Managing Anything, At All: Pandemic Edition
You might have noticed it has been a while since I should have updated our blog to incorporate Part 2 of our Managing Multiple Projects series. Since those carefree, innocent times, we have all learned a lot about what are possibly the worst conditions to work under during a pandemic.
Some of us are fortunate to maintain gainful employment in industries less affected by the devastation COVID-19 has placed on the global economy. “Fortunate” alone often proves not enough to motivate us all to show up to work (with or without pants) as our best selves. For many of us, this is especially true several months into the timeline when we expected to return to some semblance of normalcy by now.
Let’s address some common problems plaguing so many of us who are struggling to perform how we expect, and potential solutions to boost your productivity and attitude.
Loss of Routine
What day is it? It’s hard to know when you aren’t punctuating your days with routines. Now that work and home (and sometimes school) are all one place, it can be easy to address each day reactively, moment by moment.
One way to reclaim a semblance of routine is to plan out your day in advance as much as you’re able to. Structure assigned timeframes to what you need to achieve the next day the night before.
- Get up, get clean, and dress as if you are leaving the house. I know many people are going to hate this one, but it works wonders to help prep your brain for the day ahead.
- If you have children virtually learning at home, observe when they need the most support during their day. See if you or someone else in your household can be available during the core times you experience the most issues.
- Try not to plan or attend important work meetings during the times where you know your attention will strain with other tasks at home.
- See if you can dedicate hours to work during times that may not be within the traditional 9-5. The early hours are a great time to jump-start the day and get focused work done before the rest of the household is up and going (and interrupting you).
- Dedicate times in the day where you are not connected. No email, no text, no slack. Being “on” all of the time is exhausting, and while it was terrible before the pandemic for many of us, it’s worse now.
Sleep Issues
A common complaint in our post-COVID world is that quality sleep is hard to get. The loss of routine can be a significant factor, as well as existential dread that might decide to wake you up and haunt you at 2 am. Getting poor quality sleep can set you up for long, frustrating days that are much worse than having proper Zs under your belt.
- Try to wake up and go to bed around the same time each day. Solid sleep habits will get your body into a familiar rhythm to follow for the best quality sleep.
- Use white noise to drown out any sounds that might wake you up before you’re ready.
- Follow a similar routine at night to cue your brain that it’s time for sleep. Your method might include a shower, brushing your teeth, or maybe doing some light reading in bed (no screens!) before it’s time for lights out.
Social Isolation
I didn’t think I was a very social person until the pandemic proved me very wrong. It is tough to meet your social needs when you’re no longer seeing friends or people at work regularly.
One of the big perks of this new reality is that we often get much more control over our social obligations.
- Pre-pandemic, my kids didn’t talk too much with their cousins. They lived several hours away and were busy with their school friends and other activities. Now, they talk to their cousins nearly every day because their usual social activities are gone. They are forging essential family relationships and friendships.
- I’ve found a similar impact on my own. I have started putting in more time to thoughtfully communicate with the friends in my life who I genuinely enjoy the most. Most of them happen not to be the people I did that with pre-COVID (due to lack of time) and who live across the country.
Think about who you value the most right now in your life, and make an effort to connect with them.
- While virtual catch-ups aren’t ideal, they are a great way to hang out safely. Need help breaking the ice? Play some virtual trivia or spin up a game to play together to get the conversation flowing.
- Hate social media? Maybe give it another shot for a while to see if you can get some needed friendly banter.
- If you have trusted friends locally, and feel comfortable sharing a distanced hangout in-person, do it! If that makes you anxious, don’t!
While it’s pretty stressful to be on video calls for work all day, see if you can do a few with video. Prioritize the ones where you think there is a high chance of miscommunication. Viewing your audience adds fidelity to interpersonal communication nuances that typically suffer over a voice call.
Burn Out
If you’re able to, take a staycation at home, or even in a rental house to switch your surroundings. Many of us are feeling burnt out by this new reality, and need to switch it up a little and disconnect and relax.
You don’t need to get on a plane and have an exotic destination to reset and recharge. Think of some socially safe activities to do alone or in your household, and take a few days off. Your brain and your body will thank you.
Self Care
Self-care is one of the things I am actively trying to do more of lately. While it may look different from person to person, here’s what I have done that has helped me a lot:
- Cut out the obligations you don’t need. Are you being stretched too thin? Is there anything you’re on the hook for that is stressing you out unnecessarily? It could be a side-gig, a project you wish you didn’t take on, or something else. If you can ditch it, do it! It’s hard to make everything work in this new reality, so stop killing yourself over things that don’t serve you.
- Put yourself on a media diet. While the bad things keep happening and will continue to happen, it’s not helpful to have it in your face 24/7, just waiting for the next thing to get you down. You likely won’t miss much checking the news every few days or so.
- Find something you enjoy and give yourself at least 15 minutes a day doing it. It might be a new hobby or something you’ve done for years. Maybe it is something you’ve always wanted to learn but have been putting off. Make it a priority, as much as you make your typical obligations a priority.
What have you been doing to manage this new normal? Let us know in the comments!