Note: This post is provided courtesy of Morning Brew (with a few extra suggestions of my own). Morning Brew is a newsletter delivered every morning and designed to give you an update on what is going on in the world today. To learn more, you can read my review of Morning Brew here.
In light of the current world situation and the many people who are quarantining themselves (and practicing “social distancing”), I thought I would share this list of valuable resources, to help you get through the next few weeks (or even months) while we're dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
While you’re living out your best socially distanced life, you can always stay informed with the latest coronavirus news by visiting the CDC, the WHO, and JHU websites, and check which events are canceled here.
Chapter 1: Stay Productive While Working From Home
Shakespeare wrote King Lear while the plague shut down theaters. Here’s how you can accomplish something of similar value to humankind.
Setting up a proper workstation
Experts recommend setting aside a workspace to
get you into “work” mode. If you have a beechwood standing desk with three
monitors and a view of the ocean, well la de da. If you don’t, switch up where
you’re working when you start to feel like you’re no longer being productive in
your chosen spot.
The Mayo Clinic has a guide to setting up an ergonomic workstation.
Scent: You can use a candle, incense, or other scent diffuser that you associate with work. We recommend eucalyptus or mahogany.
Design: Here’s some inspo for your work from home setup
Habits: check out some habit change ideas you can work on during the quarantine. to improve your long-term work productivity.
Video Calls: How to not look like an idiot
Video calls are going to be a part of our work for many people living a quarantined lifestyle. Here are some great tips for looking your best in any upcoming videos and conference calls.
Appearance: Make sure you have good lighting, keep the angle at eye-level or slightly higher.
Set up a professional background. Even if it is just a light sheet hanging behind you. It might be time to take down the “Saturdays are for the boys” poster, anyways.
Etiquette: Be mindful of where you’re looking when you’re lost in thought or talking.
Mute yourself when you’re in large meetings, but don’t when you’re in small brainstorms.
Call in from a quiet place and keep everything you need close by so you don’t need to leave the screen.
Write talking points and reminders on Post-It notes attached to your screen.
Quit out of any apps you won’t be using prior to the meeting.
Create a time that you’re “in office” every day,
and be prepared to start working at that time. Then, decide on a time that you
“leave” for the day and mark both on your calendar. Also, schedule in…
Cooking and eating, so you don’t end up eating entire jars of pickles or taking frequent breaks to cook three-course meals.
Simulate in-person contact: Set up virtual “coffee chats” and “happy hours” more often than
you would normally in person. You can’t tap people on the shoulder virtually,
and it’s better to save up your Slack ideas and feedback for an actual
conversation.
You can also request employees check-in every morning at a certain time, and to block off their schedules when they plan to take a workout class or head off to lunch.
Harvard Business has a list of resources to help you effectively lead amid COVID-19.
The important takeaway here is to not view quarantine as a time of isolation but as a chance to grow without distractions.
Read long-form articles
When quarantined. I recommend reading. And then reading more.
I can't count the number of times I have put off reading because “too much was going on”. If you feel the same, isn't this a chance to catch up, or even get ahead on your reading?
Full list of Bill Gates’s reading list from 2012 on
Exercise
Buy a few key pieces of equipment that you think
you’ll use the most, like a yoga mat, kettlebells, and free weights. Then find
some workouts you can follow from home. Some options:
Westworld season 3 is back on HBO, Marc Maron has a new Netflix special, Frozen 2 is on Disney+, Dave is now on Hulu
Or if you want to revel in the apocalypse: I am Legend (Prime), Zombieland (Prime), World War Z (Hulu, but read the book first), The Day After Tomorrow, Mad Max (Cinemax but who has that), This is the End (Prime)
I hope you enjoyed this guide to things you can do when quarantined due to coronavirus|covid-19.
Hopefully, you see that there are plenty of things you can do to keep yourself active, and in the long-term actually improve your life after quarantine/social distancing.
Stay safe. Stay healthy. And all of us here at Developgoodhabits hope for the best for you and yours in these trying times.
