We are in a strange time and space right now. I don’t know about you, but after a few weeks of our new ‘normal’, it has started to feel, well, a little bit more ‘normal’ for me. It is quite profound at times how quickly we adjust, and all of us have been adapting and adjusting each week to the evolving constraints (and opportunities) we all now live within.
And while there is some early talk of when things might return to ‘normal’ or what that might look like, it appears that until there is a vaccine, we are a long way off of returning to many of our pre-COVID-19 routines.
Disruption is Also Opportunity
One of the consistent themes in this strange time and space is ‘disruption’. So many of our usual habits, norms and social structures have been disrupted. Disruption is typically unsettling, yet simultaneously filled with possibility and opportunity.
What if you used this disruption to your long-term advantage?
Working from home has a host of productivity challenges; from dealing with kids to an ever-beckoning fridge. What if you were able to leverage this disruption as an opportunity for change? What if you made a choice to use this strange time and space, to get really clear on what is essential and what is not? What if you created one new habit, such as using a Pomodoro-like timer to stay focused for 30-minutes at time? What if you were to let go of some non-essential time wasters (some of the newsfeeds you follow, the email subscriptions you receive, the old meeting agendas, not to mention a ton of things you really don’t need to spend money on)?
Organization after organization has already shocked themselves by how quickly they moved their entire workforce and operations to on-line and homebased – many did it in a few days. Something most leaders would have sworn was impossible. Except it was possible.
The same goes for each of us. With many of our normal structures upended we have a fresh perspective. We have time and space to see our workflow and our priorities differently.
What about you? However it looks in your world, what have you already shifted to be more focused and productive? And what else might be possible if you look around?
See This is a Time to Invest
Another way to look at this, since many of us have new time on our hands, is how can you invest in yourself or your team such that you come out the other side stronger, healthier, wiser or happier? What skills development, training or habits could you invest in now? What operations or process changes can you make now that might make you stronger after this?
“The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all."
Walt Disney
Conclusion
We are all doing our best to navigate this pandemic and at some point, in some tangible way, it will be over. In the meantime, we want to make the most of this unprecedented experience. First, by doing our part everyday to stop it, knowing we are an essential part of a huge collective effort. Second, by simply slowing down, looking around and noticing the many things we take for granted or miss when the world is moving at its ‘normal’ pace. But also, pausing and asking ourselves the question “Who do I want to be on the other side?”
My hope is that all of us find a way to come out of this stronger – as individuals, as families, as teams, as organizations, as communities, as nations and ideally, as a global population. Now is the time to pause and reflect on this. How do you want to make the most of this collective adversity and what opportunities exist for you and the people in your life?
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I welcome your thoughts, observations or comments, as we all learn from one another.
And if you are a CPA who is seeking more resilience and peace of mind as you navigate our world today, please connect with me at scott@mindfulwisdom.ca. I help CPAs to delete the overwhelm, focus on what matters most and drive their future, and I would love to hear where you are at. Or for more information, please visit my website at www.mindfulwisdom.ca or book at 15-minute physically-distant-but-socially-connected phone chat here.