
I don’t know about you, but the pandemic is really putting a cramp in my planning style. Trying to figure out how to plan in the midst of uncertainty is really tough!
When I had my first child almost six years ago, we did a lot of go-with-the-flow. When he was hungry, we fed him! If he was tired, we put him down to bed. Slowly it evolved and we started to plan around nap time and bed time so that we’d have a happy baby! When I had my second child, routine was even more important. And then when the pandemic happened, surprisingly it became even more important! I started to structure my day around entertaining the kids, working, building my own brand, meal planning and making sure the housework got done. It felt pretty good but it was exhausting.
The one thing I’m struggling with is not being able to plan too far out. I love having a vacation to look forward to, and am anxious to book a trip to Disneyland for my family (when it’s safe to travel again) to visit the happiest place on earth! It doesn’t even seem like we can plan a few weeks in advance right now because the landscape can change so quickly!
In light of this, I’ve put together some tips on how to plan in the midst of uncertainty:
Have a Plan B (and C, and D, etc)
Last fall when it slowly started to sink in that I wouldn’t be running the Disneyworld Marathon, I made a list of other races I’d be interested in running. In the past six months that list has changed a few times, but I’ve picked a race! It’s driving distance from me so I don’t have to worry about traveling internationally. Although it’s looking positive right now, if somehow the race doesn’t go through I have a back up plan so I can run anyways. Having a back up plan (or two, or three) will leave you less stressed if your original plan falls through.
Start to think about the little details
Even if it’s hard to plan something like a vacation right now because you can’t book anything, you can plan the little things around it. You can check flights, look at hotels (and their cancellation policies), look at restaurants in the area, etc. Having these little details done before booking will make things much easier when you’re able to finally book! When you can book, double check the cancellation policies before you confirm.
Plan for the worst, hope for the best
This isn’t meant to sound negative, however my suggestion is to plan for the worst case scenario first. This way you can be pleasantly surprised if things change for the better. If you only plan for the best case scenario, you could potentially be setting yourself up for disappointment. Having multiple plans for multiple scenarios will help cover all your bases and allow you to adapt if need be!
Know that this too, shall pass
Knowing that eventually we’ll get out of this pandemic rut provides me some solace when I’m sad about how this last year has gone. The last 16 months have been a great lesson in showing you never really know what could happen – so you need to be able to adapt! So book that trip if it makes you happy (just make sure it’s refundable).
What kinds of things are you looking forward to for the remainder of the year? Do you have any tips on how to plan in the midst of uncertainty? I’d love to hear about them!
Stay safe,
