There's no such thing as the "New Normal."

Today marks one month for my husband and I, being in self-quarantine. It has been a rollercoaster, to say the least, as I distinctly remember realizing the Monday before that I had finally succeeded in building out my year in a profitable, productive, and balanced way. The clients I had signed in the previous month all represented various passions of mine, and I couldn't have been more excited to get started.

In the beginning, we (OK, I) planned little 'adventures' for us. Driving to the beach with our dog, Diesel on a cold and deserted Saturday in March; walking around the art museum late at night when we'd be two of very few people there; and even taking Diesel to new parks around the area to spend time together. We completed a 1000 piece puzzle, played Scrabble, and kept up with the house cleaning and chores.

Like many of you, I also consumed way too much media in the beginning. I was at my computer 8am-5pm, at least, every day, and constantly on my phone searching for updates. I approached the quarantine like I approach my work: the more information I have, the better. I read almost every article, stopped at every news broadcast, and rattled off updates and statistics to my husband like I was broadcasting from the living room.

He finally told me:

"Breathe, put your phone down, get off of your computer, and spend some time away from it all."

I usually resist turning my phone and computer off, but especially during the work week. What if a client needs me? What if there is an emergency? What if my ideal client sends me an email and asks to speak to me immediately and I miss my chance?

In short, as an event planner, I am used to having all of the information and using it to empower myself and my clients to make the right choice for their events and their business. I usually have a pretty good sense of what deadlines correspond with which dates in the year, and have the answers when people ask me questions. If I don't? More research.

As the weeks passed, I started to lean into balance, self-care, and digital detoxing. I started to meditate, kept a schedule of virtual workouts, and spent time away from my devices to eat lunch. In short, like many of you, I decided to start to prioritize...myself. And guess what? I am more productive, have more energy, and am more effective when I sit down at my computer now to work.

More and more, I am seeing posts and articles about the 'new normal.' Journalists and thought leaders hypothesizing about what the future will hold. Defining the space we are in now, in order to define where we are in the future. Trying to make sense of the curated information we are being overloaded with on a daily basis and make a plan for moving forward.

Something I think that every business owner and individual needs to face, is that industry as we know it--and life as we know it--has changed forever. We cannot predict the future because we don't have historical data or a foolproof system to prevent something like this from happening again. We can't define something that is intangible and uncertain, and we may not be able to put our current emotions or initiatives into words.

What we can and should be doing, is preparing our businesses for the inevitable. If your organization relies heavily on live events, start to brainstorm what that might look like if part --or all--of the event needs to be virtual. Look to add virtual components throughout the year to bring a value-add not only to your attendees, but to partners and stakeholders.

If your company resides in a brick-and-mortar, prepare and ramp up your online store, virtual classroom, virtual fitness studio, and digital marketing initiatives. We have to treat this as one more factor in doing business, and prepare for every outcome as we build out our business strategy moving forward.

In short, what the last month has taught me is that there is no such thing as a 'new normal.' We need to take time to live in the present and decide what can be done today to prepare for various scenarios in the future. Things will evolve, change, and reverse whether we are prepared for them or not, so why not be prepared?

At the same time, we need to take time to embrace what's happening now. To look at all of the opportunities we have to connect, get well, and spend time at home with our families or loved ones. I am aiming to be as present as possible, while preparing my business and my client's businesses for what's next.

What has the last month taught you?