How to set goals for 2021 when everything feels uncertain

Typically the start of a new year brings a renewed enthusiasm for setting goals. You’re looking ahead, refreshed and ready to pursue your dreams and plans.

But this new year feels different. Last January, we never could have imagined what would transpire in 2020. You likely saw plans changed or canceled or put on hold.

And the rest of this year is still uncertain.

It’s understandable that you might balk at the idea of setting goals for 2021. But before you dismiss the idea in light of all the uncertainty, hear what I have to say.

As a time management coach, I’ve found that setting goals is actually more essential right now to maintain productivity and sanity.

Here’s how to set goals while we continue to face uncertainty.

Last year, I saw more people fall into hopelessness about their present and future. Inevitably, this curtailed goal-setting.

But that is the biggest mistake you could make.

Despite the unknowns of 2021, setting goals still has great value. Having them gives you a sense of self-determination that you have the autonomy to make choices for your life and the competence to achieve them. This is a key component of mental and emotional health.

Goals provide a sense of focus so you aren’t drifting through your day without purpose or motivation.

Goals provide a sense of accomplishment, which can give you a hit of dopamine, a brain chemical that makes you feel happy.

And goals can be an excellent distraction from thinking about all the things in the world that you have no control over.

Setting goals for 2021 is worth it for all of those reasons, and you also get the reward of being more likely to achieve the things that are truly important to you.

Types of goals

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