Where To Focus During A Pandemic
I'm seeing a lot of emails and webinars on how to stay productive, how to focus, and how to set up your desktop space to maximize productivity during the COVID pandemic. I'm not sure that they all address an underlying root issue, though: where to focus during a pandemic.
I'm not saying they're bad, I actually wrote one or two or those kinds of posts, myself.
But there's an important focus that is being ignored during this crazy time.
We're all stuck in our homes.
Some of us were laid off.
Some of us are scared to go to the grocery store.
Some of us are the ones picking up groceries for others.
Some of us are unaffected and bored (for now).
Some of us are on the front lines and watching their friends get sick.
How do I focus on what's important during a pandemic?
Yes, we should be productive.
Yes, we should be helpful.
Yes, we should do our part.
But even more important, during a time like this, is relationships.
With a little extra time on our hands, checking in with the people we love in our lives is even more important.
Isolation exacerbates fears and anxieties. It also can make you just plain crazy.
I don't know about you, but when I have extra time to think and work, it can make me overthink and overwork.
Anxiety, fear, and overthinking can make you lash out and be defensive. It can make you fight with the people who are on your own team.
Instead of indulging in excess Instagram, excess work, excess frozen pizza, or excess whatever you indulge in . . .
Try connecting with your family and friends to check-in.
When all of this is over, you will remember the fight and those who helped you through it.
Feeling motivated by a community is much more helpful than setting up your desk with just the right wood and just the right monitor and just the right headphones.
When the dust settles, the people around you will remember how you handled this stress and pressure--not that you used the pomodoro technique or even how much work you actually accomplished .
So, when we think about how this applies to our day-to-day, consider how it feels to have interacted with you.
This is a leadership opportunity.
The more we empathize and connect with each other, the more likely we are to trust one another.
The more we trust one another, the more we'll be able to rebuild our communities and world.
2 Minute Action:
Text a friend.
Leave a thank you note for your partner in the kitchen.
I guarantee that it can only take 2 minutes or less to make a difference to someone.
Say thank you.
And mean it.
Only These Businesses Will Survive Covid-19
There are a few industries who are getting hit hard by the outbreak of Covid-19.
The events industry, travel and transportation industries, construction, global deliveries, restaurants, any small "mom and pop" shop, the list goes on.
Who will survive on a mix of factors, not all of which are in our control--but we're going to focus on what's in our control, for now.
The market isn't behaving like it normally does because there is so much uncertainty about what will happen next.
Will this be over in a month? 2 months? 9 months?
How much food should I stock up on? Do I really need toilet paper? Is there any DayQuil left on Amazon? Is Amazon still shipping at all?
Businesses, consumers, and everyone in between are being more conservative with their money.
So, if you're a business, you may need to adapt what you're doing to survive.
What I'm NOT saying is that if you're a bowling alley, you should stop what you're doing an open an eCommerce store selling 3D printed face masks . . .
What I AM saying is that you may need to double down on your core competencies for a while.
Made-up example: if Microsoft has a 1 million dollar budget for consultants who advise their game developers on how to use those games in classrooms, a few things might happen.
- They might have a reduced budget because they need to focus on their bread and butter operations right now.
- They might have more budget because they know they need to focus on their bread and butter operations right now.
- They might reallocate their existing budget based on what programs in that department are performing and which aren't.
There might be some combination of these 3 things. Unless you're on the inside, you really won't know what decision will be made until it's made.
So, think about it like this: if you are their most trusted consultant, they may give you more business during this stressful time. The budget might be cut, but you might get more of it.
In their view, they are being more conservative with their money. They are less willing to spend it on new projects, new consultants, and unproven revenue streams.
They are less willing to spend on uncertain things and more willing to spend on certain things.
It's back to basics.
So, if you're an insurgent brand--a new company that no one has ever heard of--depending on the circumstances, you may have a really difficult time entering the market.
But if you're already a trusted partner, someone who has delivered before, you are better positioned to succeed.
The punchline: if you're already good at something and your industry is still breathing, your best bet is to double-down on your core competencies and focus on delivering value.
This might mean you have to change the way you deliver. It doesn't mean you have to change what you do.
2 Minute Action:
You're not going to solve your business' problems in 2 minutes. Let's be real.
What you can do is start shaping your mindset by thinking outside the box about solutions.
Here are some ideas to inspire your thoughts:
- If you're used to flying somewhere and having a meeting, you might have to go virtual.
- If you're used to opening a day-care each day, you may have to build new technology partnerships.
- If you're used to flipping tables at your restaurant, you may have to work with DoorDash and UberEats to create some incentive for your customers.
I'm not saying you should stop what you're doing or continue what you've always done--that's insane.
Focus on your core-competencies and figure out what would have to happen for you to deliver business value in this new environment.
Take 2 minutes to look at what your competitors are doing.
Take 2 minutes to research an idea.
Take 2 minutes to email someone in your field who can help you think through the problem.
Read This If You're Getting Tons Of Useless Emails From Companies About Corona Virus
"The health of our employees is important to us . . ."
"Please, remember to wash your hands . . ."
"We're washing down all our keyboards and sending people home . . ."
Unless you are contributing some new information or notifying of some important procedural change that impacts customers in a big way, these emails are basically just spam.
That's the definition of spam, isn't it?
It's pretending to be ham.
But it's not.
So, it's spam.
Here's what I think is happening:
Someone at the office is saying "Jeeze, a lot of people are talking about this and I just got this email from Bob's Crab Shack telling me they're only serving pick-up orders. What do you think, Bill? I guess we'd better send something out to our list to let them know we are taking this seriously."
Doesn't that just inspire you?
The best email I've gotten so far has been from a financial advisor saying "don't make any moves!"
From a user perspective, getting a zillion emails is not a good thing. It means I have less time to distinguish the spam from the ham. I have less time to do useful things.
If the people who wrote the email thought of what the customer actually needs, I don't think 90% of these emails would be sent at all.
If anything, all this nonsense is an indication that the bar is low!
The bar is low for interesting, useful, and important messaging!
It's your time!
2 Minute Action:
Take one small, single thing you do today and just before you execute it, consider what your customer or end-user will actually think.
I guess another way to say all this is to "treat others the way you wish to be treated."
And the crazy part?
I bet it only takes 2 minutes or less to consider.