Why It’s Still Worth It To Have a Plan
Why It’s Worth It to Still Have a Plan
This probably sounds bananas with everything going on but hear me out.
I think it’s still worth having a plan.
Despite the fact that it seems like anything could happen (murder hornets, anyone?!) and despite the fact that it’s a very difficult time to focus, it became clear early on that if I was going to continue to support our clients, navigate Work Wonders through this tricky time, and maintain my own well-being, I was going to have to put together a plan.
So I started micro-planning, two weeks at a time.
When we saw non-essential workers being asked to stay home, we found an opportunity to continue to support professionals through online community and events. It became obvious that in-person events would likely not be happening and that we needed to find some other way to move forward.
As you may know, for the first couple of weeks, when people began working from home, we dropped everything to offer virtual events, co-working, happy hours, strategy sessions, and even yoga!
On March 3, I presented a webinar entitled, “How to Have a Calm and Strategic Job Search.” A couple of weeks into March, it was clear nobody would be having a calm anything for the foreseeable future- but I thought our clients could still continue strategically and I wanted our job search content, which was now more needed than ever, to reflect that.
I modified our signature workshop, Uncomplicate Your Job Search, and transformed it into, How to Be Job Search Ready so that we could share what our clients were experiencing, continue to teach people how to be stand out applicants, and help them reach out and continue networking with sensitivity to everything that was going on.
Over 400 people have now signed up for the workshop.
This month, we also welcomed several new members into Work Wonders & Co., our group program, and community for job seekers. We had recently introduced a two-month payment plan but decided to extend it to three months so that we could make the program as accessible as possible. I feel lucky that there is still a demand for our services!
Even before the pandemic, I worked really hard to save a lot of money personally and for the business.
Sometimes I’ve felt like an over-saver.
But you know what?
I am really freaking glad that I did that because I was able to transition our mandate to be as generous and as helpful as possible to as many people as possible without worrying about whether we’d cover our expenses.
When I gave myself permission to plan, I knew it came with some caveats.
I knew it could be a total waste of time.
Things could (and did!) continue to evolve and change and that could have rendered my planning useless. I knew that I may have to adapt and be flexible – and you might, too.
And that’s okay. We can totally adapt and be flexible, right?
I also knew that I was going to have a ton of self-compassion. This was not the time to judge myself for being lazy or unproductive. Like everyone, this has been incredibly stressful.
As a result, I’ve modified my work schedule to about 4-6 hours a day, about six days a week. I’m tired more easily and, rather than fight that, I decided to just embrace it. This left me plenty of time to cook (my favorite), take daily walks (a non-negotiable, at this point), and spend the evenings hanging out with my husband (who I genuinely enjoy spending time with, even if I’m consuming a lot more professional wrestling content than usual!).
And it’s not like I have anywhere to be on the weekends, anyways.
Finally, as so much of my time and attention has been about helping clients and Work Wonders through this time, I was absolutely not losing sight of all the damage that has unfolded as a result of the crisis. I’ve finished each Friday by making a donation to a non-profit or purchase from a small business. It’s easy to feel helpless and I wanted to make sure that I could contribute to ensuring that great organizations had the resources to do their work and that small businesses can stay afloat!
The next phase
We’re still basically micro-planning, even as states are beginning to open back up for business. This time, we’re working a whole 6 weeks out, which now seems like forever!
While we continue to be busy with our clients in our 1:1 services, as well as our beloved Work Wonders & Co., we also know that so many people who are learning about Work Wonders Careers right now, aren’t in a position to invest in career coaching.
So, I’m really excited to bring our #jobsearchreadyseries to life over the next few weeks.
More details soon, but we’re looking forward to offering a brand new way to work with us at an affordable price point. We’ll be rolling out details soon…so stay tuned!
If you have goals, you should have a plan
2020 has been a year – and it’s barely half over. Big events have a way of helping us connect to our values and make our priorities more obvious.
Your goals still matter to us.
And I hope that they still matter to you.
It’s not going to be easy, but starting with even a micro-plan, two weeks at a time, can help you develop momentum, collect helpful information, and most importantly, help you build confidence in your ability to be flexible, creative, and resourceful.
If there is anything that we can do to support you, we’re just an email away!
