PCS survival guide episode 1: Goal setting and resilience

CHAMP, a center at the Unformed Services University, has created a new podcast series about how human performance optimization (HPO) strategies can apply to a permanent change of station (PCS). Here in the first episode of this 3-episode series, we talk about pre-PCS goal setting and flexibility.

Episode 1: Goal setting & flexibility

PCS can be a time of high stress and anxiety for you and your family. The good news is, while it can sneak up on you, it rarely comes without several months notice. You often know you’ll be transferring the fall before transfer season, giving you plenty of time to prepare, even if you don’t know where or exactly when you’ll move. In this episode, we discuss how setting goals and staying flexible (physically and mentally) during the time leading up to receiving your orders can help make the process a bit easier.

First, Semper Gumby. As with the rest of military life, the PCS process is fluid and dynamic. Staying flexible will help you deal with your usual routines being disrupted or unexpected issues such as the movers showing up late.

Though it’s important to stay flexible, it’s also a good idea to have some structure around what you plan to accomplish during PCS, such as how and when you pack, tying up loose ends at your unit, and even sights you want to see on the way to your new station.

Listen to the full episode to get more tips about how goal setting and staying flexible can help you in your PCS process. Then, check out episode 2 where we discuss how to “stay present” while moving to your next duty station, and episode 3, where we cover leveraging social support and developing new routines during the post-PCS transition.

Related reading

How to plan your family meetings

How to purge your pantry before PCSing

Four simple tips to pack your kitchen for PCS success

Prepare your pet for PCS

Get SMART about setting goals

WOOP: 4 simple steps to help you achieve your goals

Military OneSource: Plan My Move


CHAMP wants to know:
How useful was the information in this article?