Remote Work Is Here To Stay, How Should My Goals Change?

Current Scenarios

Remote work has given everyone something that used to be lacking, the most valuable commodity that exists, more TIME. What do we do with this time? We have made commitments to ourselves, if I had more time I would? When I have more time I will? And still many of us are facing the challenge of too much to do and too little time because we are homeschooling children, managing a team remotely, or are still trying to get comfortable being at home instead of the office. Still, our projects do require us to put one fire out and another one, maybe even bigger, takes its place.

Whether too much or too little, we still have to define, track, and achieve our goals as BAs and POs with the time provided. Perhaps getting certified was on your 2020 list and we are approaching November fast. Or maybe this was the year you were going to be promoted to management or leadership and it was stalled because of Covid. Guess what? They still matter! And a new challenge has been created, you have to be your own advocate. YOU have to make it happen. But first, how have the goals changed? What will the goals look like for 2021 with the new normal? Maybe that manager/leader goal changed because performing remotely is not the conventional scenario we once worked in. So, below are some ways to make time to tackle the goals we set at the beginning of the year and some ways to start the process for next year. 

Questions To Ask Yourself 

Being honest with yourself about your goals can be challenging. Sometimes it’s a matter of too many options. It’s hard to summon the energy for long-term goals when the present fires are so demanding. We know that we have to  If you are off track, don’t beat yourself up, get curious, and ask yourself a few good questions:

• Do I still want to achieve these goals? 
• Will my career benefit from these goals?
• What am I willing to give up to achieve these goals?
• Am I being true to myself and my own needs for continuous learning and growth?

If you look deep enough, you’ll find plenty of things that should be stopped, put on hold, or not done at all. 

Try this Approach!

Using your current to-do list, mark each item: done, progressing on track, not started, or behind. For the “not started” or “behind” items ask yourself:

• Has something changed to make this no longer valid as a goal?
• Why does it keep getting de-prioritized? And, Am I okay with this? 
• What can I do to change the situation?
• Who can I talk to in order to get support for what I think needs to change in priorities?
• And last, what action can I take to change how my year will end if the current path isn’t looking good to meet my goals?

Turn down the heat by removing all the deadwood. Then, get focused on what’s most important to accelerate your personal growth and delight your customers. 

•     Using remote tools to make your meetings and collaboration more effective like Miro or Mural
•     Getting into facilitating more collaborative remote meeting modes
•     Refining the purpose and objectives of meetings to be more clear
•     Building relationships with “walking meetings” and “virtual coffee meetings” which I prefer walking!  😉

Commit to time blocks to get your solo thinking and deep thinking work done. Planning your day, week, month to include:

• Be honest about the time you need for your own deep thinking and work
• Block off 2-4 hour time blocks, or a day per week, more if needed to focus and truly dig deep to get the hard but important stuff done

Make a commitment to health and wellness as they apply to your new needs in a remote work environment. These can include a combination of the following:

• physical well being (sleep, nutrition, movement, and health)
• emotional well being (people, pets, nature)
• spiritual well being (meditation, community, giving)

Tools To Start or Continue The Goal Setting Process and Continuous Learning:

1. Linkedin Learning – I have 10 courses on Linkedin Learning to amp up your learning and goals:
2. BA-Cube.com – My learning platform with OnDemdn and Live Interactive sessions – getting the best of both learning modes in one place!

For additional inspiration outside of the industry. Check out more articles about remote work and goal setting here:

• How to Set Meaningful Professional Goals as a Remote Worker
• Four Strategies for Setting Measurable Goals In A Remote Work Environment
• Does Your Company Have A Long-Term Plan for Remote Work?
• Goal Setting Works Here’s Why