You have run out of time to complete a lockdown project. Here’s why.

Do you remember the blitz-era spirit across during the first wave of COVID-19 and the ensuing lockdown measures?

The nation was on a war-footing and you were on the frontline armed with sour-dough bread recipes and a new set of kettlebells bought from Amazon.co.uk just before all home-fitness equipment ran out of stock.

We were scared and sad but we were not about to let this virus take control of our lives.

“I’m actually OK with this”, you thought. It’ll all be over by the end of Spring and “I’ll use this time to [learn Spanish/get fit/write a book/start a website/develop an app/learn to code]”.

You broadcasted your intentions to friends on Facebook, like “OK guys, I’m trying this running thing again”, frittered your unspent coffee-money on yoga paraphernalia or treated yourself to an online course in Python.

The plan was foolproof, and you would emerge from the pandemic in summertime like a phoenix from the ashes, armed with all the inner-confidence of a highly-skilled professional.

You’d smile condescendingly at your friends who had squandered their lockdown time and modestly talk about how you “made the most of a bad situation, I guess”.

Well we are now officially over one year into the pandemic and life, in the UK at least, is showing signs of return.

Where did that time go?

If you had spent 3 hours a day working on your project you would have devoted 1000 hours to it by now. And the truth is that, unless you take a break from your career and go back to University, you are unlikely ever to get an opportunity like that again.

It’s over, the pace of life is rapidly increasing once again, and social plans are starting to creep back into the diary. We emerged battered and bruised from 2020 after losing loved ones, trying to find work opportunities and missing our family members whom we have not been permitted to see.

With all that pain, and the resulting strain on mental health that many have felt since last March, it could be easy to beat ourselves up over failed or un-started lockdown projects.

But the most useful thing to do now is to examine why you failed.

You had all the time in the world to smash your goal, and you still didn’t do it. What happened?

Lots of things happened.

Somewhere between Tiger King wrapping up and Joe Biden winning the US Presidential election you lost sight of your goals and the well meaning promises made to yourself.

Aside from the trauma of 2020, here are three other possible reasons why you are unable to achieve your personal goals.

1. Social media.

Boredom tapped gently at your door and with nothing tangible to restrain it, social media took firm grip of your bored mind and has barely let it go since.

Robbed of your usual face-to-face activities, you have spent the last 365 days lost in the alluring glow of your phone’s screen.

It’s given you quick wins, like the day you spent on DuoLingo learning how to say “Mother” in Russian, or the satisfying feeling of signing up to a coding course.

But you are only ever a swipe away from diving down an Instagram, Facebook or Twitter rabbit hole. And those suckers want your time and your attention for as long as possible. They don’t care about your goals.

2. Consumerism.

The articles claiming to find you the best running equipment to start your lockdown running journey are simply a gateway into the endorphin rush resulting from new purchases.

They are not pushing you out of the door, nor are they telling you about the real rush of pride from consistent training over weeks and months in reliable old shoes.

Did you buy the shoes and never wear them? Did you agonise over the new bike and not ride it? Did you buy the course and never follow it?

It’s possible that those projects you started were actually just an excuse to buy things. Brands don’t care about your goals.

3. You were trying to impress other people.

Why do you actually want to learn this new language? Why do you actually want to get fit? Was it to satisfy a deep need within yourself to open doors to greater geographic or phsyical opportunities?

Or, was it to show people your abs on Instagram and get extra attention for your ability to hit on people in Chinese?

At age 3 we become aware of what behaviour wins attention from parents and peers, but by the age of 23 this need to please makes us pursue goals that we don’t even want. Did you really want to learn a new language, or are you subconsciously trying to make a parent happy? You’re an adult now and your parents don’t get to set your goals anymore.

The bottom line is that if you don’t have the hunger to achieve the goal, then it’s not your goal.

Yes, you’ve run out of time to get ahead on the lockdown project.

However, with a bit of introspection you can emerge from this with a greater knowledge of what you really want to achieve, who you are doing it for and what steps you can take to get there.

Good luck!