’s use it wisely!
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