Have you noticed yourself looking back at the 2020 shelter-in-place ordnance nostalgically? For those of us lucky enough not to contract the virus itself, there were certain elements of those strange months that felt really wonderful. We were able to stay home. With most air travel grounded, the skies became clear and seemed bluer. Although dolphins returning to the Venice canals was fake news, the lack of traffic did allow sediment to settle and the waters cleared for the first time in more than 50 years. What organizing insights can we find from the pandemic that we can revisit to create some of that shelter-in-place simplicity?
Stay home: Our homes became our schools, our churches, our offices, our gyms, our movie theatres and our restaurants. Some of these new functions gave us new perspectives on how life and work could be done differently. Many people have continued working remotely, happy to have all those commuting hours back and thrilled to not have to dress for work (at least from the waist down). What can you do at home that would be more cost and time effective?
Guard your health: Nothing derails productivity like an illness. Stay home if you are sick and make it clear to co-workers that you would appreciate it if they do the same. Keep a couple of extra Covid tests handy just in case. Don’t wait to buy tests and meds until you’re too sick to even want to go online to order them. Wear a mask on planes even if it seems silly—the psychological benefit might help. Being proactive reduces stress and stress weakens the immune system.
Keep the pod alive: if you had a pod of people that you socialized with during the pandemic, keep those valuable relationships in tact with regular calls and gatherings. If it was your immediate family, be sure to keep communication open, even if it is just conversations at one meal a day. Connections and communication are not only vital to mental health, they allow resentments and other issues to be nipped in the bud if they are identified and discussed early.
Use Zoom and other video-conferencing platforms: I was not an early adopter of Zoom, but I’ve grown to love it. I can enjoy effective meetings without leaving the house, which adds at minimum an hour of prep and travel time back to my day. Zoom is a great way to stay connected between in-person gatherings.
Bundle your errands and only shop once a week: Remember those grocery store and other lines of 2020-2021? I began going to the grocery store only when absolutely necessary and it forced me to make a thorough list and buy enough for the week. I had to plan my meals in advance and often I just ate the same menu day after day to keep it simple. There’s nothing wrong with reducing decision fatigue. “What’s for dinner?” Salad, vegetable, chicken. Done.
What to wear: Another pandemic plus was a break from the fashion-police and restrictive clothing, but that didn’t have to mean pajamas 24/7. A friend turned me on to Vuori joggers and here we are six years later and they still look brand new. A polished version of sweat pants, a nice sweater or t-shirt, cute Adidas sneakers and I felt ready for almost anything. An easy daily “uniform” (think Steve Jobs) is like having the same nutritious breakfast every morning—it reduces decision fatigue and saves time.
Do nothing: My favorite summer 2020 memories are of my boyfriend and I laying in the sun with no jobs to go to and nothing urgent to do. We stared at the sky and gushed over the blue of it. We marvelled at the utter quiet. We spent a bunch of quality time with the chickens and cat. We took walks after dinner. Social scientist Arthur Brooks, who teaches classes on happiness and the meaning of life at Harvard, advocates for cultivating “blank space” in our days in order to contemplate our life’s purpose.
By reframing the “worst of times,” we can find amazing opportunities to reorganize and reprioritize our lives.