Michael is a technical project/program management manager.
We are going through a difficult and uncertain time globally with the COVID-19 pandemic. It will take some time before we return to how life was prior to this crisis.
Challenging times can often create a vacuum within our lives and leave us feeling empty or even depressed. It’s quite healthy to feel this way—for a short period of time.
What is invaluable is remembering that in times of stress, these moments can help us and those around us be uplifted and move forward.
With the world temporarily upside down, it’s important for us to realize that there are numerous opportunities now—ones that could present themselves as potential positive outcomes in our personal and professional lives.
1. Cut back on social media. As a society so heavily surrounded and bombarded by social media, use this time of isolation as an opportunity to unplug—and potentially spend more quality time with family/loved ones rather than partake in unproductive time online.
Social media—including Facebook, Instagram, TicTok or any other numerous applications we use daily—is just as addictive as any other habit; it can really take a chunk of your day away from you without you fully realizing it. This habit is a distraction as others may be trying to engage with us in real life. Social media often prevents us from being fully present with others (and to be quite honest, I have not seen any good Baby Yoda memes come out of this…yet).
So, use this time to take a break and be even more physically available (if possible) and appreciative to those close to you in your life.
2. Pursue educational opportunities.
Use the slowdown as a time to catch up or get ahead on your PDUs by watching webinars or reading articles. Once this initial quarantine stage passes, we will most likely will be inundated with an immense workload in order to catch up from the days or weeks that have been lost—and it will be quite easy to fall behind on these house-cleaning items.
There are also numerous online courses that you can register for to pursue not just your PDUs, but explore a new career that you have been interested in but haven’t had the time to fully research.
3. Exercise! One of the healthiest ways to cope with all the emotions we’re feeling during stressful times like this is by physically releasing them. Although gyms and other group activities may be closed/cancelled, there is always time to perform 30 minutes to an hour each day performing a run, pushups or other light activities that will help alleviate stress.
Even going for a walk without your phone to recharge your system and get a break from news and everything else that is deteriorating our mental state will allow for your mind and body to recharge. Just remember to stay socially distant from others outside (and wear a mask if you can).
4. Give back. As we progress through this new era of our lives, one of the most fulfilling and rewarding activities we can partake in is by giving back through charity. No matter where you are located, this is a time to come together. Step up as a leader and give back to others—and motivate those around you to follow suit.
If performed by enough people, these “small” changes and steps in helping others locally will have a positive impact globally. Simply checking in on neighbors and others that you feel may need help will also provide fulfillment in your life during a time where you otherwise would be left with a void.
5. Devote time to goal and objectives. Take the time to write out a list of goals and objectives you would like to achieve during this time. Write them down, and make them public knowledge in order to hold yourself accountable. By doing this, you can set up a framework to build a routine into your day and week that will help keep you on task.
Writing a Kanban board on a whiteboard or large paper that is very visible to you is a great way to reinforce these items and set yourself up for success. This board will also highlight your accomplishments by showing what you have completed.
6. Keep track of lessons learned. As with any project or major life-changing events you are going through, ensuring that you have key takeaways—and how you can improve for the next challenge in your life—is critical to growing and improving.
This task doesn’t have to be formal, but writing down one to three items to improve on can really be beneficial in improving your situation for the next time there is a crisis (or any type of life-changing event). Being prepared for these events is important as it can save you headaches and pain in the future. Yet again, this habit is another way to turn a situation into an opportunity for personal growth.
Conclusion Using this time wisely can be a springboard to expose our strengths as individuals—and as a global civilization, helping to shape a better planet for us all. This will not be an easy time to move through in the short term, but will create numerous opportunities in the long term.
In conclusion, I want to end this with a quote my drill sergeant in boot camp used to say to us frequently: “Tough times don’t last; tough people do.”
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