Virtual fallacies, humblebrags and what comes next
Continuing the search for the new normal and what comes next. A dry COVID-19 crisis was never really an option.
How’s your week been? Hands up if you’re working harder than ever?
The shift to flexible and virtual working is impacting productivity in small and large organisations.
Week two of lockdown has been tough. A week is along time in a crisis.
Those of us that can work from home are over the initial wave of energy and excitement that the shift from offices created.
Virtual working fallacies
We’ve realised that we’ve been kidding ourselves for ten days. We’re not working from home. We’re locked down in a crisis trying to work.
Work needs to fit in alongside schooling, exercise, preparing 80 meals a week, and running a full household.
I’ve yet to discover the dividend of not commuting. If I read another LinkedIn post about the joy of virtual working I will burn down the internet.
Financial worries have begun to bite. Organisations and individuals are making resilience plans. Layoffs are starting to hurt.
Social isolation is tough. Video communication helps but it creates a dissonance of its own. We’re connected virtually with friends and family but not physically. It’s a mind game.
“Last week we were all in crisis mode and this past week reality kicked in and perhaps a little shock. We’re physical beings and you can’t replace the human touch no matter how many virtual calls you make.”
An emotional candour and honesty has kicked into conversations. We’re all facing different flavours of the same challenges.
The hideousness of the COVID-19 virus continues to grip the population. Friends in the NHS, pharmacies and carers need more protective kit and testing.
People are still not observing the social distancing rules. The footpaths near home are busier than ever. Friends meet up at the supermarket and for walks. Work continues at a building site near our home.
It’s going to be warm this weekend. Please stay home and stay safe.
Reach for the off switch
I’ve throttled my media consumption and participation right back this week.
Media exaggerates. It creates fear and uncertainty that puts the brain into overdrive. The adrenal gland fights back creating a hormone called cortisone to calm the body, that in a cruel twist of fate reduces the immune system. It turns out you can actually be scared to death.
Reaching for the media or social media off button isn’t a popular choice. Social media and messaging use is in over drive as people seek to maintain social connections and express themselves.
COVID-19 bullshit and disinformation led the government to launch a Rapid Response Unit this week.
The humblebrag has reached a new level as people share their baking, exercise and home schooling. I adore the creativity but find it exhausting.
I’ve a renewed admiration for single parents with young children. It’s tough enough for a couple managing work, home schooling, cooking and domestic jobs.
The world is dividing between people for who getting through each day is a win and those determined to learn a write a book, learn a new skill, get ripped or coach their kids in postgraduate level English or maths.
Please give yourself a break. If you didn’t do any of these things when life was normal it’s unlikely you’ll achieve them in a crisis situation.
Students are adapting although there are mixed responses from universities ranging from a full online learning experience to classes ending for the year. My daughters are throwing themselves into online learning and research.
We’re drinking too much. A dry COVID-19 crisis was never really an option but we need to aim for three dry nights a week.
You know you’re in the danger area when you add a loaf of bread and veg to your basket as a cover for buying a couple bottles of plonk. It’s a very middle class response to the crisis. Please don’t shame me.
What comes next?
Having been confined to our homes and forced to free ourselves from offices and routines, there’s a rebalancing occurring in society.
I noticed it in the supermarket. There were more men than women shopping.
Young families are out for walks in the morning and at lunchtimes. In my own networks men are splitting childcare, cooking and cleaning.
Work has a new parity. The crisis is a great equaliser.
What’s important is a clear division of labour in relationships and families. This is an aspect of life that let’s hope will never go back to normal.
It’s an important point. Life won’t ever go back to normal. We need to figure out what’s next.
Stay indoors and stay safe. We can fight the virus together. This too will pass.
