This post is for people who realize that there is always room for Personal Development/Self Improvement, even during a pandemic and are lucky enough to still be employed.
The book Antifragile puts forward a strange theory. The opposite of fragile is not resilience but antifragile. The word was created by the book’s author, Nasim Taleb. To be antifragile means to not only survive tough times but to actually adapt and thrive.
COVID-19 has presented white-collar workers with unique opportunities to get better at some aspect of their lives. The mental strain of the daily commute and the greater strain of getting ready for the daily commute is largely non-existent. Your employer might like to fill this time with even more work but don’t allow yourself to be pulled into that black hole. Even after the quarantine ends those expectations will remain, then what? Set boundaries for your work and for yourself. What to do with the extra time?
Here are some suggestions along with a few resources:
Clean your house:
On weekdays we’re too busy and by the weekend we’re too tired, besides it’s easier to pay someone else to do it. Thanks to the pandemic, we have no choice but to do it ourselves, so we may as well fix everything just the way we like it.
Fix Your Workspace
One of the greatest dangers of working from home is work ‘creep’. You do a little bit of work in the bed, more on the kitchen counter, one or two hours at the dining room table until your whole house is your office. Which means your whole house reminds you of WORK! There is no place to relax and unwind. Keep your work confined to one place, do all at the kitchen counter, or all at the dining table, or all in the study.
DO NOT work from your bed or you will develop insomnia.
Block Your Mindless Websurfing
Everyone claims they’re working at least 40 per week, but are they really? Social media consumes so much of our time we hardly realize it. Youtube, Instagram, twitter, Facebook are all designed to be addictive. It’s hard to notice how much time goes by while you’re mildly entertained. Block the temptation now and forever with software designed to keep you focused on what you are doing. See ‘Resources’ at the end of this post.
Make Yourself More Valuable
Whether you survive this recession at your present job or are forced to move on, there’s no better time, to get better at what you do. Read up on your industry, download those white papers, research your competitors or go all-in on that Duolingo course. Learn to write better e-mails. Professor Cal Newport explains how long, detailed e-mails actually save time.
The Healthier You Are, The Harder You Are To Kill
It’s time for that big screen TV to earn its keep. Put in that exercise DVD, download that bodyweight course, subscribe to that Power Yoga Youtube channel. Best of all, no need for fancy tights and expensive tennis shoes, you are not going in public. Your favourite athlete won’t turn into an out of shape slob during quarantine, neither should you. If you are out of shape, now’s the time to get back in shape. The healthier you are, the better your chances are against COVID-19.
Put Your Affairs In Order
Perilous times are upon us, and we are faced with our own mortality. What better time to make a will? You’ve spent a lifetime accumulating things, what happens to them when you die? More than sixty percent (60%) of Americans don’t have a will! This guy had millions but left no will.
Put your affairs in order, where are your important documents, do you have shares that need to be allocated, money in accounts to bury you? These are unpleasant question and I personally hate dealing with them so I spend about ONE HOUR PER WEEK using this book.
You probably should do the same.
Be More Social
Call those you care about. I don’t need to explain this, do I?
Resources
Antifragile – Things That Gain from Disorder (Book)
Fix Your Workspace – Video by Thomas Frank
Block Your Mindless Websurfing – Choose from this list
Make Yourself More Valuable – Duolingo.com Write better emails.
Put Your Affairs in Order – Use this to get started.
Speak Your Mind