Setting Some Goals

The past few months have been challenging—mostly for COVID-19-related reasons.

I graduated college (yay!) after spending the second half of my last semester completing coursework remotely. Suddenly, life was a lot different than what I was used to.

I don't have homework to do or material to study for exams. I no longer have to worry about the student newspaper, as my time as editor-in-chief ended with graduation. I'm home with my parents while many of friends are scattered elsewhere. I have no responsibilities other than searching for a full-time job.

But 2020 has not been an easy job market to graduated into. There are few open positions and an abundance of candidates. So after I finish scrolling through my LinkedIn and Indeed job searches each morning, I have to figure out what to do with the rest of my day.

So far, I've wasted a lot of time, mostly in the form of Netflix shows and TikTok. Both are equally as entertaining as they are unproductive, but I decided that my brain deserved a break after grinding for four years. This was certainly the longest break I've had without any kind of school or work.

But now I finished another Netflix season, and I'm realizing I should be taking advantage of the time I have to explore some interests while I still have some free time.

So I'm setting some goals for myself.

1. Be active. Consistently. I ran cross country for 13 years. I love to run. However, my currently out-of-shape body does not love it. I'd like to run races with my dad again, so I'll have to start putting in some work. I'd like to get into a workout routine that I can continue when I move and start a job.

2. Find new hobbies. I recently went with my dad and my boyfriend to Camp Olympic to play disc golf. And though I usually do terribly when I play, this was a really fun course, and we all finished the game saying we'd like to go back. It was quick to play, easy for beginners and entertaining to play through. The holes are creative, and the hike isn't too difficult.

3. Refine old hobbies. So far in quarantine, I've taken out my guitar a few times, and I've painted with some old watercolors. I wouldn't say I'm particularly great at either, but it was refreshing to express myself through different creative outlets.

4. Continue learning. I hope to enter into the digital marketing field, but it's a continuously changing industry, and I don't want to fall behind. I want to work on some skills that I wasn't able to gather from my classes. I'm planning to work through Google Analytics Academy and continue learning through online certifications from there.

Here's to an optimistic start!