In a world where everyone was always busy and trying to get ahead in the race, life threw a curveball, the deadly Coronavirus, at all of us and everything suddenly came to a standstill. We were forced to adjust our lifestyles (personal and professional) to what all of us have been addressing as the ‘current situation.’ We went from not realising how time flew, to counting each day waiting for the lockdown to end. And just like that, we adapted and became a part of what everyone now calls ‘The New Normal.’
Although, I have to admit that even though there may have been some anxiousness and uncertainty attached to this entire process of adjusting and adapting, it did bring about a positive change in our otherwise hectic lives. And let’s face it, all of us needed this.
Here are the five things that we should all be taking to our ‘New Normal’:
1. Be grateful
How many of us take everyday small things for granted? If you heard an instant ‘yes’ in your head, then Gratitude should definitely be on top of this list because there’s so many things to be thankful for! A family, a roof on our heads, a job to feel secure, having the most supportive team, food and water to survive and the list goes on. To conclude, it shouldn’t take a global Pandemic for us to feel grateful for everything we have. Start with writing down the 10 things you’re grateful for when you wake up every morning! P.S. Learned this during a leadership training conducted by Saloni Suri.
2. Respecting each other’s time
Back when we used to work out of our offices, each one of us at some point or the other has taken another colleague’s time for granted; whether it was blocking someone’s calendar without checking if they were free or interrupting them while they were busy with something else. Start living and breathing by the calendar, because that will not just help you find out how free or busy someone else is, it will also help you to plan your day more efficiently.
3. Structuring your routine
Considering we now have the convenience of waking up just in time to start work and then continue working all day sitting in the same place, it’s very easy to lose track of time while WFH. The line between continuing to work and ending your day could become very blurry which might also lead to saturation or even burn out. To avoid that, start your day by waking up at your usual time, taking regular breaks like you did when you worked out of office (put reminders on your phone if you have to) and most importantly get up from that spot, take a walk and know when to shut off for the day.
4. Having flexible working patterns
It’s easier to coordinate with someone while in office, than during WFH. Working remotely can get difficult especially when everyone has a different working style. We must learn to adapt to each other’s working styles because that will not only help in finishing the task at hand on time, it will also help you feel more productive to work together and that can do wonders for building the trust among each other.
5. Maintaining a work-life balance and having your ‘Me Time ‘
Most of us found it difficult to squeeze in some time for ourselves in our hectic working schedules before the Pandemic hit us. It was mostly work and no life. With all the extra time on our hands now, all of us got a chance to do and explore a lot more than we usually would have. So continue making time for whatever it is that you like to do, whether its cooking, painting, reading, working out or even if it’s just sipping chai and absorbing it all in because life’s too unpredictable. So, let’s make the most of it while we can!
It takes days to form a habit, but mostly, it’s the willingness to do it.