None of us chose the circumstances affecting the entire world at this time. For many of us, the impact has been in the form of a major pause in our regular lives. What we are finding is a changed schedule and generally finding our lives somewhat up in the air. Rather than let events completely dictate how life unfolds, consider taking some proactive steps.
First, and the best course of action is to readjust your schedule. Look at your day and evaluate what time is being spent in positive, productive pursuits. Focus and expand on those activities. And keep a calendar. In times of pause, it is easy to watch the hours slip by without form or function. This is not a recipe for health let alone growth. Instead, keep your calendar full with scheduled activities, including getting up at a normal hour.
If you are continuing to work, map out your day, including time for breaks so that you can have some critical structure to your day. Take advantage of your downtime, even if it is only because you no longer have a commute to work, by doing an online exercise class, or a meditation app on your phone.
Rather than putting things off, set goals and milestones for completion by a specific date. Whether that’s a marketing research project you are working on that may be “put on hold for a couple of weeks,” you can position the deliverable with milestones in the middle to keep the team engaged and on track.
If you do not have a job at this time, consider planning to clean a closet a day while you are home. Maybe even tackle the garage, attic, or laundry room. These are great tasks to engage kids who are home from school as well.
While it is hard to stay focused in a time of fear and uncertainty, distraction in the form of growth can help. Catch up on continuing education – even doing it earlier than you need to. When you have a few extra hours to yourself, why not work ahead to finish what you might have left till summer or later in the year to complete?
Change “have to” to “get to.” It’s not easy to maintain a positive attitude with so many unexpected and unwanted changes happening, but you have been handed a chance to work on your career.
Reconnecting with people in your network is a great way to work on important business relationships, and it positions you to take advantage of the opportunities that it presents.
No matter what you choose to do, keep your momentum moving forward. You will be back to a normal schedule before you know it and you’ll be proud of what you accomplished in the meantime.
Merito Group provides coaching services to professionals at all phases of their careers. We can help, whether you are a senior executive or a recent college graduate needing one-on-one assistance with resume preparation, interview skills improvement, job strategy services, negotiation assistance, networking, developing your personal presence, or outplacement. Contact us today to set up a consultation.