It is no secret that the severity of the Covid-19 outbreak grows with each passing moment, in most parts of the world, evidenced in the death rates being recorded. With no vaccines or concrete cure to the illness, many countries have taken extreme measures to ensure that the proliferation of the disease is curbed especially in places where the virus is already present.
Some of the measures taken by governments of these countries as we know, include compulsory isolation by most or all members of the public in their homes and complete or partial shut down of most nonessential and some essential organizations.
With this lockdown comes a lot of positive and negative effects depending on the mindset a person has. There are several things one can do during this isolation to keep busy, which could prevent some of the negative feelings that comes with being confined to one’s home. Some of these include;
- Get data and stay connected.
It is imperative that during this period, especially with the lockdown, that everyone gets internet access and be connected to the online space. For one, many people are being ordered to work remotely and this means telecommuting by internet, which is very self-explanatory. This is not the time to practice screentime management, this is the time to access, verify, research, and keep abreasts with the ongoings around us. Also for entertainment, there are many contents online to cheer and keep one busy, from streaming platforms, to social media, to websites, and other channels. This is the time to explore the phenomenon that is the internet.
- Attend online workshop in field (s) of interest and learn new things.
While being connected by means of data services on our devices, it is important that we do not only get casual information or updates on the state of things as regards the virus, this isolation period also has educative benefits for those who are willing. This is the time to hone skills, take that online course one has been putting off, learn more about that new discipline, attend some online webinars and workshops in ones field or any discipline one is interested in. It could also be that one has a research paper to complete, now is the time to put the finishing touches and publish. Some of these are free and some are not, if one really wants to make good use of this time, it can be done. There are many opportunities for career and self development during this time, take advantage of it.
- Read books of interest.
For the book lovers, this goes without saying. There is all the time in the world before and after clocking in for remote work to wolf down as many pages and chapters of that self development book, biography, novels, research journals, and all the possible book resources one could think of. There is no rushing out to beat traffic, that time can now be used to cover grounds in this respect during the lockdown. For non-book lovers, there are audio books online, find websites that offer them and get as many as you want. As audio books, one will be able to handle other tasks while it plays in the background and better still in the peace and quiet of one’s home. For everyone, this is the time to achieve whatever reading goals was set at the beginning of the year.
- Review of 2020 goals and plans.
Many started the year with goals and aspirations to do better and be better but as is custom with life, the only thing that is constant is change. Many of these goals with everything going on now, have been altered with immediate effect. It is critical for one to go back to these goals, count loses, and restrategize. Being realistic with what we hope to achieve after all this is over is necessary. This is the time to plan for all the possible outcomes and work those goals around it. Simply put, many things might not be the same again, this is the time to plan for that. Don’t be too hard on yourselves and also ensure your goals are S.M.A.R.T ones (Specific.Measurable.Achievable.Realistic.Time-bound).
- Plan for a new job.
Businesses might not survive this halt and those that do survive might be shaky. As an employee, planning for a new job should not be taken lightly because these businesses might have to let some people go at the end of it all. This is also tied to the previous points by means of honing your skills which could give one options if eventually, losing a current job becomes the outcome. Study trends, seek out those things that would be relevant by the time things start returning to normal and become skilled in those areas. This might be some people’s only means of survival at the end of it all.
Now is the time to plan, now is the time to develop and grow, so that one does not become obsolete or irrelevant to oneself and organization. We should all use this time to our advantage and to ensure that we come out of the other end, whole.
Stay safe, stay healthy!
