Now that we are almost 10 full weeks into actively protecting ourselves from COVID-19, I know it’s continually difficult to find peace and happiness, particularly as the world is ever-changing around us.
The anxiety remains high as the future is unclear. Similarly, although “stay at home" initially sounded like it wouldn't be too difficult, it turns out that social distancing can be majorly challenging. As the world starts transitioning into this timeframe where we re-enter elements of our economy that have been slowed by fighting this disease while still trying to minimize the negative effects this dreadful disease for which there is no treatment or vaccine, I realize the emotional rollercoaster will continue, including fear, anxiety, excitement, stress, hopefulness, hopelessness and more.
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This period of uncertainty and fluidity has really brought me back to my core values for boosting productivity:
๐ป ๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ณ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ. You are doing the best you can in the most extenuating of circumstances. If you’re working remotely, you are not a “work from home” employee; instead, you are at home trying to work amidst serious stress.
๐ง๐ป♀️ ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ. The more we roll with all the ups and downs of schedule changes, the better.
๐ฉ๐ป๐ป ๐๐ถ๐บ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐. There is plenty of grief to go around, whether that's grief for a loved one, grief for a job lost, grief for plans changed or something else, and the emotional rollercoaster is distracting, taking energy from desired results. Things now are exhausting. It’s okay to expect less productivity than would be considered normal.
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TAKE ACTION - While implementing these big-picture steps, there are a few tactics to adopt that can be super helpful:
1️⃣ Visualize what matters most to you, committing time to those priorities. We must know our goals to get there.
2️⃣ Internalize the belief that we all deserve joy, putting things on your calendar that bring happiness while staying at home. Maybe that's scheduling virtual hangouts with friends, achieving milestones with work goals, enjoying a tasty meal via takeout from a locally-owned small business, finding an organizational break-through for a troubling area of your home, self-care or something specific to your unique interests. Decide what you need and creatively go after it.
3️⃣ Create structure. Protect your designated workspace, whether that's a corner of the living room that you've partitioned off with painter's tape or an actual office. Have a morning routine that sets you up for success, including an effort to get dressed in such a way that you feel better about yourself. Set breaks throughout the day for movement, eating and staying hydrated. Find tools for capturing tasks, time commitments and information, culling the details together so they can be better organized and make using those details easier. Establish an evening routine that is calming and creates a foundation for the next day's success, expressing gratitude and celebrating what went right that day.
4️⃣ Determine what will hold you accountable. Do you need a carrot to work toward or something negative to avoid?
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This season is not normal, but there are still ways to thrive. Even if it’s only 5 minutes of deep breathing each day, taking a tiny bit of time to invest in your own well-being can go a long way toward cultivating the lives we want. What action can you take today for which your future self will be grateful?
This period of uncertainty and fluidity has really brought me back to my core values for boosting productivity:
๐ป ๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ณ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ. You are doing the best you can in the most extenuating of circumstances. If you’re working remotely, you are not a “work from home” employee; instead, you are at home trying to work amidst serious stress.
๐ง๐ป♀️ ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ. The more we roll with all the ups and downs of schedule changes, the better.
๐ฉ๐ป๐ป ๐๐ถ๐บ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐. There is plenty of grief to go around, whether that's grief for a loved one, grief for a job lost, grief for plans changed or something else, and the emotional rollercoaster is distracting, taking energy from desired results. Things now are exhausting. It’s okay to expect less productivity than would be considered normal.
⠀
TAKE ACTION - While implementing these big-picture steps, there are a few tactics to adopt that can be super helpful:
1️⃣ Visualize what matters most to you, committing time to those priorities. We must know our goals to get there.
2️⃣ Internalize the belief that we all deserve joy, putting things on your calendar that bring happiness while staying at home. Maybe that's scheduling virtual hangouts with friends, achieving milestones with work goals, enjoying a tasty meal via takeout from a locally-owned small business, finding an organizational break-through for a troubling area of your home, self-care or something specific to your unique interests. Decide what you need and creatively go after it.
3️⃣ Create structure. Protect your designated workspace, whether that's a corner of the living room that you've partitioned off with painter's tape or an actual office. Have a morning routine that sets you up for success, including an effort to get dressed in such a way that you feel better about yourself. Set breaks throughout the day for movement, eating and staying hydrated. Find tools for capturing tasks, time commitments and information, culling the details together so they can be better organized and make using those details easier. Establish an evening routine that is calming and creates a foundation for the next day's success, expressing gratitude and celebrating what went right that day.
4️⃣ Determine what will hold you accountable. Do you need a carrot to work toward or something negative to avoid?
⠀
This season is not normal, but there are still ways to thrive. Even if it’s only 5 minutes of deep breathing each day, taking a tiny bit of time to invest in your own well-being can go a long way toward cultivating the lives we want. What action can you take today for which your future self will be grateful?
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