About the writer:
Written by Annie Lim, Mentor and Practitioner, Property and Finance, Australia, Asia and UK
There was a time, when a kid gifts his teacher on his Birthday or Teachers Day, a 20 roll pack of Quinton toilet paper and you said ‘What? Toilet paper for your teacher?’ ‘But mummy, that’s useful and it’s what I can afford now…’
The child now offers an additional gift of toilet rolls to his music teachers, on top of his other hand-picked personalized gifts, the teachers said ‘Wow!!’ – Same thing, different reactions.
The toilet rolls now have a higher perceived value in light of shortage due to the timing of stock replenishment. Perhaps when you can’t get tissue paper, you use toilet paper in place as well. The toilet paper situation will improve, but the current Covid-19 situation will take a while to battle through as the pandemic has stormed the world unexpectedly. It is very serious, that globally, governments are helping their countries to pull through an economic and emotional situation that affects the well being of the people in all aspects; physically, socially, and mentally.
Governments across the globe are unravelling economic packages by way of stimulus packages to save jobs and businesses which affect the economy of the country as these will implicate the well being of the people. The macro level is managed by the authorities but as responsible citizens, we must take the government’s directives seriously because each one of us can do our little bit to battle this global threat. Medical professionals are front liners when the cases are referred to the hospitals. However, everyone else are the front liners to prevent and slow down an uncontrollable outbreak in our every day living. The ‘stay at home, slow the spread, flatten the curve’ messages are on signages on highway and all over. There are tremendous logics to this which is why social distancing and a higher level of hygiene practices are recommended.
If you have always been working from home, or home school, the ‘stay at home’ trend now, may not be something that affects you greatly. For those who are used to working from an office or out of home, to be ‘locked in’ a house, particularly if space is scarce, may require some adjustments. This could be a 12 weeks, 6 or 12 months call, the situation is pretty fluid now as would very much depends on how controlled the pandemic is in each of the countries.
Here are some suggestions if home is now your new playground. Try create an interesting and happy atmosphere and consider the following:
(1) Establish a routine of doing things:
This is important particularly on a working day i.e. weekdays. Noting that this is not a ‘holiday’ but a stay at home plan trying to live lives as normal as possible. Many of us are continually working and studying in a home environment. To have a diary of when to do what may be useful so that discipline and productivity continues;
(2) Have a definite waking up time:
I still set my alarm in the morning, perhaps instead of waking up at 6 am, I can now wake up at 8 am. I want to differentiate morning, afternoon, and night as this is not a holiday, but a change of life routine. If I live like no night no day, soon I may lose objectivity and meaning in life;
(3) Dress up for work:
I know some people will now not use makeup or hair gel or wear house clothes as working from home. To each his/her own.
However, in the mornings, I would want to take a shower and dress up in nice casual clothes and set my mind ready for work. A work feel and mindset helps me. I will then start work by replying to emails, preparing work materials, zoom meetings, webinars, and making phone calls. I suppose this is probably my way of conditioning my mind towards thinking work. In my home shabby clothes, I have a tendency of doing laundry, cleaning, clearing and there is always housework that is unfinished…
(4) Regular meals:
I prepare 3 meals a day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner for my family. As I am in my ‘work clothes,’ breakfast and lunch would be simpler, non-oil-splattering dishes. I still have my coffee at my usual time i.e. breakfast and tea break.
My routine from before Covid-19 has not changed much.
(5) Exercise routine:
I am not too discipline in this regard, but I try to do either a morning or late afternoon exercise, usually cycling (at my backyard) now that other activities may not be easily accessible.
(6) Housework:
In the current ‘stay at home’ mode, I am able to do a lot more housework, as in the early part of the day, when my energy level is high, I will be doing the vacuuming, mopping, and wiping surfaces. There is no end to housework, so I don’t push myself too hard on this
(7) Personal & family entertainment:
I have not had much time to do this yet, as every day just doing the routine occupies pretty much of my time. There is Netflix, books to read, plants to appreciate, board games like scrabble, monopoly, risk, mahjong that I have not had time to touch yet. I have not emphasized much on this yet, as I am trying to live life as normal as possible, given that bills are still there and responsibilities towards family & workmates remain intact.
(8) Shopping for essentials:
On days that I am out shopping, I will be getting for a few other people who cannot be out as conveniently. Might as well run the errands and have fewer people out of the house. In general, we are pretty well stocked up. Going out, life has changed. My bag now has Dettol wipes, hand sanitizers, and masks. All for the betterment of the current situation and doing my part to slow the spread.
(9) Keep in touch with friends:
This is important as the situation that we are in now, everyone is facing it. There may be days that you feel anxieties and fear, so will your friends. So giving each other that moral support is essential.
(10) Pray without ceasing:
Life and death are matters beyond our hands. If we do what we can on a physical level, the rest we really need to lift upwards for God’s help.
This is a tough season catching the whole world unprepared. What is important is to try to keep our sanity and to live as normally as possible. Easier said than done, as with job loss, incomes reduced, lifestyle may have to change. Family, friends, colleagues are all still around. You need them, they need you. Spread the love around in ways still possible like caring and loving in practical ways that each of us could offer.
Someone shared this with me that ‘Coronavirus has conquered the world. That corona means crown. But the Corona is a crown, not a king.’ Only the King has final control. So, if all things good or bad will pass, this too will pass.
Let’s do our part and do the recommended practices, maintain our composure the best we can, and be a light to people we meet who may need that extra care and concern.