I really don’t want to add to the noise about Covid-19 and I’ll try not to harp on the subject too much. I’m reading a lot online about how the pandemic is offering “so many opportunities to learn.” Look, I appreciate that people are looking for the silver lining and putting a positive spin on a bad situation.
That said, some of the “advice” being put in front of people is truly absurd. For those of us that are still working and have kids that are still “in school” there’s not a lot of free time to learn another life skill. There’s not a lot of time in the day to learn a new language or attend dozens of “virtual meetups.”
It’s tough right now. Those of us still employed are hearing from our leadership to keep up forward momentum…even though the current is pushing against us harder than before. This isn’t an attack against leadership…they are trying to keep the lights on. We have to row together. But it is exhausting. Our emotional energy is tapped. Swimming against the currents we find ourselves in right now takes its toll.
Those of us with kids (older kids specifically), even though the tools and platforms are the same as in school…help is still needed during the day. This creates new distractions, stronger currents, more demands on our time.
Those of us with kids have also now become the sole social interaction for those kids. More demands. More time. More emotional drainage.
And none of the above is to discount how tough it is for those who are out of work right now. I cannot imagine and you have my sympathy. You are walking your own challenging path and the fear, frustrations and struggles you are experiencing are valid.
Yet the advice being pushed to so many of us is about “productivity hacks.” Or “how to look good on Zoom.” How we should be attending more “virtual networking” sessions and reading productivity books. Learning new skills. In fact, one so-called influencer on Linked In suggested that the remote work that many of us find ourselves doing means we have to “work even harder than before to prove we are worthy of remote work.” Are you actually kidding me?
I’m not being granted some “favor.” This isn’t a gift bestowed upon me. We’re in a crisis. This is necessary. If I wasn’t over the whole “hustle-culture” before, I certainly am now.
We don’t need another content piece on productivity hacks. Ultimately, what so many of us need to hear about right now is grace. Not KPIs, not OKRs, not another damn word about how to look good on Zoom. Or how we should “dress up for the day.” (Dear Universe, Yes, most people need grace. That said, can you kindly drop a small asteroid on the next person that says we should dress up whilst working from home? Thank you)
I digress. Back to grace.
Tony Horton, workout guru…P90X creator…said:
“Do your best and forget the rest.”
That’s the message so many of us need to hear. Your best today? Most likely isn’t your best from six-months ago. Don’t measure your “best” today…in a world with new, unexpected challenges…against your best when everything was normal.
I'm offering real “hacks” for existing and surviving (and perhaps, finding a way to thrive) in the environment we’re in. Here goes:
Get up from your laptop/work station and take a walk sometime during the day.
Check in with a friend or co-worker a few times a week…by phone.
Shut the laptop and eat a proper lunch; if you have kids? Eat lunch with them.
Give others grace.
Give yourself grace.
Finally, ignore the so-called influencers who are telling you that the focus right now should be on KPIs, OKRs, and productivity.
I have no doubt in my mind that this will all pass. That “normal” will return. The demands on our time and our emotions will ease. And what I’m hoping we all learn from this isn’t about how to use Zoom or how to work remote or any of that other nonsense…but how we need to give others and ourselves grace.
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