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.
[SERIES] 4/7 Unpopular Belief: Say Yes To Everything
But you can't say yes to everything!If you do, you'll just be overwhelmed and out of time!This is partially true, but not completely. Let me explain.This is Part 4 of the 7 Unpopular Beliefs Series.
Say Yes To Everything!
Once you're rich, you can say "no."
Until then, you're working on creating new opportunities and building new relationships.When you have too many and you start to feel overwhelmed, it's time to cut the bottom 20%.Kill the bottom 20% of your projects, relationships, whatever you're spending your time on.If you do this continually, the only way is up.
Diversify your opportunities
By saying "yes," to things you might otherwise reject, you're diversifying--a major principle in investing. Over time, you'll learn what returns on investment and what doesn't. This will also protect you from depending too much on one opportunity.If you work for GE for 25 years and suddenly they decide to lay you off, you now have to find another job. If you develop multiple skills and streams of income over 25 years, it's going to be a lot harder to knock you down.
Reinvest In Your Network
"No one has ever said: 'I'm too well liked and I'm too well respected--I just can't seem to make any money.'"- Seth Godin
By showing your network that you appreciate and value them (by adding value), they will appreciate and value you.This creates more opportunities and keeps you fresh in their minds when new ones arise.You also have the benefit of a strong support network when things go sideways.
2 Minute Action:
Take 2 minutes to do one of the following:
- Email/call/text an old colleague and tell them how they made a difference in your life.
- Think of someone who asked you to do something recently. Not a favor like "can you drive me to the airport." I mean more like "hey, do you want to start a really informal podcast about hunting?"
- Say "yes," and commit for a period of time. Have a rule about what will allow you to bail and agree on it with an accountabilibuddy.
- If you're not overloaded, add something to your project list.
- If you're overloaded, kill the bottom 20% of projects you're working on.
Why Do You Take Things So Personally?
There's this sudden impulse when someone criticises you.It can happen without criticism, too.In fact, it can happen even when you're not even involved.
The sound of it goes something like this:
- "Who does she think she is? She's not better than me."
- "I work harder than he does, I don't know why he's getting so much credit."
- "I'm offended because you didn't treat me how I expected to be treated."
That, my friends, is the sound of someone taking something personally.
The fact is that this is totally optional.
Once you realize that not everyone is constantly thinking about YOU, it gets easier to let this go.This little trick is called empathy.It means thinking about something, even just for a second, from someone else's point of view.If you can empathize, even just a little bit, you can start letting go of what seems like a personal attack and hear what the other person is saying.Maybe it sounds cheesy, but empathy is such a critical skill for building healthy, long-term relationships (platonic, romantic, professional, ad infinitum).You might be "successful" without it--but that's your choice.
2 Minute Action
Dig deep: when was a time you felt attacked in the last few days?Was it a direct stab?Could this person be going through something you don't know about?Could this person lack the social skills to know you were offended?Could this person have meant it in a genuine and kind way?Could this whole thing have been, maybe, just a little bit, in your head?It's not always 100% one way or the other.But either way, deciding how you respond (not knee-jerk-react) is up to you.