I vividly remember my first ‘working’ Easter.

I was a lowly office junior busy trying to impress and working long hours.

On the Thursday evening one of my bosses said “have a lovely Easter – see you on Tuesday”.

I couldn’t quite believe it!

As a student Easter fell in the middle of the holidays so I didn’t realise what a special break this was for the working world (although I know for those of you in the retail trade it’s usually anything but a break!).

Since then it’s always been my favourite time of year, especially on a weekend as sunny and warm as this one was!

But this was a difficult one wasn’t it?

I don’t know about you, but for my family and I, the Easter weekend usually entails a big lunch with our extended family and an epic Easter egg hunt.

And in normal times Easter would usually mean busy roads, jams on the motorways, crowded attractions…

Just think how full the beer gardens, parks, National Trust properties and beaches would have been.

But it was all very different.

Closed shops, pubs, and restaurants. Closed attractions. Locked playgrounds. Quiet roads.

Really eerie!

Whatever your religion, Easter spells new beginnings – warmer weather, longer days, more opportunities…

This year, it felt like all of that was on hold.

It’s hard to look forward when you don’t know how long it might be before lockdown ends and you can get out into the world again.

But that’s why we need to take control where we can…

Because look…

Things are going to get better…

There will be an end to the lockdown…

The world will, slowly, get moving again.

While the usual ‘fresh start’ we get at the turn of spring might be delayed, it is only a delay.

And this gives you an unusual opportunity…

Where do you want to be when this is over?

It might just be that you have time to plan for a new beginning in a way you probably never have before.

Many of you have got more time on your hands to really think about where you want to be in the future, and get stuck into the details…

Because, make no mistake, while the crisis will subside, the world will be different when we emerge from it.

There will be a lot of uncertainty, economically, and you want to be in the best possible situation in whatever the new reality might be.

That might mean having a second income project to bring you more financial security or help you build up some savings and reserves.

It could mean having a job, or work, that allows you to work hours you choose, from home if necessary.
Or it might mean changing your living arrangements so that you have a far healthier environment for your family should something like this happen again.

Maybe you don’t have a garden, your home is cramped, or you live in a densely populated city area…

Maybe you need room to care for an elderly relative, or for growing children to have more space.

Maybe because of your health you need to live somewhere with fresher air, more space and nature to enjoy.

The past few weeks of lockdown may have thrown these issues into sharp relief.

So ask yourself…

In a world where this virus may keep returning, or where there are new threats from a recession, climate crisis, and dramatic political upheavals, what kind of situation would you like to be in?

A house in the country? More rooms? A bigger garden? Somewhere nearer friends and family? A job with more control over your hours?

A role where you can work from home? An online business over which you have full control?

If you want those things, you cannot just ‘want’ them.

Dreaming about them…

Hoping for them…

Crossing your fingers for them.

….None of that will work.

The only way to effect real change is to create a realistic, achievable plan.

That means writing down specifically what kind of life you want in the future.

That could entail your job, your income, your home, your family status, where you live and how you live, day to day.

What’s your big goal? What would it entail? How much will it cost in terms of time, education and money?

Visualise it.

Cost it.

Then create a detailed map of how you can get from here to there in the time required, breaking that journey down into stages, or steps that you can easily manage.

That is what good planning means.

And with lockdown showing no signs of an end yet, you have time to do this before the world begins to get back to normal (or as close as it can be!)

To help you do this, here’s a free copy of my Ultimate Planning Workbook. (if you click on the link the PDF will open directly for you. No need to download)

It is based on the techniques my husband Nick and I have used to plan not only our business but our personal lives – including goals for our home, for family holidays and the education of our children.

As you’ll see, there are two crucial stages

1. BAG (Big audacious goals) – these are the ideal outcomes you would like to achieve after lockdown.
2. SAG (Small achievable goals) – these are the specific steps that need to be carried out in order to reach that goal.

Give it a go.Even if you already have some goals written down, it’s really important to look at them again in the light of recent events.

And if there was ever a time in life to write a good plan, it’s now, while we’re in lockdown.

What’s more, you’ll find it could help you, psychologically.

Why it’s good to think about the future

By coming up with a proper plan, you will stop dwelling on the present and instead begin to visualise a better future.

This should have an uplifting effect!

Rather than feeling helpless in the face of global events, you will be taking positive action to make a big change for yourself.

And yes, a plan IS a form of action – and actually it’s probably one of the most important steps in achieving any big goal.

A good plan isn’t like daydreaming. It’s a researched, carefully costed set of steps that will take you to that place you want to go.

Seeing it all down in black and white, with the figures and timescales worked out, should get you very excited about the future.

But please don’t just ‘wing it’. It took Nick and I years to get the process right, so just use our expertise!

Download a free copy of my Ultimate Planning Workbook from here – you’ll be amazed at the difference it makes.