Powering through January - 10 suggestions
Over the course of this week I’ve had interactions with 3 friends who, in one way or another, have found this latest period of COVID-19 induced “lockdown” more challenging.
It really should come as no surprise. January - with a full bank account, employment, the freedom to do anything you want - is usually an awful month anyway. Throw a global pandemic into the mix and it feels like the ultimate misery.
The mistake we have all been making is assuming we had factored all of this in when, in fact, we’ve probably become overly blasé about our own response to the situation. So I thought it might be helpful to list the 10 things which I’m finding useful
(1) Plan short & long-term, ignore the mid-term
Planning is vital. Having goals, a checklist, things to look forward to are the fuel that motivates us but you need to need to divide that into 2 groups and ruthlessly avoid the middle ground.
It’s good to have control over your plans and I can decide I am going to finish this piece and go for long walk as a reward this afternoon (short-term) I can also, during that walk, start to think about my month long visit to New Zealand which I want to do in 2024, my 55th birthday (long-term). What I won’t be doing is booking a flight to a Greek Island in April. As pleasant as that would be the endorphin rush after pressing the ‘BOOK’ button is almost instantly replaced by constant fretting about will it go ahead. Why add a problem to your day ? We are in a global pandemic and that makes planning wholly discretionary activity difficult, frustrating and frankly pointless. Don’t do it. Don’t add another likely disappointment to your list.
(2) Maintain work / pleasure discipline
Be conscious of the day, the date and the time. Be disciplined in your time and stop work bleeding into pleasure (and the reverse). Sure our ‘off-duty’ options are limited but they still exist - schedule accordingly. If you need to do certain things to remind yourself then do it - I shave every weekday but skip a day or two at the weekend. I drink a different coffee at the weekend. Do not let the hours and days morph.
(3) Focus on CAN not CAN’T
Stop dwelling on the things you can’t do and spend time on the things you can. If you are being prevented from doing something which you enjoy establish an alternative not just coexist with a void. Regard this enforced behaviour as a bonus. Just because you did new things last March doesn’t mean that you can’t be doing more new things now.
And don’t force yourself to do things (eg Dry January) just because everyone else is doing them. Do what’s right for you and those around you.
(4) Low Intensity Activity
Washing dishes and walking. That’s the 2 very unglamorous things I’ve spent more time on in January. Rather than stack the dishwasher I enjoy the therapeutic routine of washing and stacking dishes - brain switched off and allowing my mind to drift. Walking is the other. Long walks, no headphones just ambling along looking and listening. It works for me - find your own stasis.
(5) Stop Binging
Try and stop stumbling down the rabbit hole of binge watching. Ration things out and make them a reward and not a time sink. See (6).
(6) Regular Rewards
Favourite box set, meal, drink, activity, conversation partner. Factor these into your day / week as rewards. Have mini-milestones which reward an achievement - put them in your diary / scheduler. That’s right you should plan your day on paper.
(7) Mix Up Engagement
Use new sources of information, speak to new people and work hard on making up for the lack of serendipity. If someone asked me what I am missing most about this period beyond stepping on an aircraft it would be the joy of meeting new people.
Networking and ending each day with new thoughts and opinions is vital. So work on opening new doors. Yesterday I joined “Clubhouse” and spent the afternoon listening to fresh voices and ideas - it felt like I had been transported fast from London W4.
(8) Avoid Over Stimulus
Notwithstanding (7) be judicious in your stimulus and distractions. I’m a “news junkie” (obviously) but even I have 2 large chunks of time each day when I don’t engage with the world. Sometimes you need time for thoughts to settle.
(9) Learn Something New
We should always be learning. It felt like everyone was learning something new over the summer but that tailed off. Probably because politicians have given us false hope about when ‘normality’ will return. Don’t fall into that trap. Wishful thinking eats up time and energy. Start something new, today. Or at least have a think about what that could be.
(10) Switch Off
Chose a way of winding down and a time that works for you. Bring an end to each day which helps signal to the mind that it’s okay to switch off. Throughout the pandemic mine has been watching YouTube videos about log cabins - building them, living in them, renovating them. Sweden, Alaska, Finland, Colorado. Most don’t even have dialogue. Just a very calming routine.
Finally
January is almost done but we are in this for a little bit longer. It’s worth taking the time to review what you are doing and how you are feeling and make adjustments.
Good luck with your mission !
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mark Izatt is a brand consultant living in London and founder of Mission Critical, a highly focused and curated weekly briefing for time poor and information hungry decision makers. Mission Critical is a digital product delivered via his Estonian Consultancy business.
You can email Mark here and read about his recently published book ‘Mission Critical - 101 tips to survive and thrive at work in the office, on the move and at home’.
