After my initial child-like tantrum and comprehending the subsequent end to social life, being in lockdown has taken a U turn and turned out more profitable and progressive than ever before.
Prior to lockdown, my schedule like many others would be crammed full of meetings, lunches, events and a monthly travel itinerary, and that is without allocating time for friends and socialising. However, it has recently dawned on me that I have achieved more work in the last month than I have since January, worrying as it seems, I also feel a sense of satisfaction for having the time to digest my workload and rationalise time saving.
Like all of us house bound we know little about the day of the week, month or our own names anymore, weekends are seemingly another day of sunrise and sunset and becoming accustomed to the new normal is strangely satisfying.
The gratification of weekends away and self-care Saturdays are distant memories to us all, however the takeover of increased workloads and the desire to stay relevant is catapulting us into working harder, smarter and longer than ever before. For the last three weeks, I have sat snug in my living-room-office and productively conducted Zoom calls, set up a website, completed online courses and come up to speed on the latest in digital marketing. Saving time with no commute, no getting ready and no lunch breaks has its benefits, my productivity has scaled one hundred-fold and I am more focused than ever before.
Understandably taking time off to re-energize and recharge is vital, but with many having limited space to do so, being enthused and absorbed in work is a much more beneficial place to be.
Structuring my weekly plan has been simple yet effective, I wake up around 7.30am and start work on laptop by 8.15am, every day I write morning lunch and evening goals centred around my work, social and consulting agenda’s, then finishing up around 7pm. There is so much fascinating content to be read at the moment, so I also like to give myself at least an hour before bed to explore blogs, listen to podcasts and watch YouTube tutorials. Here are some of my favourites:
marieTV. interivews
This is Marketing by Seth Godin audible
Inthefrow vlogs
BossBabe podcast
Medium reading platform
Averaging 10 hours work per day has kept me in the loop, wired and driven to learn and somewhat sane knowing I will come out of this pandemic a stronger business professional than when I went in.
Looking on the flip-side it certainly has its set-backs, signing new clients and interviewing for new prospects is a challenge, but with a whole consortium of content and depth of global knowledge we will all rejoice once again smarter than ever.