I changed the way I dealt with lockdown

I found my lockdown groove this week and hit my stride. Before this week I was tired and approaching burnout - not in the same way our healthcare and key workers must be – but I was doing too much.

I went into lockdown with the intention of helping as many people as I could. As a recruiter our services have been needed less and less over the past few weeks and so I decided to check in with my network and see where I can help. I also spent time investing in learning and developing new systems and products, launched a series of webinars to help my network upscale, share knowledge and create peer networking opportunities.

Before this week I was awake at 4:30am at my desk for 5:30am. I worked until breakfast with my family, after breakfast I went straight back upstairs until late afternoon when we went for our family daily walk.

This week was different. I woke later, started my day with yoga, some music, or a relaxing YouTube video, built myself a nest on the sofa, grabbed a cup of coffee and picked up this week’s book. For the next 45 minutes I read, took notes, planned, and had my day scheduled before anyone else in the house was awake.

Now I’m not saying you need to 10x your life or run a half marathon barefoot before brunch – I’ve never even seen a kale smoothie! But I do recommend you take this time to really figure out what works for you. Before we all rush back to normal, we should all consider what we want the new normal to look like. Sometimes speeding up isn’t the answer, sometimes the power is in slowing down.

Here are my four tips for making the most of this very unique opportunity:

1.Do what you can, but don’t do too much. As a business owner it’s an easy trap to fall into. “Keep going!” “Power through!” Instead of thinking ‘what else can I do’ take the time to reflect. Take action, absolutely. This is not the time to slink back to your cave. But also take this time to reflect, to improve and add value wherever possible for as many as possible.

2. Look after yourself. If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of others. In the first weeks of lockdown I was tired. I’m told I was also (very) occasionally grumpy and stressed and so the little time I spent with my family was not always quality time. By taking some time in the morning when nobody needed me, it shifted my focus and completely changed my day.

3.Take the time to think. If you are always ‘on’ use this time to take a step back, let everything settle and allow yourself to be creative. Problem solving needs creativity. If you give yourself time to be creative that’s often when innovation happens.

4. Stay positive. Throughout all of this I’ve taken the ‘keep calm and carry on’ mantra. ‘This too shall pass’. Not only do I feel that’s my responsibility as a business owner, but I also see that there are many positives to come out of this situation. It goes without saying that many people have been badly affected by this, many thousands of people have lost their lives or their loved ones. If we have been lucky enough to get through this pandemic unscathed, we should be the ones to power through and help get the country back on track. For those of us who have our health I believe we can come out of this stronger.

What are you doing to thrive in lockdown? Let me know in the comments what has worked for you.